A fence being installed in downtown Okotoks is part of a million-dollar parking upgrade.
A six-foot-tall fence along the train tracks is being installed at the request of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (CPKC) to allow for parking upgrades on land owned by the railway, a Town spokesperson said.
“We formally entered into an agreement with CPKC so that we could make those improvements to make that designated parking,” a Town spokesperson told the Western Wheel.
The fence is part of negotiations for parking improvements along Daggett Street, east of Veterans Way. Because the land belongs to the railway, it asked that a fence be put up as part of the Town's parking improvement project.
The cost of the fence is about $475,000 and the agreement means the Town can make improvements on CPKC land and increase safety near the rail line.
When the fence is complete, it will extend for about a kilometre between Lineham Avenue and Northridge Drive on both sides of the train tracks.
The Daggett Street parking area had been used for years as an informal lot, although it is not Town property. The land is now being leased by the Town and most of the fence will be on CPKC property, the Town said.
Part of the agreement was that the Town put up a six-foot-tall fence along the rail line that could either be chain link or the ornamental style that is now being installed, the Town said.
Parking upgrades along Daggett Street include paving, fencing and infrastructure for future EV charging stations.
Including the fence, the total project cost is about $1.1 million, according to the Town.
The Town said the upgrades will increase the number of parking spaces in the downtown area ahead of utility work starting in the area next year.
The new parking spaces encourage reverse angle parking, where drivers back into the stalls, and the Town said studies have shown reverse angle parking improves safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
