The town and Rocky View County have one year to come to terms on new agreements for the SLS Family Sports Centre and Cochrane Arena.

Following an in-camera session last night,  a motion was made by town councillor Alex Reed to provide the county notice to terminate the existing agreements related to the ownership and operation of the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC) and Cochrane Arena.

Mayor Jeff Genung says this decision will come as no surprise to the county, and that discussions have been underway now for several months.

He's hopeful the matter can be resolved.

"The hope is that we don't ever get to the end of it and that we actually get a new agreement in place well before this one expires."

The topic of the existing agreement has arisen in council on several occasions, and some councillors have implied the county isn't paying its fair share.

"It's not so much concern," says Mayor Genung. "I think it's just the complexity and the changes that are happening at the rec centre, the addition of the new pool, and just how we're seeing things play out there."

Genung says both the town and county agree in principle on a user-pay model but further in-depth discussions haven't been held to hammer out the details.

He assures users there won't be any change to service delivery while the agreements are reviewed and updated. 

Both SLSFSC and the Cochrane Arena are jointly owned by the town and RVC, as well as the lands on which the facilities are located. The facilities are managed and operated by the Spray Lake Sawmills Recreation Park Society (SLSRPS).

There is a lease and operating agreement as well as a reimbursement agreement in place between the town and county for the two facilities.  The current 15-year agreement was signed between the town, county, and SLSRPS on June 22, 2017. That same year marked the opening of the new aquatic and curling centre.