Re: "Council approves $1.5 million in funding for twin-rink facility," The Gazette, Aug. 17.
There has been increased discussion around the construction of a new recreational facility in St. Albert. Given our growing civic population, we are in need of additional facilities to foster the continued health of our residents. To date, the discussion has been almost exclusively driven by a private organization, Active Communities Alberta (ACA). Unfortunately, there are substantial problems with the proposed operational model put forth by the ACA, making it undesirable for St. Albert residents.
The ACA’s proposal intends to have tax dollars pay for the vast majority of the construction costs. However, when it comes to facility operations, the ACA intends to be granted full oversight, leaving St. Albert residents without any control over a facility their tax dollars funded. How does it stand to reason that city residents should spend millions of their hard-earned tax dollars for a facility they will have no control over?
A facility located in St. Albert and paid for with taxpayer dollars should remain under the control of city residents, not handed over to a private organization which can act with impunity.
Additionally, residents who currently use city-owned and operated facilities with an annual membership will be unable to access this new facility with their city membership. Why should any St. Albert residents be required to purchase an additional membership just to access this new facility? This is an unnecessary additional financial burden on families.
Currently, the St. Albert Minor Hockey Association receives ice time slots in St. Albert facilities at a subsidized rate. At one of their presentations to city council, the ACA confirmed that its operating model would not provide a subsidy to SAMHA.
What about all of the other local groups looking for space to host their programming? The city should be assisting these local organizations with more affordable, city-run spaces, not burdening them with unnecessary costs.
The plan proposed by the ACA is a bad deal for the residents of St. Albert. It simply does not make financial sense to spend tax dollars on building a new facility only to hand over control to an unaccountable, private organization. We would be better served with a city-owned and run facility.
David St. Arnaud, St. Albert
