Our neighbours down the road in Barrhead are making news for all the wrong reasons.
What a difference 40 kilometres can make.
Two weeks ago the Town of Barrhead pushed all-in with its chips in a game of high stakes poker with its neighbour, the County of Barrhead.
A motion from the Sept. 9 Barrhead town council meeting called on Alberta Municipal Affairs to start the amalgamation process between the two municipalities. It passed unanimously.
From our viewpoint, the motion is less about creating a streamlined, all-encompassing municipality that will better serve all of that’s area’s ratepayers and more about the ongoing replacement of the community’s pool.
Ring any bells?
A few years back this community went through its own crisis of sorts when Westlock County failed to ante up any capital cash for the Rotary Spirit Centre.
Granted, Westlock County ratepayers voted against giving any capital dollars to the project and since its doors opened in 2012, the county has contributed operations and maintenance bucks to the Spirit Centre. Of course we can’t forget about the hundreds of thousands of dollars in private donations from county residents.
That said, there are lot of bruised egos and hard feelings over the Spirit Centre that remain to this day.
In the case of Barrhead, rural residents are on board with the new pool and the county has set aside $5 million for it. At issue between the two councils appears to be the proposed design and subsequent O&M costs.
Say what you want about the somewhat strained relationship between our town and county over the years, but the fact remains that at least they talk. They don’t always speak the same language, but at least they talk
And thanks to a $250,000 grant from the province for regional collaboration discussions, councillors from the town, county and Village of Clyde are working to create and present a common front.
Without a doubt amalgamation makes sense. We’ve made no secret of our opinion that one municipality would better serve ALL residents of this area.
But that’s not what’s happening down the road. That’s a high-stakes card game, with a new pool at stake. We’re curious to see who blinks first or if the province calls the bluff.
