Town asks county for help
Shannon LeClair – Times Reporter
Representatives from Wheatland County council and Standard met with Town officials on June 29. Town councillors were showing the County and Standard the deficits from the Civic Centre, Family Centre and other recreational facilities around town. Reeve Ben Armstrong and Councillor Bernice Bland came from the County.
“They were talking about how some of our ratepayers are giving them hell because they want a Tier 3 hardball facility and it’s going to cost them $300-400,000 dollars and they can’t afford it,” said Armstrong.
“I also told them they are asking us to pay for facilities that they never asked for input on when they built it, they built it without any participation from us and now they are asking us to help pay for it.” The County recognizes their residents use the facilities, and said in the past there had been a recreational grant but it no longer exists now.
“I was really upset about the whole attitude on this thing,” said Bland.
Smaller municipalities, Rockyford, Standard, Gleichen etcetera did everything on their own through the community,” said Armstrong.
If there were money coming from the County it would likely be based on the old recreational grant fund. It would be dealt with as a total package, not a Town of Strathmore package.
“I think the best way to do that would be through the regional concept that we have,” said Armstrong.
“They were saying we can fill our arenas with our own people, it was made clear to them that the outside areas look after themselves and if we do this, its for the whole area and not just for them,” said Armstrong.
“It was a good meeting I guess, for us I think the best way is when we deal with that, is we deal with it as a regional issue.”