A year and three months after town council requested two-acres of town land be transferred to the Ponoka Gymnastics and Trampoline Club, that land remains in town ownership.
During the club’s AGM Wednesday, Sept. 23, president Barry Groves told members there is a chance they will lose an approval of a $200,000 loan intended to pay back Ponoka County for some bridge funding recently provided.
The club has until the end of September to show it has the land title, which was first approved for transfer in June 2014. That motion was rescinded this year after town council saw the title was never transferred and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) – one of the stipulations of the title transfer – was never agreed upon with the club.
Town of Ponoka council directed administration to once again make an agreement with the club where Coun. Tim Falkiner made the motion on June 23 this year to initiate the transfer of the title to the club as a gift in kind, valued at $160,000.
Groves said administration delayed the transfer claiming issues with the club’s registration of its name.
Relations have not improved over the months. Administration is no longer dealing directly with Groves or the club. He disclosed that he had since received an email from the town’s municipal lawyer in Edmonton requesting he deal with them rather than the CAO.
“The town’s promised a lot, but hasn’t really come through with anything yet,” said Groves.
One attendee at the AGM asked why the club constructed its building without having the land title and MOU with the town. Groves replied the current members of the board were not part of the decision making process, but added the town also supplied the club with a building permit, adding to the confusion.
He suggested the question that needed to be asked is why the town delayed in making the transfer. Part of the issue appears over negotiations between town administration and the club over whether to gift the land or lease it to the club.
Administration did say the anticipated closing date for the transfer of land is Oct. 15 but did not say when the transfer was to be made.