The Town of Cochrane is yet another step closer to seeing the creation of a sports park that has been a slow and multi-revised development plan that has been in the works for close to a decade.
Late in the night on May 20, the Town’s Committee of the Whole met to hear an update on the Horse Creek Sports Park design plan, which states that construction on phase one of the park, which is situated on a quarter section of land north of the neighbourhood of Heritage Hills, is scheduled to start this year.
Horse Creek Sports Park has undergone a handful of revisions and alterations since its initial introduction almost 10 years ago. Since the initial concept, the design has undergone significant revisions due to “evolving site conditions, including stormwater requirements and strategic realignment of recreational components,” a committee report reads.
The Horse Creek Park report, which was presented to the committee, states that the key factors driving the concept refinement include: increased stormwater demands due to the “TWP 262 redevelopment” and the “inability to accommodate a shared storm pond on the adjacent Rocky View Schools (RVS) site.”
Site plans have undergone revisions to enhance the “optimization of construction and operating costs by clustering parking areas and enhancement of recreational nodes and synergy among uses.” The Town has worked to improve integration with the adjacent Heritage Hills community, the report states, and introduction of a central clubhouse concept to support programming and user groups, was another cause for plan revision.
Michelle Delorme, the director of Parks and Active Living for the Town of Cochrane, told the committee members 2025 will see the site stripped and graded, with infrastructure laid in place for ball diamonds, outdoor hockey rinks, a clubhouse, and washroom facilities and pathways. The plan for this year also includes a servicing of a site for a future school. Delorme said that once the proposed school site is serviced, the RVS can “unlock” potential provincial funding for the new school.
Delorme’s presentation laid out a timeline of development for the Park that states phase one, which is headlined by ball diamonds, sport courts, hockey rinks, open flex areas, and a clubhouse, will begin development in 2026 and cost an estimated $10 to $11 million.
The ball diamonds, a point of focus for Town administration and some of the committee members, are planned to open in 2027. However, of the four planned baseball diamonds, only three will be built in 2026 and ready for 2027. The site of the planned final diamond is being left, for now, due to something the Town administration officials have called “environmental setback.”
According to officials with the Parks and Active Living department, woodpecker nests were found in the branches of trees located on the site of the fourth diamond. The nests, which officials say are not currently active, must be monitored to ensure they stay inactive because the species of woodpeckers are protected by federal legislation on endangered species. Once the Town ensures the nests are inactive, construction can begin on the final diamond.
As the plans for the Horse Creek Sports Park move beyond 2026, future phases will be prioritized based on the findings of the Parks, Culture and Active Living Master Plan.
“The Town will continue engaging with community partners and identifying grant opportunities to fund enhanced facilities,” the committee report reads.
Delorme said the next steps for the park include the selection of a contractor for 2025 site servicing works and an ongoing collaboration with community partners on funding strategy and phased implementation.
Administration plans to bring forward a park budget request this fall.
