It looks like it is back to square one for Barrhead's aquatic centre project.
It looks like it is back to square one for Barrhead's aquatic centre project. Well, perhaps not quite square one, but after the town office received a petition from a group of people asking town council to take another look at the aquatic centre, the project may have a major setback.
Well, perhaps not quite square one, but after the town office received a petition from a group of people asking town council to take another look at the aquatic centre, the project may have a major setback.
Assuming the Town of Barrhead's CAO certifies the petition valid according to Alberta's Municipal Government Act, council would have to officially vote down the town's debenture bylaw which allows the town to borrow its share for the construction cost. This could kill the project all together. Admittedly that scenario isn't too likely, given council's commitment to building a new pool facility, but certainly voting against the bylaw would cause a significant delay.
The other option, and in my opinion the more likely one, is that the borrowing bylaw would be put to Barrhead residents via a public plebiscite, especially since council has already said it is still committed to the aquatic centre project, regardless if the petition is proven valid or not.
With either choice there will be a significant delay of three to six months, probably longer, but if it goes to another plebiscite residents will get a chance to voice their opinion once and for all.
In the town's plebiscite, when residents were asked if they wanted the town to borrow up to $7 million to finance $15 million for a new aquatic centre 934, voted in favour while 625 voted against. While it was a comfortable victory, it wasn't exactly an overwhelming landslide. The question is, since the vote, has that margin increased or decreased? Another plebiscite would tell us the answer. It would also give people on both sides of the argument one final chance to convince us that they are right, using the most current information.
I am on record that I don't believe the pool is an essential service and the facility being proposed is too elaborate for a community this size. In the majority of towns I have lived in, many of them much larger, we didn't have the amenities that are being proposed for Barrhead. How much could be saved if the lazy river feature was replaced with just a simple shallow wading pool? I don't know, but now we have an opportunity for someone to give me the answer. The town, especially as of late, has done a good job, giving us information on the breakdown of how much and who contributes to the operating costs of the area's major facilities.
However, one item that I would like to see made public, is the preliminary operating budget. In March, Woodlands County released the budget, at their March 3 meeting. I know a lot of people, after seeing the budget, questioned the revenue figures, saying they were drastically inflated. If they are or not, I'm not sure, but the town should release the latest draft budget and explain their rational behind the numbers.
Having another plebiscite would give the voters one last chance to make a decision based on all the facts. As Mr. Spock would say, “Insufficient facts always invite danger,” so I challenge both sides of the aquatic centre debate to give us all the facts and make their arguments. Convince us.
