Location of the Rose Garden Hospice. (Council Agenda Package/City of P.A)

By Dawson Thompson

Park Update

Prince Albert council votes to reduce costs owing by Rose Garden Hospice Association

Jul 20, 2021 | 1:05 PM

Council turned down a request from the Rose Garden Hospice Association to trade the city a piece of land in exchange for the forgiveness of some outstanding levies and servicing fees. Instead, council voted to simply reduce those costs.

The association had asked council to eliminate or substantially reduce the fees they owe for surface and underground utility works at their site on Marquis Road. In addition to city development levies, the total is $361,173.26. In exchange, the association offered a 1.88-acre piece of land at their site and suggested the city develop it as a park.

Councillor Dennis Ogrodnick was in favour of acquiring the land on the north end of the property, running alongside Rotary Trail.

“I think green space is a good thing, whether we can use right now or not,” Ogrodnick said at the meeting Monday. “I think the green space will be nice for seniors, for families that are visiting somebody in the hospice. I think there is a need for it.”

But director for planning and development services, Craig Guidinger disagreed.

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“We simply do not have use for that park space right now. It would just represent a cost to the city. I suggested they are [Rose Garden Hospice Association] probably better off to use the park space for their own purposes, and city council should look at the merit of waiving fees,” Guidinger said.

Mayor Greg Dionne also recommended the association look at developing the park themselves.

“We have a park right across the road, Mahon Park,” Dionne said during the discussion. “If they want us to build a park, that is an operation cost to us, and then it’s an ongoing operation cost for us. It’s not just a one time cost for us, it’s a forever cost.”

Instead of taking ownership of the parcel of land, administration recommended the city reduce the amount owed to them by the association to $195,033.56, a reduction of $166,139.70.

Council voted 6-3 in favour of the idea, with councillors Ogrodnick, Tera Lennox-Zepp, and Charlene Miller opposed.

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Dawson.thompson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @dawsonthompson8