It’s about the dollars.
Judging by letters being received here at RMO, not too many people are looking forward to the opening of Elevation Place.
That’s unfortunate, as construction of a shiny new $39 million recreational facility (should it ever be completed) should be cause for celebration in a small community.
But, as the months drag on and Elevation Place fails to open to the public, and as people view the cost of using the facility and the way the focus is on making appointments to sign up for a user package membership deal, it appears some enthusiasm is waning.
Town staff say package sales are going well, which is fine for the more affluent members of our community, but glaring shortages at this point seem to include the availability of a pool-only option or a 10-visit pass, etc. Clearly, what some people need is flexibility. They know their family won’t use the facility year-round and thus don’t want to pay a rate that reflects around-the-calendar use.
Despite the fact the Bow Valley is generally viewed as a high-rent district, and rightly so, what needs to be kept in mind is that not every resident is flush with cash.
On the one hand, a family Go Beyond pass at Elevation Place (all inclusive of services) goes for $119 per month, or $1,428 annually. On the other hand, area churches are swinging into action (page 19) to begin operation of a soup kitchen.
On the one hand, the Valley features affordable housing operations, soup kitchens, thrift stores, staff accommodation and staff pasta nights, for example, in Banff and Canmore, while on the other hand it features big mortgages, high rents, a multitude of expensive second homes and rising fees for family recreation opportunities.
Incomes, therefore, range from high to low and need to be taken into account when pondering taxpayer-supported projects.
A couple of times in the past few weeks, this space was dedicated to an editorial encouraging those in power to look carefully at upcoming plans for big ticket items like a national mountain centre, convention centre, arts centre redevelopment, former pool redevelopment, former daycare site redevelopment, etc. For a short period of time at the start of the year, it seemed every week featured a call for a new project.
For those on a budget, say, folks with kids in school, the idea that most of these projects will require dollars from the public purse could be daunting. In the past few years, there hasn’t been a lot of outcry over modest property tax increases, but should tax increases begin accompanying all manner of new project creation, that could change.
As it stands, one of the first redevelopment projects in Canmore is turning the former library into a space dedicated to a single segment of the population – those interested in the arts – as a community arts centre. To the tune of $1.8 million Town renovation dollars and $540,000 over three years for operations.
We’re not saying creation of a community arts centre is not without merit, but the dollars involved are likely a good indicator of what’s upcoming. We can only imagine what kind of taxpayers’ dollars would be needed for a convention or national mountain centre.
Further, when it comes to redevelopment of the old pool, we do hope the project chosen is of a more multi-use nature so a wide range of the public can take advantage of it.
