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Ask the right person to get a correct answer

as the mayor sees it with District of Barriere Mayor Bill Humphreys - correct answers

I get asked about the radio station all the time. Well the questions are more like what happened to the radio station. I have told people if they want to know about what is happening with District projects they need to ask at the District and not rely on what someone down the street tells them. As far as the radio station goes it is not a District project but I have the same answer, go and ask the radio station owner.

I have been told by Mr. Steve Guay a.k.a Steve Shannon that he is the sole owner of the radio station. I am sure that the best source of information around what is happening at the station is Steve himself. The advantage of asking Steve directly is that he can not only fill you in on what you need to know about the station but tell you how you can help him get what he needs to go back on the air. Again, do not rely on somebody that tells you they are a part owner of the radio station and know everything.

A few residents have said to me that the waterline down Barriere Town road is in fine shape and does not need replacing. Following my own advice as who I should ask I went and asked at the District office if we have records of the repairs on the pipe and if the condition of the pipe was checked while these repairs were being made. It turns out there are records, the pipe was tested each time and yes the pipe needs to be replaced. I asked when it should be replaced and the answer was years ago.

I didn’t ask how many years as the point was made. Cement asbestos pipes were used a lot for a number of years because they were inexpensive. Like anything though they don’t last forever.

I looked into the statements that the repairs up on Lodgepole Road fixed all the ills of the water system and could not find how that project relates to the water main on Barriere Town Road. Well, other than both pipes are part of the water system, both needed replacement, the Lodgepole water line has been replaced but the Barriere Town one still needs to be replaced. I guess if you don’t follow things all the way through it could be confusing for some.

It was mentioned to me that residents should look at the $115 a year cost of the Barriere Town Road project as an investment in their community.

Further to this, how can we, as a community, have any hope of attracting new business to our community or convincing existing businesses that they should invest sums upwards of $1,000,000 to expand, if residents don’t have the confidence to invest in needed infrastructure replacements?

Investors pay attention to not only the condition of such things as water lines, but also how the residents view the need to keep infrastructure in good repair and plan for the future.

There are numerous communities trying to attract more residents and more businesses so that the economy of their town can grow. Ignoring the essentials of running a reliable public works system is one of the best ways to fall off the radar of those searching for a place to relocate.

Plus, if you really ignore what is needed and continue to patch things together so that things sort of work but cannot be relied on, you can end up losing the businesses that are here now. Why would businesses continue to invest if residents will not?

When local businesses leave, who will help to pay taxes and where will you buy your milk, bread and nails?

I see that there have been some groups of young people out to practise baseball. The Barriere Minor Ball Club needs support. They need more members, both adults and players, if the sport is to continue here in Barriere.

Anyone that can help in any way, please find it in your heart and in your day to come out to do so. Sports are a great way for young people to learn about teamwork and good sportsmanlike behaviour.