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Theme park behind city hall?
Yellowknife City hall's pockets not only seem to be bottomless, but open to some while not open to others. The latest example of largesse for the chosen few is the proposed skateboard park.
It first appeared as a line item in the annual budget presented to city council in February. For some reason, city administration thinks skateboarders are a most deserving lot, so much so they should get $70,000 to pursue their street sport in more sophisticated surroundings.
Now, in consultation with some skateboarders, a recommendation has been made to locate the park on a city lot across from Ecole St. Joseph school and it seems the price may be set to go up.
The whole idea is remarkable for a number of reasons, the first being the facility will be covered with snow for eight months of the year.
Isn't the city just now considering a multi-million-dollar multi-use facility that may or may not include any number of activities for youth, such as a skateboarding?
Where did the proposal come from and why would it not get the same scrutiny as any other groups approaching city council for taxpayer's money?
Why did no one on city council question the wisdom of such an expenditure? Is there no thought of saving money at city hall?
Why were other proposals for city funding partially or fully rejected all the money is found for this one?
The golf club (600 members) request to have their access road paved ($65,000) was turned down, as was a salvage shed ($60,000) for the dump (countless members).
The Yellowknife Youth Choir (40 members) asked for $5,000 to help with travel costs to represent the city at the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa. They got $1,000.
We support helping skateboarders find a venue but the proposal should be shelved at least until the design of the multi-use facility has been nailed down. And it would be nice if the elected representatives of the people would cast a critical eye on such proposals.
Would it not have been much more prudent to have set a site aside and let the skateboarders put some effort into building it themselves?
What's next? A water theme park behind city hall?
The BHP diamond mine will be needing miners for the next quarter-century and probably much longer. Most of them will be at least a little curious about Yellowknife, even if many choose not to take up residence here.
Yellowknife MLA Seamus Henry is right to urge the city to do what it can to make these men and women feel welcome. Landlords should start thinking about flexible and part-time leases, for example. And the service industry should try to come up ways to give those miners a reason to do more than take a quick look at our city.
It's not just a golden opportunity, it's a proverbial gem of an idea.
Saturday's botched blast on Woolgar Avenue should serve as a reminder that explosives must be used in residential areas only under absolutely safe conditions. It also shows that mistakes sometimes happen.
Forget that a young boy was allowed to pack and then detonate explosives -- that had nothing to do with what went wrong. What did go wrong seems to be proper procedure, and we are all be thankful it didn't result in death.
Clay Timberg, who has taken complete responsibility for the blast, will live with the mistake on his company's record and his conscience for as long as he lives. That and higher insurance premiums is a high enough price for Timberg to pay for a mistake he will never make again.
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