by Tristan Turner
During their regular Council meeting on July 12, Sturgeon County Council approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Sharing of Costs for Site Servicing between the Town of Morinville and Sturgeon County. This agreement pertains to the 77 Acre lot purchased by the Town of Morinville just east of East Boundary Road for the purposes of a new arena/rec facility. The county purchased adjacent land to develop their own County Campus.
In December of 2015, Administrations for both the Town of Morinville and Sturgeon County formed a Joint Servicing Committee, which agreed to a Terms of Reference, including the MOU to provide a framework for cost sharing on the project.
“This cooperative approach sets a good example of regional cooperation in achieving our goals while reducing the overall costs,” said Sturgeon County Mayor Tom Flynn.
A grant of $50,000 was received to be used in the development of the MOU and other required reports or studies.
“Approval of the MOU for site servicing demonstrates an ability to execute planned work that is of significant importance to the County and the Town” Flynn said.
Morinville Council has been asking the county for financial support in the development of the new arena, and the nature of their contribution beyond servicing has yet to be determined.
