As a resident of the GlenEagles community, you realize how fortunate we are to be living in one of the most beautiful communities in Western Canada. From the glorious mountain vistas, the serenity of the foothills, to the beauty of our parks, playgrounds, and pathways. We have it all! And while some of the changes over the past several years have resulted in some deterioration from when GlenEagles was first developed, if you look around, you will see this is not your usual municipal landscaping, but most certainly several steps above average.
To oversee GECA’s landscaping commitments, GECA has a Landscaping Committee that is comprised of three Directors, usually from GlenEagles East and West, where the majority of GECA’s landscaping expense occurs. When the subdivision was first developed, GECA was responsible for all of the landscaping including the boulevards, parks, and green spaces within GlenEagles and the Town of Cochrane (the ToC) reimbursed the Community $40,000 annually. The reimbursement arbitrarily dropped to $20,000 in 2017 and was eliminated thereafter on the basis that the ToC believed that they could perform the landscaping activities for less than the amount of the reimbursement.
This has led to a number of changes and annual negotiations with the ToC. At the present time, GECA is accountable for the GlenEagles signage and entrance at Highway 1A and the boulevards in GlenEagles East, West, and The Landing. The ToC is responsible for the parks and islands. (Landscaping Map)
Although the ToC completes their agreed upon services according to the same standards as they use for the rest of Cochrane, our residents have noted some deterioration. In addition to meeting regularly with the ToC to review/improve their service delivery, the GECA Landscaping Committee has tried to mitigate some of the impact by taking on one-time annual projects such as the mulching and edging of tree beds in our parks and on the islands.
We believe that retaining some of the landscaping responsibilities and augmenting others for which the Town is responsible makes our community more attractive. However, in so doing we incur additional costs. GECA Fees
Landscaping Committee key responsibilities include:
- developing a 3-year landscaping strategy and projected budget
- negotiating landscaping agreements with the ToC that clearly outline accountabilities
- overseeing annual landscaping maintenance
- reviewing and approving one-time annual landscaping projects
- providing governance that includes tendering the landscaping maintenance contract every 3 years and holding the ToC accountable for their GECA landscaping commitments
On average, the Committee meets regularly outside of scheduled Board meetings, including with the ToC and landscaping contractors.
Climate Change and Water Reductions
While GlenEagles continues to water the boulevard entrances to GlenEagles East, West, and The Landing, the Town, in accordance with their standards, no longer waters the parks or islands. (TofC Watering Guidelines) As a result, the grass becomes sparse and prone to weeds during prolonged periods of drought. The Landscaping Committee is currently evaluating alternate, more sustainable landscaping options and working with the Town to implement these plans over the next 3 to 5 years.
