Skip to content

Letter to the Editor

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 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.

Editor: Open Letter to the Community We, the group of concerned Willowpark Curling Club members who requested the special general meeting to put forward the motion to repair the facility and to continue curling at WPCC, wish there to be no misunderstanding regarding the reasons associated with our request. They are as follows: WPCC has operated effectively, with the strong support of a committed membership, for many years. The club is financially sound and has apparently provided an acceptable environment for its members. With the exception of the need to make renovations necessary to satisfy engineering safety approval, the club is fully functional. The urgency for amalgamation of curling initiatives in our community has not been driven by the curlers, rather it is being promoted by our local municipal leaders as a critical element to the successful development of a Communityplex initiative. While clearly this initiative has merit, there appears to be considerable uncertainty regarding its timing and its ultimate success. Inadequate information regarding the costs of necessary renovations was available prior to the initial vote in May and little effort was made to provide the membership with a clear alternative to amalgamation. Uncertainty existed as to who, in fact, was eligible to vote at the May ballot. In fact, all members and associate members who paid dues for the 2003-2004 season are eligible. This includes honourary lifetime members, as well as ladies (afternoon and evening), men, mixed and hot stove curlers. The cost of repairs to continue curling at WPCC is estimated between $20,000 and $25,000 and can be completed by the opening of curling in October. This would extend the engineering approval for occupancy for a further five year period, if required. This represents only a portion of the club's presently available resources. The closure of WPCC is premature when a viable opportunity exists to renovate the facility and no viable long-term solution is presently assured. Beyond all of the above reasoning, the belief is that whatever decision is made, it must be an informed decision and it must be a consensus of the entire membership. Thank you for the opportunity to clarify our position. We encourage all curlers to participate in this critical decision. The polling station is still open until August 13/04 at Johnny's Confectionery. ? Concerned Willowpark Curling Club members10/8/04

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks