Editorial

Park pride coming

Last week as Slave Lake Town councillors got ready to listen to another resident about the goings-in Citizens Park, anyone driving down Main Street would have seen one of the park’s frequent users picking up a bottle in the park. Perhaps he was going to cash the bottle in for change – or perhaps he just was concerned about having garbage in the park. Maybe we’ll never know.
The delegation didn’t show up for the meeting. But later in the meeting, councillors read a letter from the Chamber of Commerce asking them to step up surveillance or police patrols at the Main Street park, just to make sure certain ‘citizens’, by their very presence, aren’t pushing other citizens out of the park.
But many of the individuals who spend much of their time in the park have some very interesting stories to tell, said Councillor George Snider. Yes, you may have to wait ‘til they’re sober to share those stories, but it’s well worth the wait.
Besides, added Snider, some members of his Community Services group have found a way to make park frequenters take a little pride in their surroundings – and a way to make them anxious to ‘pitch in’ when it comes time to clean up.
And, added Mayor Ray Stern, “what makes any residents any more or less deserving than others to use that park?
“Just because they might be unemployed doesn’t mean they don’t have as much right as any to be there.”
The park is warm and inviting, just as it was planned. And in recent weeks we have noticed many non-‘regulars’ enjoying the park in the afternoon. And they’re doing it without any apparent conflict.
So let’s leave well enough alone. The park is a warm and friendly place – if we only take the time to look beyond our prejudices. And we’re not talking skin colour – we’re talking appearance.
If people take the time to look beyond that book’s cover, they might just find a very interesting lesson.

Explosive issue
They’ll be darned if they do, darned if they don’t.
No matter how they vote on this one, Slave Lake Town fathers will be applauded, criticized – if not ridiculed, and praised. Not necessarily in that order.
To get a sampling of how the reaction to the fireworks debate will go, one only had to be at council’s committee meeting last week.
Exhibition Association representative Kevin Walker showed up at the meeting with his organization’s Riverboat Daze wish list – not the least of which was a request for a little cash for fireworks.
Walker said he’s been told the Town used to co-sponsor the fireworks displays at the mid-summer gala, and wondered if this council might agree to carry on the tradition. And when they talked about it later in the meeting, councillors proved this could be one very explosive issue.
Some were clearly still feeling the ‘heat’ from the fact that there were no fireworks at this year’s Canada Day celebration – something some Slave Lakers think go together like motherhood and apple pie. Other councillors, however, said that spending money on fireworks might be a better idea for the Daze. (More bang for their buck, as it were. No pun intended.)
The discussion Wednesday evening never erupted into anything explosive – or even ‘sparky’. But it doesn’t take much imagination to see where discussions might go if they’re ‘set off’ in the community.
For every resident there could be an argument on whether council should, indeed, use tax dollars for fireworks at all.
And likewise, we’re sure some could debate the merits of Canada Day fireworks versus those during Riverboat Daze ‘til the cows come home.
But no matter what they ultimately decide, councillors can expect to hear about it – one way or the other. Even though there’s no right or wrong.
Regardless, they’ll be darned if they do spring for fireworks, and darned if they don’t. Count on it.
Guess that’s why we pay them the big bucks.