The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The decision by Willowpark Curling Club members to stay in their home rink stands to have a "serious impact" on the proposed Communityplex, project chairman Ron Watt said yesterday. The Willowpark and Uptown curling clubs had been asked to contribute a combined $290,000 for the Communityplex based on savings expected to stem from a merger of their operations as well as savings already accumulated. Now Willowpark members have voted against amalgamating, meaning the club will fund necessary renovations to the rink with money that could have gone toward the potential new recreation facility. "I think it's going to have a serious impact," said Watt. "Whether we can manage it or not remains to be seen. "It definitely has a negative impact. We're just going to have to regroup and see where we go from here." Mayor Dennis Ballard said he does not know whether the vote threatens the viability of the Communityplex, a proposed multimillion-dollar facility that would combine various recreational activities, including curling, under one roof. "It's less money to go into the project, for sure," he said. "It all makes a difference. In order for this project to happen, everything's got to click." The Willowpark executive had recommended its members merge with Uptown, writing in a recent Letter to the Editor that not doing so "may seriously jeopardize" government funding for the Communityplex. This past May, it appeared as though the last rock had been thrown at Willowpark after members voted 61 per cent in favour of moving Uptown. However, after some concern was expressed that not all relevant information had come out prior to the vote, the curlers approved a second vote, which took place last week at Johnny's Confectionery. Some curlers said they did not want to amalgamate until the Communityplex was a certainty, not a proposal, and that appeared to be the general feeling among those wishing to stay put. Mayor Ballard said his focus remains on turning the Communityplex into a reality. "All I'm trying to do is get a new facility for this community, hopefully without there being a big war about it," he said.
