Dear Editor,
This past week I had been talking to a Barrhead Senior about traveling to Westlock for swimming by possibly running a bus or van this winter. After numerous phone calls with good support from everyone, I called the Mayor. I don’t think I’ve talked to anyone this negative in a long time. He wouldn’t support a van or bus idea at all and suggested if people were leaving town to spend their money, then they could pay for the service. I did remind him the Town shut the facility down. In fairness to Mayor Gerry he did say this was his opinion. Then I find out the Town Council voted to amalgamate with the County. I found this ridiculous as Barrhed County isn’t flush with cash. Folks, here’s the news. If you thought you might get a pool in the next year, guess again. Going through this amalgamation process doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll be luck to see anything in three years. In case people don’t know, the Town has no money and the County has no money. How is combining forces going to make money appear? The Town won’t even entertain cheaper options for a pool. Back to where I started. The Town closed this facility, the Town should help people until they get organized
Get a bus or van and offer a shuttle service to Westlock. Save money in a separate account and pay cash for the facility when you can afford it. Borrowing isn’t the answer. Ever heard of interest payments?
One last thing, like a friend of mine says, “park your ego at the door.”
Bill DeGroot
