County and base sign water agreement for Suffield

By Tim Kalinowski
Cypress County council announced at the May 5 meeting that an agreement had been reached with CFB Suffield to supply water to that community for the next five years. This has been a deal under negotiation for the past seven years.
The main sticking point to agreement had been the county’s hope to get broader commercial water access rights from the base.
The deal signed last Monday, prior to the council meeting, guarantees residential water supply, but omits commercial water rights from agreement. Any commercial developments in the community would have to be negotiated on a case by case basis between the base and hamlet.
Ward 9 councillor Alf Belyea, who represents Jenner and Suffield, says while the council did not get as much as hoped from the base, the agreement represents a positive step forward after years of gridlock on this issue.
“This is a very good agreement between the base and the community. This agreement allows us to get a little foresight into what we can do in the coming years if somebody wants to build or move out there. We’ve now got a guarantee they we are going to be stable for five years,” said Belyea.
Belyea said water access had been a major issue holding the community back.
“For growth, it kind of limits what you can do if you don’t have a stable water supply. This will help with residential development, and the commercial is a possibility. This negotiation has been going on a long time. It’s nice to get a deal done.”