Athabasca County has been successful in receiving an Alberta Community Partnership Grant from the Alberta Government to assist with updating the current Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) with the Town of Athabasca.
The grant will provide the municipalities a total of $97,717 to create a new plan over the coming months. The document is important because it guides development and the provision of municipal services for shared lands bordering the Town within the County.
The existing IDP between Athabasca County and the Town of Athabasca was originally adopted in November 2011. Since that time revisions have taken place in 2013 and 2017. When complete, the new agreement will require adoption by County and Town Councils.
“We are very happy to receive this funding to help facilitate discussions that will result in a revised IDP with the Town of Athabasca,” says Larry Armfelt, Reeve of Athabasca County. “Despite what is occurring right now in the world, we have to keep looking to the future and forging ahead on projects like this one which will assist in a successful recovery, and growth in the region.”
Plans are already in place to begin work on the agreement. During the Regular County Council Meeting of November 28, 2019, a motion was passed putting a contractor in place to undertake the writing of a new IDP.
Since then County Administration has worked with the Town of Athabasca and entered into a contract with ISL Engineering Services Ltd. to begin work on the new agreement. The County’s portion of the cost is not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).
