Rocky View County (RVC) council has cleared the way for the Cochrane and District Agricultural Society (CDAS) to not only stay put but to purchase the land at its current location.
RVC council came out of a 20-minute in-camera session to unanimously support executing the purchase and sale agreement and the restrictive covenant as discussed in a confidential report.
It has been five years since the long-time home of the Ag Society appeared to be threatened when the society was denied a 50-year lease extension. Shortly afterward, the RVC council of the day sought to sell the land, but a suitable proposal did not come forward.
In July 2019, the new RVC council was told the land was not on the disposal list. RVC Div. 9 councillor Crystal Kissell pushed for discussions to come to a head, and a joint committee of RVC and Cochrane was formed to discuss the future of the 146-acre property.
In September 2019, RVC council supported the sale of the land for $1, with conditions including the need to maintain the land for recreational use for at least 20 years.
RVC councillor Greg Boehlke admits it took longer than anticipated to finalize the wording of the agreement.
"It seems like it has been a long process to get a transfer of the quarter-section of land over to the Ag Society for a $1, but we're happy to do that, and it helps Cochrane to keep some green area in there, and it really helps the Ag Society."
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