It’s a tough time to be a downhill skier or snowboarder in Westlock; many are undoubtedly now considering the possibility they may need to hit the slopes somewhere other than the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill.
Despite repeated assurances from Westlock County reeve Bud Massey to the contrary, it’s looking less likely the season will go ahead as usual since there doesn’t appear to be a chalet to use.
We learned this week the county’s inspectors have determined the old chalet can’t be used as it poses a significant public health and safety risk. This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s set foot in the old chalet — the floors are slanted, there is a very musty smell indicating the presence of black mould and there are likely more bird droppings on the side of the building than there is paint.
Meanwhile, the new $2 million chalet is sitting there looking mostly completed, except water is still getting into the crawlspace and no water or sewer lines have been installed despite being included in the construction contract.
It doesn’t take a seasoned general contractor to know that with two feet of snow and temperatures well below -20 C, the digging required to get those systems installed likely won’t take place until the spring.
So at this point probably the only realistic option would be to bring in some form of temporary building to serve in place of a chalet for the season. Unfortunately, this isn’t going to come cheaply.
No specific figure has been provided to the Westlock News, but we’re told it’s going to be more than $200,000 for camp trailers to be brought in, which Massey has rightly said won’t be palatable to many county ratepayers. In the meantime, they’re “exploring options” for other temporary structures.
The next county council meeting is Dec. 9, and unless they call a special meeting before then, no decision will be made.
That doesn’t leave a lot of time.
Relentless positivity isn’t necessarily a bad thing; the reeve is expected to be a booster for his community.
But it’s time to call it like it is, look the public in the eye and acknowledge there may be some challenges that are insurmountable.
