Ever get miffed about the next-door neighbour’s kid, relentlessly pounding the basketball on the pavement? The constant bashing. That annoying bouncing sound. It’s enough to send one screaming for the hills.
Speaking of screaming. If you live by a park, how can you stand the incessant screaming of youngsters, yelling at the top of their lungs? How dare they have fun at your listening leisure.
Don’t get us started on the outdoor hockey rinks. The dense thud the puck makes every time it hits the boards. Then there’s the ridiculous celebratory ritual that accompanies every goal scored. Do they have to yell so loud?
Dogs barking and peeing against your fence, screeching magpies and bluejays … there’s no end to the irritations.
If you fall into any of the above categories, you have city council’s empathy, and maybe they’ll even do something about it.
Council decreed on Monday that the offensive puckering noise that the pickleball makes on that annoying racquet creates too much racket – offensible noise, that is. So, our noble people and magistrates voted to spend $98,000 to put the kibosh on the racket. A noise abatement wall will be installed at the pickleball courts in Akinsdale, because two residents complained about the noise.
Now, it’s not fair to say all of council voted in favour of keeping St. Albert’s elitist, money’s-no-object reputation intact. Councillors Ray Watkins and Natalie Joly voted against. This isn’t the first time pickleballgate has reared its noisy, obtrusive head. Back in April, Joly noted, “The vast feedback that we’ve heard from residents is they’re not interested in this kind of bill (and) they don’t want their tax dollars going to this. That was prior to being in this economic situation." She added: “We can’t be laying off staff on one side then spending $100,000 on a piece of equipment that two people have asked for in our community.”
How about them pickles? Those who voted in favour – Mayor Cathy Heron and Councillors Wes Brodhead, Jacquie Hansen, Sheena Hughes and Ken MacKay – partially made their decision to blow the money because the money was already there.
It’s quite simple, you see. The city earmarked $275,000 to build the Akinsdale courts. Add in a $125,000 grant the pickleballers received and presto, $400,000 to spend. The project ended up costing only $300,000. So … with $100K just sitting there, it seemed only prudent to spend it on noise abatement.
What could the city do with $100,000 (or $98,000, if you’re reading closely)? Not so long ago, T8N 100 Men Who Care embarked on a venture to raise money for the CITY’S Crisis Fund – money that helps those individuals who have exhausted all other supports and have no place else to turn. The fund was running out of money.
We are also reminded of the mayor’s Family and Community Support Services motion, which was to cut $300,000 from their operating budget, which would have committed St. Albert to the minimum funding requirement, as per the agreement with the province. The motion, fortunately, failed.
But alas, we will spend $98,000 on a wall, and just in time for Christmas. It was a close call.
Editorials are the consensus view of the St. Albert Gazette editorial board.
