A bid to make improvements at Four Seasons Park has resurfaced, this time from the Topley 4-H Club which views the park as an excellent venue to showcase its members and their accomplishments to the community.
Building off an approach first made to park owner the District of Houston by the Pleasant Valley Cattleman in early 2021, the Topley club has offered to join up with that latter organization to find money and to volunteer labour.
In a letter to the District of Houston council, the club said the park is the perfect place to hold its three-day achievement and showcase event every July.
“This provides an opportunity for the members to show their project, compete for prizes, sell their market animals and to show and educate the public on agriculture in our region,” the letter stated.
The club’s July event has replaced an achievement day late August at the Bulkley Valley Exhibition in Smithers.
“They can have their summer months free to work and play, we can showcase their hard work in our community as well as have a more focused event,” the letter explained.
Just as the Pleasant Valley Cattlemen suggested last year, the Topley 4-H club proposes:
- better housing animals
- updated electrical
- wash rack facilities for animals
“There are lots of great features we can use already in place, but it is key to have shelter, pens, power and water that meet our needs,” the club’s letter noted.
Additionally, the cattlemen’s list last year included adding one more bleacher at the small show ring.
Houston council last year, after being approached by the Pleasant Valley Cattlemen, gave approval-in-principle to the idea of making improvements.
It did, however, want to ensure there was insurance in place prior to any work being undertaken.
Council considered the Topley club’s letter at its March 15 meeting and has affirmed its interest in park improvements by asking District staffers to further identify what those improvements might be.
The cattlemen’s association itself staged an agricultural awareness event at the park in 2019 with a view to holding them more often.
The Topley 4-H club is the oldest of its kind in the Bulkley Valley and has more than 40 members.