Slowly but surely, Okotoks Council is working its way towards creating a 20-year master site plan with the M.D. of Foothills for the Legacy Regional Field House and Regional Athletic Park.

Mayor Bill Robertson says because the field house land is jointly-owned between the Town and the M.D., and the two sides have opposing ideas as to what to do with the site next to the field house, it's important to have a long-term plan down on paper.

"If we have something on a 20-year plan as to what's going to happen out at the field house site, then when another idea comes forward, it can be evaluated," he says. "But, if it doesn't fit in with the agreed upon plan, then we wouldn't have to look at that seriously."

Robertson says the next step is to have a study done on the site and any potential uses for the area, before going ahead and drafting a 20-year plan.

The cost of the study is roughly $50,000, which Council agreed to allocate funds to pay half of.

Robertson says they'll approach the M.D. to cover the other half of the study, but aren't going to force them to do so.

"We want to do things in a friendly, co-operative fashion," he says. "So, we put forward the proposal to spend up to $50,000 on a study, of which we'd spend $25,000 and the M.D. would spend $25,000, but if they decide not to, then of course we won't go ahead with it."

Robertson says Council has received the backing of the Field House Society to conduct the study, which is a key step forward.

"They run the field house at an arms-length," he says. "They've given the ok, they passed a motion at their last Foothills/Okotoks Recreation Society meeting, that they do agree a study should be done, and that was one of the things we had to look at also."

Robertson says the ongoing debate between Okotoks and the M.D. is whether a new high school should be built on the vacant site next to the field house, another big reason a study is needed.

"The Town of Okotoks feels the field house site is not the best location (for a school) because it's quite a number of kilometres down the road, down a busy highway which is only going to get busier," he says. "So, if the school should go ahead at location, we'd be looking at the impact on the extra 31 acres."

Robertson says Council will wait for a response from the M.D. before making a decision on the study.