Clearwater County has revisited a proposal to build an agricultural recreation facility in the county.

Following a community consultation, a survey indicated that 83 per cent of respondents consider an indoor arena with year-round access essential. Other important amenities include an outdoor arena, riding ring, warm-up arena, and adequate parking, with space for 50 or more animals and several hundred attendees.

Several agricultural recreation facilities already exist in the county. These include the Spur West Event Centre near Alhambra, North Saskatchewan River Park in Rocky Mountain House, Bighorn Stampede Grounds near Caroline, and the Gimlet Community and Rodeo Grounds.

However, some of these facilities present challenges for year-round event hosting and programming, says Matt Martinson, Director of Agricultural Services.

The Kurt Browning Arena in Caroline was mentioned as an indoor space that could be adapted for use by agricultural recreation organizations. However, the effort required to adapt the arena to meet the needs of agricultural recreation was identified as a challenge. Comparisons were made to other indoor venues, such as the Ponoka Calnash Ag Event Centre, the Rimbey Agrim Centre, as well as facilities in Olds, Stettler, Cochrane, Benalto, and Thorsby.

“The current private and public facilities within the community have served us very well and will continue to serve us in the future,” says Martinson. “What is being looked at is a facility that has greater amenities to hold larger and more diverse events than what we’re able to do today.”

The Kurt Browning Arena in Caroline. (Jordan Rein/94.5 Rewind Radio)

The report states that a new agricultural recreation facility could boost economic growth in the region, as farm and ranch owners and their staff would benefit from such an amenity.

The report also shows rising employment levels in the agricultural industry for both 2023 and 2024. To meet the demand, data indicates that Alberta has a unique advantage: the population of people aged 15 to 24 is expected to increase by approximately 14 per cent over the next eight years.

Attracting young people to rural communities and agricultural careers will be critical, officials say.

The report also highlights that agricultural careers are one of the top five economic drivers for attracting developers and businesses to Clearwater County.

Incentives identified by county officials for business owners include no off-site levies, no payroll taxes, no provincial sales tax, and no inventory taxes.

An initial feasibility study for the facility was conducted in October 2014. In September 2022, council directed administration to update the feasibility study with stakeholder consultation and move the capital budget funding placeholder from 2024 to 2026.

A matrix of 23 criteria has been completed to aid in site selection for the facility. These criteria include location on publicly owned land, land use designation, as well as proximity to Rocky Mountain House, schools, and highways.

Ultimately, the report recommends a facility that includes a full-size, heated indoor arena with a warm-up area, a full-sized outdoor arena, flexible rooms, indoor and outdoor stabling, wash bays, storage, a small prep kitchen, spectator areas, and ample parking for both participants and spectators.

“We want to see the facility used 80 to 90 per cent of the year,” says Martinson.

Capital costs for construction were estimated at over $13.3 million, while the operating budget for the proposed facility is estimated to require approximately $146,017 in additional annual funding.