Clearwater County commits support to NSRP upgrades

Clearwater County has committed funding to support upgrades at North Saskatchewan River Park.

At its March 10 meeting, county council approved a $5,150 contribution toward the project, which includes upgrades to electrical capacity, internet service and lighting at the grandstands.

The Town of Rocky Mountain House took the first step at its March 3 meeting by committing the full $20,000 cost for the upgrades, with the expectation that Clearwater County, the Rocky Agricultural and Stampede Association (RASA) and the Rocky Mountain House Chuckwagon Association (RMCA) would each contribute an equal share.

The planned upgrades include:

Equipment to bring Wi-Fi to the judge’s suite, ticket booth, infield judges stand and rental hall — $9,600
Electrical power to the ticket booth and lighting under the grandstand — $6,200
Additional picnic tables for the rental hall — $480

As of March 11, the RMCA had agreed to cover 25 per cent of the projected costs. RASA has verbally agreed to the cost-sharing arrangement, although written confirmation had not yet been received.

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A delegation including RMCA president Lillian Hay and vice-president Rod Tomyn appeared before council in 2025 to outline the upgrades needed at the grounds.

The group said increased power and internet capacity would support its goal of making North Saskatchewan River Park the permanent home of the Battle of the Rockies chuckwagon finals.

Improved electrical capacity would allow for electronic ticket sales and enable debit and credit card use, while enhanced internet connectivity would benefit the judges’ skybox and improve the live streaming of races.

For its efforts in bringing the WPCA finals back to Rocky Mountain House in 2025, the Rocky Mountain House Chuckwagon Association received Discover Rocky’s tourism award at the March 6, 2026 Denim and Diamonds awards ceremony in at the Lou Soppit Community Centre.

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