Sorry it's taken so long to analyze my last poll, the issue of an indoor swimming pool.
At the web site listed here http://www.calendarofnakedmen.com/ is a more current update of a community building what sounds like a state of the art facility including an Indoor swimming pool. Do not be fooled by the address it a web site that's attempting to raise funds for this facility in Grande Cache, and provides a lot of good information.
Bottom line their facility will cost $20 million which is made up of $3 million each from the federal and provincial government, $8.3 million from the Town of Grande Cache, and $5.7 million from corporate and individual fundraising.
If we did the same in the Crowsnest Pass $8.3 million over twenty years at 4.5% interest works out to a payment of $627,883 per year divided by which is equivalent to a 10% tax increase roughly $200 per house hold.
That's just to pay for the building, whats interesting from my poll is that of the 62 responses 18 or 29% said they would not support paying additional taxes for a swimming pool, another 23 or 37% said they would only pay up to an additional $100.
That makes it very difficult to come up with $200 per year per household. Then keep in mind that half our taxpayers are seniors.
Then lets look at the operational side, previously I stated it cost Pincher Creek $350,000 to subsidize their pool, that was the 2008 number the number for 2009 which is now available on the Town of Pincher Creeks web site was about $600,000 that's another $200 per year per household.
Then the next big question the $5.7 million that they are fundraising, does anybody believe that would be possible here?
Myself personally I was one of the people that would pay almost any cost to have an indoor pool but only 9% of my responses said the same.
Any ideas on how we could achieve this lofty goal?
10 comments:
You can't! Maybe a scaled down version is doable but not likely. In any event, you have put the cart in front of the horse. Until fundamental changes are made to stop the drain on both our resources and people followed by years of growth and progress will the above be feasible. Both industry and investment have to come first, otherwise you are like a family at christmas time wishing for presents you cannot realistically afford to give your children.
On the other hand, I do find it interesting that all the naysayers over the years who have been in positions of power like Sygutek, Irwin... and yourself it seems, have always said we can't afford it, end of story. But some how we could afford millions upon millions of dollars for buried infrastructure going everywhere and anywhere while having a declining population?
p.s. I see you and some of your fellow councillors are frequent visitors to my blog but don't bother to share your thoughts with us? Pity! With an election coming up you would think you guys would take a stand, or show support for those that do, but I guess even at this late stage you guys are still uncertain as to where you stand, and who you support? Again, pity!!
If you know we can not afford it, why bother with a survey.71% are in favor.68% were in favor of closing the centre.You were so happy with that number.Maybe we have to build a center to draw families and businesses, that in turn get taxed,that help pay for it.How about much smaller, we need an indoor pool, we have great weightlifting facilities, we have meeting rooms etc...I drove by Tabers rec center and it looked like a Walmart, bet that was way cheaper to build.I still do not see how four walls a roof and the rest adds up to over 800$/sq.ft.How about putting it in the gym in the Bellevue school.How about putting up 3 walls and a roof on the existing pool. ( I know there is more to it than that, ventilation ,heating etc....)I think we must find a way.
I have no issues with your comments, I was one of the people that would pay almost anything to have a pool.
But I realized the first time I ran for office I am not elected to represent myself.
I am all for looking at the various options, some of the ideas you suggested may or may not make sense, but never the less we need to look at "ideas" to make the Pass a better place to be.
Dean,
You talk of ideas like once again a committee must be set up to explore something that has already in this case been explored to the nth degree. Remember this, "A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled."
More ideas is not what is needed here, leadership is. Leadership that acts as a catalyst to take ideas forward to fruition. What good does it do a community to have paid good money for study after study, such as Affordable Housing, Pass to the Future, Municipal Development Plans, etc. if they are just shelved and never acted on. More studies and ideas is not what is needed here, but leadership. Leadership that acts on the peoples wishes and wants to make things happen. It's as simple as that!
And that is why I am running for Mayor of the Crowsnest Pass, to provide that type of leadership this community has done without for far to long.
What are you running for, and why?
John
I'm not talking about endless studies what I am talking about is we obviously can not come up with $20 million, maybe the suggestion of throwing walls and a roof around our present pool makes sense.
Thats what Im talking about when I say any and all ideas.
Dean, throwing walls and a roof around our present swimming pool won't work. I say this because if I'm not mistaken a study was done a few years back that said our pool was 35 years old, dated, and having a life expediency that was limited. Besides, I believe the people in this community want a multi-faceted facility as described again in this week's Promoter in a well-written letter to the editor by Sasha Jaeger Baird. This letter was on the page before that good looking guy's press release announcing he was running for mayor. :-) moi! :-) :-)
Thank you John.
And you are right about the current pool. In fact, before they spent the money to resurface and fix the tennis courts on the municipal land next door to the outdoor pool, maybe they should have considered that this might have been a great location for the aforementioned Recreation Center.
JMHO
Sasha,
Thank you and congratulations for putting your name in to run for council.
Wanting to see good people such as yourself sitting on the next council, if I could be so bold as to offer advice, having just gone to the Crowsnest Promoter Archives where I searched out your name to discover a couple of interesting stories about you and knowing there have been letters to the editor which you have submitted that were quite good and relevant to the position you are now seeking, but which are unavailable online, I highly recommend you take the time and make the commitment to putting as much of this material in a blog of your own. I believe this will serve you well and I know I for one certainly will reference it to my readers, as I believe your heart and life experience and outspokenness should be heard. Best of luck!
Thank you for your kind words John.
If elected, I look forward to working with the newly choosen council, to help facilitate the change needed in order to make the Crowsnest Pass grow and flourish as a united community.
As for your great suggestion, to let you know, I am currently working on a election personal website.
I hope to have it up and running within a week or so. I do have a Facebook area that has several of my letters to the editor, my bio that ran last week and an abridged version of my campaign brochure. Feel free to add me and see it on Facebook under Sasha JaegerBaird - my notes.
I have perused your website and noticed that we have similar positions on several of the key issues. If you and I are elected, I'm sure that together with the rest of the council, we can hope to see positive change in many of these areas.
Good Luck to you too.
- Sasha
Three years later.... Wonder everyone's thoughts regarding an indoor pool. Will the next council commit to investing say upwards of $350 000 to do upgrades to the current pool basins and facility in the next 2 years or do we go without until a new one can be built?
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