Innisfail does not need a three station gym; it is a “nice to have” idea. The approved two-station gym meets the needs of the student population. Do we really need a meeting place the size of three basketball courts? Just how many meeting have there been in the last two years that were filled to capacity anyway.
The minimum cost of $700,000 is for the municipality’s part of an estimated $1.5 million to expand the walls to incorporate an area about the size of a basketball court. The cost of walking/running tracks, bleachers, etc. is in addition. Will taxpayers be expected to pay for that as well? That should be determined before we commit ourselves.
The current contribution set at $200 per property owner is a significant amount and there are any number of things I could use that money for. However, if this expansion is of benefit to the whole community, then the whole community should foot the bill. I propose that every man, woman and child share equally in the cost, since they will all share in the benefit. A household of four should contribute twice as much as a household of two that’s only fair.
Duncan Hope
Innisfail
