County of Barrhead considering cleaning Camp Creek general store site

BARRHEAD - The County of Barrhead might be in a situation where they have to clean up the old Camp Creek general store site again.

If they do, they would have to undergo the same lengthy process to get a ministerial order through the Court of King's Bench, which started in earnest in late February. The municipality received the order sometime in May, but one of the stipulations was that they could only touch the structure after August.

That is what county manager Debbie Oyarzun told councillors during the Dec.3 council meeting.

"This property is not ours," she said in response to multiple comments from councillors on the potential upkeep of the property.

On Nov. 17, Barrhead Regional Fire Services, with the help of Fort Assiniboine, essentially torched the lone remaining building on the property, the previously mentioned old Camp Creek general store, as a combination training exercise and building demolition. After it was completed, public works removed the remaining debris.

Due to public safety concerns, the municipality had been attempting to clear the property for the better part of two years. The buildings and vegetation on the site have been the target of vandals, most notably people starting fires on the property.

"We just can't take the responsibility of keeping this pretty," Oyarzun said. "We had to go through the process under the [Alberta Municipal Government Act] 'unsightly and unsafe properties' to get a ministerial order, do the work, so the cost of the work goes back on the property [in the form of taxes]. This is where you can get into trouble if you go in and 'start doing' stuff."

She noted that if the property becomes "unsightly," the county must go through the mechanisms and challenges to address them.

Oyarzun made the comments in response to Coun Paul Properzi, who suggested that public works could "throw down" some grass seed to reduce the amount of mowing to keep the fire hazard down.

Infrastructure director Ken Hove noted that the municipality regularly clears the snow off the U-shaped driveway to help area residents access their mail.

Coun. Jared Stoik asked whether the property had ever been sold at a public tax auction, as it is in tax arrears. He also asked if there was ever a time when a property that had gone through the public tax recovery auction process would become municipal property.

Oyarzun said it had but did not sell, so the title remains in the name of the original property owner.

She also said after a specific period that she could not recall, but likely somewhere between 10 and 15 years, the municipality would assume ownership, or if council so chose, they could buy the property at market value.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com