Rocky View County’s (RVC) old Airdrie Operations Centre may be small in size, but is proving to be a big and expensive headache for county taxpayers.
The operations site was originally established in 1939 as a local hub to provide essential road maintenance services by storing highway equipment, sand, gravel and salt in the three-acre space now located in the heart of King’s Heights.
While the region around the operations site was annexed into Airdrie as part of the so-called “12,000 Acre Plan” in 2012, the operations centre remains the property of Rocky View County, and the County's problem to solve.
RVC staff informed councilors during the May 23 meeting that it would cost $2.62 million to reclaim the site, which was the lowest bid that came in to do the work.
The main problem with the site, according to staff, is the salt contamination that has seeped into the ground over the eight decades since the operations centre first came into existence.
Staff said the contaminated soil will have to be removed and sent to a special landfill to deal with, as part of the general reclamation to prevent significant future leaching into surrounding neighbourhoods. Currently, the structure is abandoned and fenced off to prevent unauthorized access, but is closely surrounded by dense residential areas on all sides.
The potential for leaching and future liability is what initially prompted RVC to move ahead with the reclamation effort, but the cost came in much higher than expected.
Division 4 Coun. Samanntha Wright asked if there were any provincial or federal grants the county could access to offset some of the costs of the work.
“I know it’s the cost of doing business, but this is an incredibly high cost,” Wright said.
Unfortunately, Wright was told there were no grants to cover this sort of work. This answer prompted her to ask if the contamination was just a byproduct of the fact the structure dates back to 1939, when environmental standards were different.
RVC director of operations Bryon Riemann confirmed new structures in the county are built to a higher standard to prevent such contamination as much as possible.
“The standard of the day was there was no standard of the day,” he stated. “It’s a completely different world than today’s environmental protection.”
Deputy Reeve Sunny Samra asked what the value of the land was as it stood currently.
According to staff, the value is currently about $725,000, but could go for higher if reclamation was complete.
“Going up to $2.6 million?” Division 2 Coun. Don Kochan asked, sarcastically.
Staff said, unfortunately, there was no way of knowing at this time.
Kochan wondered aloud if the site couldn’t be covered up and turned into a park instead.
“I’m not sure that really eliminates your liability unless the City of Airdrie wanted to take on this land’s ownership,” responded Riemann. “They have not expressed an interest in doing so.”
Division 1 Coun. Kevin Hanson said the County has a clear responsibility to reclaim the site, and was more optimistic than Kochan that the cost of the reclamation could be recouped eventually.
“I think the value of this land situated in that dense residential area – I think there are lots of options for us down the road after this is accomplished,” he said, before bringing forth a motion to approve the $2.62 million needed to commence the reclamation operation. “I think of this (clean up) as an investment and will actually benefit the taxpayer in the end.”
Council then approved transferring the money from the municipality's reserves to cover the cost.
