Hosting Fall Fair, 4-H Achievement Days top priorities for NPRP’s future
Extensive public and stakeholder engagement confirmed, as various members of the public told the Peace River Regional District board over the last year, that keeping the North Peace Fall Fair and 4-H Achievement Days going at the North Peace Regional Park in North Pine, was the top function wanted for the location.
The top developments for the fall fair grounds also come as no surprise – upgrading the Adeline Kelly Building for public occupancy and addressing the need for on-site potable water.
These priorities and more were received by the PRRD board earlier this month, in a report and a presentation from Expedition Management Consulting, which was retained to conduct the feasibility study and develop a master plan for the North Peace Regional Park, generally known as the North Peace Fall Fair grounds.
During the past year, many concerns both at the public and board level were raised about the future of the NPRP, which has been home to the North Peace Fall Fair for over 75 years. When it came to the board’s attention that some of the buildings on the park grounds were not up to code, or safe enough to be used as public buildings there was much discussion around what needed to be done to improve the site, its value to the region and who would pay for the upgrades.
Justin Rousseau, managing director of Expedition Consulting told the Board: “We know that the park is at a critical stage in its development. We also know that there’s a strong heritage value and a real strong community desire to the park continue in the future.
“We also know that there’s significant operational and capital challenges to continued use, and the plan does describe some of that, and also some of the recommended action items to respond to that.”
The plan Rousseau refers to is the draft Master Plan, which was developed following the consultation analysis, and is the second to last step in the project process, which was to “develop a plan for the North Peace Regional Park that will guide the future decisions of the park."
When the Fall Fair Society board received the draft Master Plan presentation in October, they had a few concerns, stated in a letter the North Peace Fall Fair Society subsequently sent to the PRRD board.
Number one was that the upgrading of the Adeline Kelly Building to a public assembly facility with a kitchen to create a multipurpose space, which they hope to undertake in partnership with the PRRD.
The second most important item was potable water and finding a better way to provide it on location. The Society hauled water into the park this year, but it’s not the best solution, according to the letter.
Other concerns were associated with regular public access, which the feasibility study and the draft master plan suggested; the operational infrastructure, management capacity and financial resources to manage the agreement with the PRRD; and creating a part-time position for someone who, working with the Society, manage the park. The Society also hopes to develop a three-to-five-year business plan with the PRRD.
“Our main desire is to see the grounds being used to promote and educate the public in all aspects of the agricultural sector through the Annual Fall Fair and numerous activities. We believe that the park is the ideal venue for that to continue as has for the past 77 years,” Society president Bruce Christensen said in the letter.
Fort St. John director Tony Zabinsky wondered why a part-time coordinator position was necessary, “when it’s only operating three days per year.”
Rousseau said that the Master Plan suggests expanded programming and expanded hours of use.
“It would be more potential hours that the place would be open and we’re suggesting that be on a pilot project kind of basis,” he said, “That was one of the factors, the other would be keeping up with code and some of the fundraising.”
At the October 15 meeting when the Society met with Areas B and C directors as well as the board chair and received the Master Plan presentation, the consensus was that the NPRP should be transitioned to an Area B-funded community park, operated by the Society, rather than a regionally funded park.
“There was a fair amount of discussion around the operating models and what the best approach would be,” Rousseau said.
“It’s a recommended option and it’s not necessarily finalized. And as of all of the recommendations in the report, they’re open to annual budget deliberations and other approvals.”
By putting the funding in Area B’s hands and leaving the North Peace Fall Fair Society in charge of park operations, it would reflect the special importance the location has to Area B residents.
“The Society has a long history of operating the park and they have a desire to keep doing so,” said Rousseau.
In addition to funding from Area B, Rousseau said that there are opportunities for fundraising, sponsorships and grants to help support activities at the NPRP.
These funds could prove helpful in carrying out the desired capital projects for the fall fair grounds, as the costs of upgrades to the Adeline Kelly Building and potable water could run as high as $4.5 million. These two items, said Rousseau came through clearly in the engagement process as top priorities, followed by upgrading the electrical system, developing a safety plan and replacing the playground.
Area E director Dan Rose said that it’s hard to plan where they’re going with the park without knowing what investment is needed to be successful.
Regional District Chief Administration Officer, Shawn Dahlen responded to Rose’s concern:
“There are still some pieces where we do need to source out exact cost estimates in regard to what things may cost in the future.”
Under Financial Considerations on page 4 of the report, is a table listing the estimated cost of each recommended capital improvement, with the cost of any engineering or architectural costs still to be determined.
Brad Sperling, Area C director recommended deferring the decision on the North Peace Regional Park Master Plan until staff has had a chance to update costs.
“We recognize that this is a timely item that we need to get back in front of the board as quickly as possible,” said Dahlen.
He suggested the second Committee of the Whole meeting in January as an appropriate time to bring the matter back before the board.