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Ponoka County approves $70,000 to dredge Parkland Beach

Parkland Beach to see some dredging support from Ponoka County
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The public swimming area at the south end of Parkland Beach will be made deeper in spots due to the money being committed by Ponoka County. Photo: Google image

Ponoka County has made a $70,000 financial commitment toward some renewal work at the Summer Village of Parkland Beach.

The money will come out of the county’s 2019 budget — to assist the Parkland Beach Marina Association (PBMA) with an improvement project for the public beach and possibly the marina.

Barry Martens, a member of the non-profit PBMA that was formed earlier this year, spoke to council during its meeting Sept. 11 about the need to further develop the area due to low water levels in Gull Lake.

The plan includes dredging in both the swimming area plus in the space between the village-owned pier and the marina area owned by a private operator. The dredging is expected to cost about $50,000 while a potential fish survey may cost upwards of $20,000.

“The (summer) village is in talks with the owner to have (access) turned over to them so it can be developed,” said Martens, who is a former councillor of the summer village.

“With the low water levels, you could almost walk across the area and most boats are touching the bottom.”

He added that a financial commitment would give the PBMA and the summer village the opportunity to kick-start the regulatory and grant application processes.

“If (access) is refused then the project around the marina is lost, but we will continue with improvements to the swimming area. The water is so low that it’s dangerous for anyone using the slide that was put in,” he said.

CAO Charlie Cutforth noted that the county, over many years, has assisted with a number of upgrades at the summer village and that the facilities are used by a lot of county residents.

“I’m confident we have the ability to accommodate this request with no worry about any tax impact,” he said.

“What’s also important to recognize is developments we have approved nearby all take advantage of this area and the chances of Alberta Environment approving a new beach area — should we be asked to build one — are slim to non-existent. And even if one was approved, we are talking some serious money to develop it.”

In support of the idea, Reeve Paul McLauchlin spoke in favour of the process.

“The reality is I don’t think we will ever see pumping into the lake again. This is a pristine lake and needs to be kept that way,” he said, referencing the Prussian carp infestation in the Blindman River that used to have water taken from to maintain water levels in Gull Lake.

“So dredging and other activities are going to need to be done more in order to make the lake usable.”

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The public swimming area at the south end of Parkland Beach will be made deeper in spots due to the money being committed by Ponoka County. Photo: Google image