Red Deer County has agreed to join the search for a new boat launch on Sylvan Lake.
Council approved a request to back an application for provincial funding by municipalities around the lake to research lake access options.
A regional collaboration grant will be used to fund a detailed study of the suitability of an unofficial boat launch site at Range Road 21 in Red Deer County as an established launch point.
Consultants would also be hired to draft an intermunicipal agreement on the funding, construction and operation of a launch, as well as examining the broader issues of providing public access on the lake.
County manager Curtis Herzberg said council’s support of the grant application does not imply any future financial commitment to a boat launch. That will be a decision of a future council.
Red Deer County has a small stake in the lake access issues compared to other municipalities, especially Lacombe County, which has a number of lake-area developments coming. Other municipalities expected to participate in the grant application are five summer villages and the Town of Sylvan Lake.
Turning Range Road 21 into a full-fledged boat launch will likely prove controversial. Residents in the summer village of Half Moon Bay are lobbying the county to close a portion of Range Road 21 just west of the Town of Sylvan Lake to vehicle traffic because of persistent littering and traffic problems. However, the Town of Sylvan Lake and Lacombe County do not want to see it closed because lake access points are already in short supply.