This letter is published with the permission of Jenny Humphrey. On Tuesday March 22nd we made comment on the Round Table Comments from one member of Council regarding input to the City's Five Year Financial Plan. This is one of the letters we assume (it was difficult to recognise the letters from what was said about them but we do know four letters were referenced and this is one of the four).
Understandably those who love and play ball may not agree with this letter. We are not asking them to. The more important issue is how fairly and best the city uses its limited funds.
March 6th 2011
Dear Mr Staudt, Mr Pearce and Members of Council,
Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the Five Year Financial Plan.
I wish to register my displeasure at the inclusion of two items relating to both Ball Diamonds and Ball Stadium in the Five Year Financial Plan of 2011, $500,000 to be borrowed in 2014 for ball diamonds and $125, 000 towards a stadium in 2015. I certainly applaud the effort put into the presentations made to council over the establishment of a Ball Franchise in Cranbrook. However, considering the huge losses we incur annually over existing sports facilities I cannot support the building of more. Moir Park is a beautiful under-used facility already suffering high maintenance costs and parts of which are already in disrepair - dying trees, falling fences. Existing facilities are predicted to incur ongoing and expensive upgrades and more facilities mean even more maintenance and ongoing costs, which are already out of balance for a community this size.
Cranbrook has a history of imbalance between funds spent on Arts and Sports and it is not in favour of the Arts. In fact, I see no capital expenditures planned for the Arts, re-purposing of the Firehall Number One (which could be a wonderful arts facility) for example. Cranbrook has no museum for its own history and artefacts languish unseen in poor conditions at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel. Cranbrook has major infrastructure problems, which according to the Growth Management Strategy are going to cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. I think decisions made in recreational spending should be made in respect to the many well-researched studies as to what Cranbrook needs the most to become a balanced community and not in respect to who lobbies the loudest. The Arts Scan is one example of a well-documented study that has already been conducted recently. The attached tables also demonstrate the deplorable lack of funding for the Arts in BC.
(A look at the Five Year Financial Plan quickly demonstrates the predicted upgrading expenses on existing sports facilities and we must remember the Rec Plex alone loses $3,000,000.00 a year)
We have a responsibility to protect our heritage, arts and culture. That should be priority especially in BC and especially in our own community. It is time, in my opinion, the city subsidises sports facilities to a much lesser degree especially a private franchise and that we start expecting users cover more of the costs.
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Sincerely,
Jenny Humphrey
To view the City's Five year Financial Plan:
http://www.cranbrook.ca/index.php?searchword=five+year+financial&ordering=alpha&searchphrase=any&option=com_search
Scroll down to Financial Plan Highlights Informational Package 2011 - 2015.
Thanks for publishing Jenny Humphrey's letter putting the case for the Arts, and cautioning against more proposed funding of another sports facility at such cost. It's so sad to hear that Moir Park is underused and areas are already falling into disrepair. I agree that Cranbrook needs its own museum where historical artefacts can be proudly displayed.
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