Sometimes in any type of disagreement or dispute it is best to agree to disagree and move on.
Three weeks ago, after Woodlands County Council officially decided to pull its support for the Barrhead aquatic centre project I wrote a column questioning why Barrhead Town council continued to pressure Barrhead County to share equally in the operational cost of the area’s three largest recreational facilities, the curling rink, the Agrena and the proposed aquatic centre.
However, I shelved the column after town council decided to proceed with the aquatic centre project without Woodlands County’s support, and more importantly, funding.
But after receiving a press release from Woodlands County and reading the full page ad the Town of Barrhead put in the June 2 Barrhead Leader, I decided to resurrect the column or the thinking behind it.
After Woodlands County decided to rescind their offer, Mayor Jim Rennie emphasized no one party was to blame for their decision. He said coming to an agreement is difficult enough when there are two parties involved and it’s even more complicated when three groups are trying to come to an equatable agreement that will suit the needs of everyone involved. Sometimes it isn’t possible.
Take the views of Barrhead’s two municipalities as an example.
The town believes recreation facilities and programs are an important, if not essential for a healthy community. It is also their position that the county needs to contribute equally to the funding of operating those facilities due to the large numbers of county residents who make use of them. Seems reasonable enough.
The county, on the other hand, says they only have limited resources, given their limited commercial and industrial tax base, and are not able to contribute as much as they or the town would like.
Once again, this seems reasonable enough to me. What isn’t reasonable, in my opinion, is the town continuing to think the county can or will change its position.
No matter if you agree or disagree with the county’s position, it isn’t likely to change. At least any time soon. Their position, on or off the record, has been very consistent, they don’t have the money and they are not willing to ask their ratepayers to carry the load.
After the latest town council meeting I was hopeful that councillors had truly decided to take a different, gentler tact when dealing with the county. But it looks like I was mistaken. I just hope this latest attempt to sway the county hasn’t damaged what is already a frayed relationship between the two councils.
Whether they agree or disagree with each other on this issue, they still have to work together. The town and county councils and residents would all benefit from a united front.
