Cochrane’s population has grown by 35,000 since its current operations centre was established, yet the facility continues to function on the same three-acre site.
Despite multiple reconfigurations over the years, the facility is now bursting at the seams. Town officials say it's no longer possible to meet the needs of a rapidly growing community without major changes.
Town council recently received an update on the second phase of an operational needs assessment. The goal is to develop a strategy to support a population of 68,000 in the short term, and 90,000 by 2050.
Arcadis Engineering is serving as the project consultant.
Operations services director Shane Hubl said the assessment will help guide future decisions around buildings, land use, and infrastructure. Now in the second phase, a full analysis of space requirements—offices, shops, yards, and other facilities—across all departments is nearing completion.
The work will include:
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Benchmarking Cochrane’s needs against those of similar and larger municipalities
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Estimating future space requirements as the town grows
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Evaluating different service models, such as a central hub versus multiple smaller sites
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Reviewing land options and their impact on efficiency and operations
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Creating a phased expansion plan with timelines, cost estimates, and growth triggers
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Providing schematics, visuals, and technical reports to support decision-making
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Offering clear rationale for location, size, and investment recommendations
The assessment is being conducted in collaboration with internal departments including roads, parks, utilities, waste and recycling, engineering, and capital projects. Other service units involved are geomatics services, civil land development, facilities management, operations administration, fleet services, fire services, and the incident command post.
Hubl said no location has been selected and no land has been purchased. The centre could be developed on either side of the Bow River, depending on growth trends and operational synergies.
The new centre would be built in phases, with the first phase designed to meet the needs of up to a 68,000-person population.
A final report is expected to be presented to town council in the fall, including detailed recommendations, a phasing plan and budget, concept renderings, and site plans.