St. Albert has approved the development of a permanent 18-hole disc golf course at Kingswood Park, council heard Monday.
The decision followed a presentation from city administration about the outcome of a disc golf feasibility study that considered the course location and pooled resident feedback. A budget of $100,000 has been approved for the project, though the precise cost will be determined further along in the process.
Disc golf is similar so golf; players complete a hole by throwing a disc from a tee pad or area toward the target or basket. Currently, St. Albert has a beginner-level temporary nine-hole disc golf course in Langholm Park. The new, permanent course would be designed for intermediate play.
The motion originally on the table would have directed city administration to submit a project charter for the course to be considered in the 2023 budget process. Coun. Jacquie Hansen put forward an alternate motion that would have the course developed in 2022 and approve the funding through the city's capital reserve.
“This is a fast-growing, low-cost sport for all ages,” Hansen said. “It’s a great addition as a community amenity for St. Albertans, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Hansen said she had put the alternate motion forward because she wanted to see the course “happen sooner rather than later.”
“This really is a small cost for a great return on investment,” Hansen said.
Earlier, during administration’s presentation, councillors questioned the $100,000 price tag.
“If you’re telling me we’re just putting posts in the ground with a basket, I’m trying to figure out how this comes to $100,000,” Coun. Sheena Hughes said.
Manda Wilde, senior parks development project manager, said the city received conceptual level costing as part of the feasibility report in the amount of about $100,000.
“The general rule of thumb for disc golf courses is it costs about $1,000 per hole for the physical infrastructure,” Wilde said. “We also need a designer, and our estimates do include some revisions to the landscaping … we do think it probably will be less than $100,000, but at this point, we don’t know for sure what that number would be.”
Coun. Ray Watkins said he was in support of the project, but opposed to the cost.
“It just leaves it wide open,” Watkins said. “In my experience, when you give somebody $100,000, you’ll spend $100,000 in the end, but if you made it $75,000, they’d only spend that amount.”
Hansen thanked the other councillors for raising their concerns, but noted the project would be a one-time cost, and that there was room for administration to find ways to save money.
“Once it’s set up, it’s set up,” she said. “I think it’s a win all the way around."
Selecting a site
To select the site, city administration looked at existing parks to see what sites would fit within the required three hectares for the course. Administration also considered other factors, such as access, site layout, and future plans.
Kingswood Park, Rotary Park, and Grenadier Park were the sites the city ultimately narrowed the choice down to. After conducting a survey with 235 respondents, the city found that 86.4 per cent supported Kingswood Park as the permanent disc golf facility.
Mayor Cathy Heron voiced concerns about the site’s proximity to Sturgeon Road, specifically some of the holes shown in a city mock-up of the future course.
“If I was throwing a Frisbee there, it would end up in somebody in Kingswood’s backyard,” Heron said. “I’m just wondering if you had conversations about the safety of being so close to the road.”
Wilde said the city had found there is an opportunity to extend beyond the boundaries into Kingswood Park to move some holes away from the road and further south.
“We would work with professional design consultants as well as the local disc golf community to finalize the design,” Wilde said. “This was just a conceptual layout to see if an 18-hole course could fit.”
Nick Legault, a disc golf player and St. Albert resident, brought forward the idea for a disc golf course to council four years ago.
“I’m very appreciative of all the time council’s put in,” Legault said on Tuesday morning. “Coun. Hansen was instrumental. Without her, we’d still just be talking about this."
Legault said he was initially “a bit disappointed” Langholm Park, the temporary nine-hole site, didn’t make the list in the city’s feasibility plan, but that he had warmed to the city’s selected site.
“I’m very excited,” Legault said. “It’s a large park space that’ll be able to cater to all sorts of different skills and skill levels.”
He said he hopes the final design of the Kingswood course will include some design for beginner play as well, noting that the ease of the Langholm course has drawn many families.
“Grandparents who live in the neighbourhood have said when their grandkids come and visit along with their own kids, they can go out as a family and play," Legault said.
The motion passed 5-2, with Coun. Hughes and Coun. Ken Mackay opposed.
