COLD LAKE - At the April 8 regular City of Cold Lake council meeting, local residents Harrison Fallow and Courtney Rande made waves with a new idea - an inflatable water park on Kinosoo Beach, just outside the current public swimming area.
The duo proposed using a small portion of land near the rock garden on the east end of the beach for a life jacket trailer and ticketing booth. The actual inflatable park would be located further out, toward the water treatment plant, in water at least eight feet deep.
“It is just in front of the rock garden, so we're looking for about a 10 or 20 square foot area where we can set up a trailer for life jackets and a ticketing booth for the water park that we plan on putting in the water on the east side of the beach towards the water treatment facility,” Fallow explained.
The concept involves using a modular system from the company Wibit to create a floating aquatic playground that could open as early as June, pending City approval.
“Obviously, it's not the exact one we're bringing in. We won't know until we get approval from the City to bring this in and have all our waterways changed and that stuff, but once we have our planning meeting, we can definitely provide you guys with the actual footprint of the park that we plan on bringing in,” Fallow said.
The park is designed for children aged six years old and up, with lifeguards trained in open water safety always on duty. Kids aged eight and older can use the park without a parent. The company hopes to add a toddler-friendly section in the future.
One feature of the proposal that drew attention was the potential to bring swimming lessons back to the beach.
“We should also note that part of this plan has a bit of an expansion to it, bringing forth swimming lessons back to the beach. Apparently, that was a thing a few years ago,” said Rande.
“We're parents in this community, and it is one of the things that we have noticed is almost impossible to get into, is swimming lessons. And this will give us the ability to do more community involvement things like bring swimming lessons back to the beach.”
Environmental concerns were discussed, with the owners noting they’re aware of Alberta Health Services guidelines on beach closures due to bird contamination. To help prevent this, they plan to use bird deterrents like small propane cannons to keep the barge and beach area cleaner.
Acknowledging potential concerns, Fallow added, “Obviously we know the propane cannons might be an issue so there are other deterrents that we might be able to look at but we are excited to work with the city to not only keep our facility open but . . . keep the beach open longer and have more open hours through the summer.”
When asked about the impact on surrounding residents, Fallow responded, “If propane cannons are a go, we'll have to go out and canvas the community that lives right on Beach Ave to talk to them and see what their concerns would that be.”
The anchoring system for the inflatable structures would involve underwater screw piles, installed by divers with help from the local scuba diving society.
Another important regulatory step would involve coordination with Transport Canada. “We will be a designated swimming area, so we'll have to follow their process to change some of the water mapping so that on the maps it'll show that we are a swim area and not a boating area,” Fallow explained.
Coun. Vicky Lefebvre voiced support for the concept, while also raising questions about lakebed safety and cleanliness. Rande assured council they had already surveyed the area and reviewed topography maps to ensure a safe zone with no large rocks.
On the issue of cleanliness, Rande added, “We're going to be good neighbours, we promise.” Fallow echoed, “Obviously if we're granted beach access, we're going to keep our area clean and everything around us as clean as possible.”
Mayor Craig Copeland raised a concern about wheelchair accessibility near the proposed trailer location, as the rock garden area is often used for that purpose.
Fallow responded, “That’s kind of what we liked about that location . . . it’s still part of the beach, everybody can see it and enjoy it, but also it’s a separate entity where it’s off to the side and out of the way in some ways.”
The proposal remains under review by the City of Cold Lake and will be brought back at a future council meeting for approval.
