COCHRANE— Crafting policies designed to ensure ease of access for flag raisings and the lighting of the Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge, Cochrane council approved the creation of standard practices to guide future requests at the regular meeting last Monday (June 28).
The need to create Courtesy Flagpole Policy 1208-01 was necessitated due to increasing requests to access the flag pole in front of the Cochrane RancheHouse Event Centre, said RancheHouse, Community Events and Culture manager Kristie Bell.
Under the new policy, inquiries will be able to be addressed in an equitable way, she said. The policy ensures the Town will be able to work with local non-profits and organizations to celebrate significant events, occasions, achievements and cultural celebrations.
The ultimate goal of the policy is to ensure requests to fly a flag on the flagpole are managed in a consistent and appropriate manner.
Applications must be submitted between eight and three weeks before a flag-raising date. If approved flags will be able to fly at the RancheHouse for up to one week.
A nominal fee of $25 is attached to the application, to account for the costs and staff time needed to review requests.
“We weren’t trying to put a fee in place that would deter people from applying, but we wanted to put something in place just to ensure that it wasn’t just a free service being provided,” Bell said.
She added the Town is exploring the creation of a new courtesy flagpole as the current location presents difficulties for parking and is located in front of a fire lane.
Councillor Alex Reed said a courtesy flagpole at the Transit Hub and Innovation Centre would be a great alternative, especially because it offers a more public display in comparison to the RancheHouse and will garner more attention.
Coun. Patrick Wilson was the only councillor to not support the flagpole policy.
He cited the use of public funds to subsidize the initiative, concerns about eligibility requirements posing potential litigation risks for the Town and the potential impact on Town staff time as the reasons for his no vote.
“I’d be in support of our three levels of government having their flags … Being an event centre if we have some event centre flag that would make sense here too,” Wilson said. “I don’t think this policy is a wise decision.”
Light the Bridge Policy 1207-01 was approved to allow residents and organizations the opportunity to apply to light up the Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge for special events and celebrations.
“The foundation of this policy is grounded in Cochrane’s vision of celebrating the diversity of people who call Cochrane home,” Bell said.
Bell said the list of prescheduled lighting dates has been refined to include the current Province of Alberta’s statutory holiday list.
The Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge has eight programable LED spotlights that illuminate the columns underneath the structure.
The Town is working to design a fee structure and program for individuals looking to celebrate a personal event. This is not currently included in the policy.
The public program will be developed at least six months after the policy launch to allow time to determine and adapt the capacity requirements and make the most appropriate actions based on community demand. Bell added eligibility criteria may leave the Town open to litigation due to the risk of some requests being denied.
If a personal program is designed it will appear before council.
Coun. Marni Fedeyko said she supported the idea of making a program available to the lighting of the bridge for personal events.
“I love the opportunity. If you’re willing to pay for it, why not. It’s a revenue-making machine,” Fedeyko said.
Coun. Morgan Nagel said he did not believe $25 was a high enough fee and would like to see a public request focussed on celebrating super special events like an engagement or a new baby.
“When the bridge is lit it is very visible,” Nagel said. “I think we should put it to $50 or $100.”
Coun. Tara McFadden said she appreciated how the lighting of the bridge is centred on non-profits and providing an opportunity for them to share their stories and celebrate achievements.
“I think it’s great for a first start and we’ll see how we go from six months to a year. If we need to amend, we can go from there,” McFadden said.
