The City of Estevan is currently seeking the public’s input on a couple of very different issues.
The first is the direction for the Estevan Leisure Centre’s weight room. It will be discussed at the May 7 meeting of city council. The weight room has seen declining numbers in recent years as other gyms and fitness businesses have moved into the city. There’s also the question of whether the city should be in competition with businesses when it comes to a service that can be offered by the private sector.
This is not to say that the city will be closing up the weight room all together, just that it could have a different look moving forward.
If you think the weight room should remain open in its current form, or it should have a different function, then we encourage you to jump on the chance to share your thoughts.
The other issue is Estevan’s official community plan. This is more of a long-term project that likely won’t be completed until next year.
It’s one of those documents that might cause people to roll their eyes and yawn, but it actually is important for future building. The city is looking for feedback, not just from a land development perspective, but from a parks and recreation perspective as well.
Not only should we be sharing our thoughts, we should be doing it in a legitimate fashion. Call a member of council or a department head. Listening to you is part of their job. You might not like the answer or the reality of the situation, but direct contact is the way to go.
Posting on social media is not the right way, especially if you’re not using your actual name.
Local residents have a spotty record when it comes to offering their thoughts to council. They’ve griped over such issues as speed limits on Fourth Street, and whether garbage pickup should move into the 21st century, and be picked up in the front yards instead of the back alleys.
Not exactly issues that having a resounding impact on our day-to-day lives, unless you have a business in downtown Estevan.
But when it comes time to offer thoughts on something really important, such as the budget, we rarely hear a peep.
We applaud the city for giving the public the chance to air their thoughts. We hope that they’ll continue to do so.
And we also applaud those who do voice their opinions on important issues, such as whether people who have had their water mains replaced in the past should be forced to pay the infrastructure fee increase that was recently imposed.
If you’re given the chance for your voice to be heard, and you fail to do so, don’t complain if the opportunity doesn’t exist in the future.
