To mow or not to mow was the question that had council hung up on Monday night. This follows a motion put forward by Coun. Morgan Nagel to resume maintenance of a portion of park space located in Bow Meadows – an area referred to as the "Bow Meadows floodway" located between Bow Meadows Drive and the Bow River. Administration has recommended that council opts to maintain the reduced maintenance standards adopted in early 2016 – whereby all mowing ceased and tree and shrub planting was intensified for flood protection. Nagel was prompted to bring the motion forward, following concerns expressed by the residents backing onto the once mowed and maintained park area – which is now overgrown with planted trees, shrubs and natural fauna as part of the town's flood mitigation efforts following the epic 2013 flood. Earlier this year, Nagel was made aware of a petition generated in Bow Meadows from residents wishing to see the maintenance of the park space behind their homes resumed. "When we implement a bad policy ... I think we should adjust it," said Nagel, who remains unconvinced that the stretch of land up for discussion will have any meaningful impact on holding back the Bow River - should a flood event of such proportion ever cause the water levels to reach that high. Nagel said he feels the town needs to look to more permanent flood mitigation strategies such as rip rap. "The more ... root material we have in the ground, which was referred to as "rebar" – it will give the land a higher erosion resistance factor," explained Brad Lift, manager of parks and open spaces. Council has deferred the decision until the Oct. 9 meeting, leaving administration time to answer some questions over whether the town will take on liability in the event of a major flood, as administration believes that mowing the area will reduce its ability to stave off flooding. The cost to resume maintenance would be $4,120 per year, based on contractor rates of $103/hour, two hours per week for 20 weeks/year. Coun. Marni Fedeyko suggested biweekly mowing, should the matter come down to cost concerns. Coun. Pat Wilson joked about this being the first matter before council where he was not concerned about the operations cost as he felt this was the type of maintenance that was in the town's scope and that prior to a couple of years ago, the area had been maintained. Mayor Jeff Genung is looking to legal advice to ensure there is no added liability to the town in the event of a major flood, should the resumed mowing contribute to erosion and impact the residents. The town is awaiting updated flood mapping from the province.
