Barrhead County Council is prepared to contribute up to $5 million to a new aquatic centre. The money would come from borrowing.
Early in the New Year, County residents will be able to vote on the municipality’s financial commitment to the pool project. A date for the plebiscite has not been fixed, but will probably be held in March.
Before then, the County will mount an information blitz, including mail-outs and Open Houses.
At last Tuesday’s County meeting, councillors agreed on the wording for the plebiscite.
It will be: “Are you in favour of the County of Barrhead No. 11 borrowing a maximum of $5 million dollars for the purpose of providing a maximum $5 million dollar contribution to the Town of Barrhead for the Town’s construction of a swimming pool?”
Reeve Bill Lee said $5 million represented about a third of the County’s borrowing capacity.
The borrowing ceiling, he said, was set after talks with Municipal Affairs, the County’s financial department and its auditor.
“$5 million is the number we came up with,” he said. “It is the maximum we can put into the project while exercising financial prudence.”
Lee said by January the County will know the tax implications for rateypayers of such a borrowing requirement.
“We will be able to give an exact number to the public,” he said.
“We will then hold about three Open Houses and send out letters explaining the whole thing before the plebiscite,” he added.
Lee hoped the County’s actions will help dispel any impression that it had been dragging its heels on the pool project.
In fact, he said, the municipality had been working hard behind the scenes to try to get the right information to ratepayers.
Lee pointed out that the County had not borrowed money - except on behalf of other organizations - since the Neerlandia water project in 1981.
Coun. Bill Lane echoed Lee’s remarks that the County had been doing a lot of work in the background. He added the municipality had a lot more on its plate than one project.
Although talked about for a long time, the pool project took off in earnest on Monday, Jan. 28 when Barrhead Town Council announced the proposed site of a new aquatic centre.
The then Mayor Brian Schulz said council had bought a five-acre parcel of raw land at the corner of 49 Street and 58 Avenue, across from the Petro-Canada gas station. Belonging to the Wes Schneider family, it cost $175,000.
On March 1, Edmonton-based Barr Ryder unveiled pre-design drawings at the Agrena Society’s Open House at the Multi-Purpose Room.
The concepts – each one featuring a six-lane 25-metre pool, zero depth entry pool, a 24-person whirlpool and a current channel similar to a lazy river – differ in square footage. Their projected costs are $17,250,000, $14,689,000 and $14,648,000.
At the Oct. 21 municipal election, Town voters were able to have their say on the project.
The question put to them was: Subject to fundraising $1,000,000 from other sources, do you support the Town of Barrhead borrowing up to $7,000,000 to finance the $15,000,000 new aquatic centre, with the understanding that it will result in an estimated tax increase of $95 for every $100,000 in property assessed value and the project will not proceed unless the County of Barrhead supports the project at 50 per cent of the costs?
Nine hundred and thirty-four voted “yes”, 625 voted “no.”
Meanwhile, the Agrena Society has raised more than $100,000 for the project. Its latest fundraiser, a Puck ‘n’ Funny show at Barrhead Elementary School on Dec. 7, was said to have been a big success.
The pool project was discussed at a joint meeting of Town and County this month.
Last week, County councillors spent 20 minutes discussing the wording for their plebiscite.
“What you are looking for is the wording that will be most clear to people, to those who are coming across the issue for the first time,” said County Manager Mark Oberg.
Some councillors voiced concern that the proposed plebiscite question was too verbose.
Coun. Dennis Nanninga believed residents needed context for the question.
Oberg said there were plans to give people plenty of explanatory information.
However, he added: “I don’t think you can put too much preamble into the question, it will get confusing.”
Oberg said the plebiscite was not binding – whether the result was positive or negative – although it was critical the municipality knew its residents’ opinions on the issue.
Lee said the plebiscite question appeared wordy because it needed to make clear two points: first, how the money was being raised, and secondly where it was going.
“The money is unattached,” he said.
“There are no strings to this.”
Lane said he felt uncomfortable that there were no attachments to a possible $5m contribution.
He also said he was concerned that one person, the Town manager, appeared to be making all the calls on the project.
Lee said it wasn’t for the County to tell another municipality how to runs its affairs.
The six councillors present approved the plebiscite question unanimously. Coun. Darrell Troock is away in Belize for two weeks.
