Grande Prairie Minute: Playground Decommissioning, Worker Website, and Standing Committee Day

Grande Prairie Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Grande Prairie politics

This Week In Grande Prairie:

• Tuesday is Standing Committee Day. The Financial and Administrative Services Committee will meet at 9:00 am. The Committee will discuss the 2024 Q1 Financial Report, which notes that, according to current projections, the City anticipates a $1 million budget shortfall at the end of the year. The Public and Protective Services Committee will meet at 9:15 am. Delegations from the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie and the Centre for Creative Arts will provide updates on the funding they received from the City, and a resident will speak to his concerns regarding speeding noisy vehicles on 100 Street.
  
  
• The Operational Services Committee will meet at 10:30 am. The sole agenda item is a service area update. At 10:45 am, the Strategy and Communication Services Committee will meet. Again, the sole agenda item is a service area update. Finally, the Invest GP Committee will meet at 11:00 am. Guess what’s on the agenda? A service area update.
  
  
• The City of Grande Prairie is launching "GP Grows: On Tour" to encourage residents to connect with nature and gardening. This series, running from May to August, includes garden and orchard tours designed to teach home gardening skills. The program kicks off tonight with a class at the Design Works Centre Learning Garden at 6:30 pm, covering garden preparation and planting. Additional classes will be held on July 8th and August 26th, focusing on maintenance and harvesting. Community orchard tours start on June 19th. All of the details are available on the City’s website.

Last Week In Grande Prairie:

• City Council discussed ways to promote multi-family housing development to address housing needs. They have tasked City Administration with compiling a report on potential supports or rebates for building and development fees. Mayor Jackie Clayton told Council that Grande Prairie currently has a vacancy rate of less than 1%, and the community is still growing. Council will revisit the matter after Administration completes its report.
  
  
• The Peace Country region launched the "Work NW Alberta" website, a collaborative effort between the City and County of Grande Prairie, the MD of Greenview, the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce, and Northwest Polytechnic. This initiative is part of a broader, multi-year strategy aimed at attracting talent by highlighting employment opportunities available across various industries in the area. The site provides a comprehensive portal where individuals and families can explore community information, job openings, and other regional benefits. You can see the site here.
  
  
• Council discussed playground decommissioning for some older playgrounds. According to Administration, there are 130 playgrounds in Grande Prairie, and the older ones, which are not being utilized, are costing the City a large amount of money to maintain. Council said that any potential park decommissioning will be decided through community engagement and consultation. This process will determine if a playground is really what is needed, or if the space could be better utilized with alternatives like turf, soccer fields, or basketball courts.