Editor:
Re: artsPlace construction set to begin
Thank God, building an arts centre does not require money. All it requires is credit. And with “only” $32 million in debt the Town is still $5- or $6 million dollars short of its limit. So, what is next, a zoo? I am sure kids would love a zoo and why should they be left behind?
“The crack cocaine of our generation appears to be debt. We just can’t seem to get enough of it.” – Jeff Sum, Chief Investment Strategist, Raymond, James and Associates.
If this is true, the mayor and council must be crack high. The mayor at least appears to have his addiction under control, “... The approved 2015 budget keeps our debt and debt servicing levels well within manageable levels for the Town of Canmore ...”. So no emergency room visit - yet.
Now don’t get me wrong. It may well be that the arts centre and its programs are well designed and attractive. I may even enjoy one or another attraction offered myself.
However, the question is not what we want but rather what we can afford. And we can simply not afford this arts centre at this time being $32 million in debt and paying some $1 million to $2 million a year in interest alone.
And if the Town had considered my concerns, which I voiced over 20 years ago, before pushing ahead with a wastewater treatment plant based on some exotic technology, the Town could well have collected the odd million dollars along the way, enough to pay cash for the arts centre today.
But this Town never learns. Maybe council should take a crash course at the Foothills Academy in Calgary, a school for children with learning disabilities.
Dieter Remppel
Canmore
