Call it more proof that time flies. It's hard to believe it's already been three months since the whole town was talking about the $20-million question.
The massive political question of the winter - whether the District of Squamish should borrow $20 million to build a host of new community facilities, such as a second sheet of ice, an arts centre, seniors' centre and more - now seems like a distant memory.
In case you've forgotten, the voters gave the District's plan a resounding "no" - but not because we didn't want the facilities. The vast majority of those who spoke out against the referendum expressed concern about the lack of detailed plans on what the $20 million would build and when.
The District's next step was to create a special citizen's committee headed by Ron Anderson and Doug Day, to address how the District should move ahead with the creation of new recreational amenities.
That was a smart move. People voted no to the process, not to the facilities. Any parent who's had to get up at 4 a.m. to make a hockey practice in their home town or arts connoisseur who's wondered why they have to go to Vancouver or Whistler to see a particular show knows that our facilities need updating right away. That need gets more pressing with every new family that comes to Squamish.
To help the committee's efforts, we offered up to $2,500 worth of advertising to help publicize the work.
The committee was supposed to present its findings to Squamish council by May 3 - more than three weeks ago. So far we haven't heard from either the committee or the District on what they've come up with.
Unless there's something forthcoming right away, it's looking like there won't be any clear direction from the community on what we want - and more importantly, what we're willing to pay - for facilities before the summer break makes community discussion nearly impossible.
By the time we get into the fall, we're heading right into a municipal election campaign - an equally difficult time to get a dollars-and-cents plan together.
We know there's a lot on the plates of our municipal staff and council, with development sprouting up practically everywhere in and around Squamish. But that makes the need to a plan for facilities even more important.
On a personal note: after six and a half years of writing in this space every week (with a few holidays here and there), it's somewhat bittersweet to know that this will be my last regular editorial.
As you have read on page 3 of this week's paper, effective next week The Chief will have two new co-editors, newly-promoted senior reporter John French and Steven Hill, who comes to The Chief from our sister publication Whistler This Week. Together they'll share this space.
Being freed from the weekly constraints of an editorial - a task that has been compared to being married to a nymphomaniac - is somewhat liberating, but also a little sad. On occasion I've had first-hand experience how the words I've written here have actually caused things to change for the better (thanks to Mayor Ian Sutherland, who has pointed out the power of the press on more than one occasion when he changed something after an editorial). At other times, I've found myself having to eat some of these words. Memories of both are a good reminder of the power and responsibility we have as custodians of what is, in the end, your newspaper - something I said back in my first editorial in December 1998.
I'm fully confident that John and Steven will treat your newspaper with the respect it deserves.
And I still reserve my publisher's prerogative to come back here when I have something to say.
