A fence could end up being built around Banff’s entire Recreation Grounds in a bid to keep both wildlife and people safe.
At a meeting Monday (Nov. 30), Town of Banff administrative officials said Parks Canada prefers perimeter fencing as part of the $7.2 million Rec Grounds redevelopment instead of spot fencing certain areas such as playgrounds and the skateboard park.
“We’ve solicited an opinion from Parks Canada with regard to the issue of fencing and Parks has a preference to include full perimeter fencing of the Rec Grounds as opposed to fencing individual nodes,” said Mary Brewster, the Town of Banff’s recreation manager.
“We intend to have an internal discussion about that concept, including with planning and development, and we will come back to council with a briefing to advise where we’ve ended up.”
Banff politicians have given a preliminary nod of support to fund redevelopment of the Rec Grounds over the next 10 years, but a final decision won’t be made until capital budget deliberations get underway.
The 7.4-hectare recreation grounds are currently home to a rugby-soccer pitch, three ball diamonds, two tennis courts, picnic areas, basketball court, playground, community greenhouse and temporary skateboard park.
Redevelopment plans call for a new permanent skateboard park as part of the first phase.
Replacement of the playground, an adventure playground, improvements to the rugby-soccer pitch, off-leash dog park, seasonal outdoor hockey and leisure skating rink, construction of a multi-purpose building and toboggan hill are also on the books over the next 10 years.
Two options for fencing were outlined in the final redevelopment plan for Banff’s recreation grounds, prepared by ISL Engineering and Land Services, a consulting firm with offices throughout Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan.
The first was to fence the entire perimeter of the rec grounds to avoid human-wildlife conflicts and to lessen maintenance required on the manicured grounds that are wildlife attractants, especially to elk.
A second option considered building fences to surround some of the amenities, such as children’s playgrounds, for public safety reasons, as well as to prevent elk getting entangled in swings, ropes and chains.
Randall McKay, the Town of Banff’s planning and development manager, said his understanding is perimeter fencing is a recommendation at this point, and ultimately the final environmental assessment should provide supporting rationale.
He said planning and development prefers site specific fencing as opposed to fencing the perimeter of the entire recreation grounds, but said they would continue to review the merits of perimeter wildlife fencing with Parks Canada.
“My understanding is that fencing in this area would be somewhat of a departure from past practice to minimize fencing around periphery areas of the townsite,” said McKay.
“Not only are there significant budget implications, there are also esthetic considerations as well in terms of the type, location and extent of fencing that may be required.”
Parks Canada had previously indicated it would not support fencing of the entire site because it would affect wildlife movement, but appears to now be leaning towards perimeter fencing for safety reasons, for both people and wildlife.
A spokesperson for Parks Canada said this week they have only had initial conversations with the Town of Banff.
“We haven’t received a full proposal on the full project,” said spokesperson Judy Glowinski. “When we talk about fencing, you have to look at the full picture.”
Bow Valley Naturalists have weighed into the discussion.
“There’s no question from a wildlife conflict perspective that perimeter fencing is probably the best thing. We acknowledge there are safety benefits to perimeter fencing,” said Reg Bunyan, a member of BVN’s board of directors.
“As long as the wildlife shop in Parks Canada is confident it’s not going to compromise any of the wildlife corridors, we can live with that.”
Bunyan said BVN’s greater concern is incremental loss of important montane habitat in the Bow Valley.
“That’s happening through fencing, and the utility corridor widening with AltaLink and the proposed expansion of Bow Valley Parkway,” he said.
If perimeter fencing around the rec grounds ends up being the option that goes ahead, Bunyan said there needs to be a way to make sure animals that make their way into town can safely get out.
“One of the concerns with perimeter fencing is you have a big blockage to the west,” he said. “We’d be happy if there was an adequate buffer between the fence and the river to move animals safely out of town.”
Brewster said when the skateboard park was initially discussed there wasn’t talk of fencing, but the potential addition of a bowl could pose a safety hazard for wildlife, including elk.
“If we include a bowl and some of the other elements in our design, there’s really a good chance wildlife can fall into it and get trapped there,” she said.
While there are concerns with the esthetics of perimeter fencing, Brewster said there are also benefits.
“We would reduce the amount of wildlife damage and their droppings while they are down there, and it will increase public safety,” she said. “We have made a commitment to have a discussion internally about the best options.”
The estimated price to fence the entire rec grounds site is $142,000.
If site-specific areas are fenced, including playgrounds, bike skills park, skateboard park, the plan estimates the price tag at $213,000. Fencing the off-leash dog park would cost roughly $22,400.
