No doubt you will have heard about the impending demise of the Tawatinaw Valley ski hill, located about a half hour’s drive east of Westlock. During their July 24 meeting, Westlock County councillors voted unanimously to permanently shut down the facility on Oct. 1.
It was a shock to hear the news initially, but in retrospect, it shouldn’t have been. Really, the writing has been on the wall since the volunteer board that once run it surrendered the facility to Westlock County.
What followed was years of deficits exacerbated by seasons with barely any snowfall, numerous problems with the old ski chalet and, if we’re being honest, some rather poor decisions on the county’s part regarding the chalet.
Last fall, a slight majority of residents voted to sell the ski hill and get it off the books.
Of course, that’s not exactly what’s happened. The county isn’t selling the hill; they’re just shutting it down. That’s likely because it would have cost $1.5 million in upgrades just to open for the season.
“Well, that is fascinating and all, but why the heck is the Barrhead Leader’s editorial section talking about Westlock County’s ski hill?”
And here, dear reader, is where we come to the point.
If you flip over to Page 2B of this week’s Town & Country, you’ll see an article by reporter Chris Zwick where he speaks to folks involved with the Misty Ridge Ski Hill and the Long Lake Ski Area in Thorhild County.
He speaks to Tracy Mueller regarding Misty Ridge, and she shares that our local ski hill has faced similar problems in recent years with a lack of snowfall and funding issues.
Luckily, Misty Ridge has managed to stay afloat thanks to contributions from the County of Barrhead and the involvement of volunteers. But usage is falling, and if Misty Ridge ever lost its lift, that would be it for the ski hill.
With that in mind, we should consider the advice that the article offers up.
First, recreation is a losing proposition. That may prompt grumbles from those who resent taxation, but if you don’t have local recreation venues, then you force local people to seek out that recreation elsewhere.
Secondly, we should consider planning now for the inevitable major infrastructure repair that will be needed at Misty Ridge, or really, any of our local recreational facilities.
Instead of waiting until something breaks and then raising money to repair it, why not do the fundraiser now when times are good, and then put that money aside until it’s eventually needed?
Whether or not Westlock County was right to close down Tawatinaw Valley, there’s no question that its closure is a huge loss for the municipality.
Do we really want to see the same thing happen in Barrhead?
