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Little Red River Park operations, future comes under scrutiny

May 22, 2018 | 5:00 PM

With the contract for caretaking services at Little Red River Park expiring, city planners are looking to use it as an opportunity to develop a more rounded look at the future of the park.

Options were recently pitched to the executive committee on how to proceed amidst the latest contract with the Métis Women’s Association that expired in March. They have provided services at the park for 14 years.

Administration suggested providing a six-month notice of termination to the group and issuing a new request for proposal for the operation of the Cosmopolitan Lodge and catering services.

A report on the subject said terminating the contract would give the department an opportunity to review short-term goals and develop a plan of action moving forward on long-term operations. Planners are already hammering away at a Little Red River Park Master Plan, slated to come before the Community Services Advisory Committee in June.

Administration said they had not received opposition from the association over the move. The group would still have the opportunity to re-apply for the contract. The Community Services Department would provide full maintenance and upkeep services of the park as well as rental bookings for the lodge in the interim. The budget for contracting services, around $75,000, would be used to cover wages.

Also up for consideration, but not supported by administration, was renewing a two-year extension with the association or moving the entire operation in-house.

“Little Red River Park has been without a full-scale review for years and with the city focusing in on our strategic and community master plans – we believe this may be an opportune time to align the operation and services with those plans,” the report read. “There is no opportune time as the present to look at the park from all perspectives to ensure its sustainability for future generations.”

The report said various user groups have expressed interest in adding new services to the park and there is a renewed desire to see the Friends of Little Red River committee start meeting again.

Reaction to the ask was mixed, with some councillors getting cold feet over suddenly terminating the contract, fearful it could tarnish the partnership. Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody decried the hints of “empire building” within the department.

“I think that is what is happening here,” Cody said. “We like to take over things that others are doing to build an empire for ourselves. … I can’t see why, we would now, at this juncture, because there is a master plan … all of a sudden just say ‘no we are not going to look at that two-year extension.’”

Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick said he wanted to leave things status-quo for the time being until city council and the community services advisory committee could make further recommendations.

Mayor Greg Dionne said perhaps it was time for a change. He said nothing is forever and reiterated how the association could re-apply for the contract and very well win.

“I believe it is time we look outside the box,” he said. “We may end up with the same [contractor] at the end of the day, but there may be someone out there with better ideas on how to do the food and services and attract more people to the park.”

Others said the request came out of the blue and wanted more time to speak with the current operators. 

Ward 1 Coun. Charlene Miller questioned how the Just Workers program would proceed if the city dropped the association and if the city would be willing to take it over. The program assists youth who find themselves in trouble with the law and lack the skills and financial ability to pay restitution to their victims, a chance to do so.

“We could open a talk larger than Little Red River park as far as partnering with the Just Workers program and opportunities in the community,” department head Jody Boulet said. The city already partners with the penitentiary in a similar way.

Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski made mention of the Pêhonân Parkway board and the long list of upgrades they recommended for the park that has yet to come before city council. Zurakowski welcomed further planning talks and wanted to move forward with public and user group engagement.

“We need to have that conversation. What would you like and how do you pay for it? Without an increased budget, our list of wants and wishes isn’t going to get off the floor,” he said. 

Boulet said the department was highly interested in incorporating all of that into a plan. He said there are many outside partners willing and able to pitch in financially to assist in growing the park, but agreement on those priorities needs to be established first.

Wanting more time to discuss the future of the park and not wanting to dump the association, a motion was passed to send the report back to the department to craft a one-year contract extension with the Métis Women’s Association to allow time to work through the Little Red River Park Master Plan and incorporate any changes identified.

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JounroMarr