Dear Editor,
I am a soon to be multi business owner in the Town of Rimbey.
The one thing that concerns this businessman regarding what is wrong here in our friendly international town is that this entire town has forgotten how to stay true to our roots.
People notice the empty buildings in our town core yet they will spend $25 in gas to save $5 elsewhere. It makes no sense at all. It’s not just the people here, it’s business as well.
I own a small I.T. Company. I am fully certified as an I.T. Professional by Mr. Bill Gates himself. I look after large businesses in Red Deer like the Galaxy Theatre in Gasoline Alley and I am fully capable and have the equipment to look after every business server in this town, Yet 90 per cent of my services go out to Red Deer and surrounding areas like Lacombe and Ponoka.
People, you want jobs here in town, services that entertain you, you want our store fronts filled with quaint tea shops and country crafts and antique shops. You have to support them. You do this by walking to a shop thereby saving $25 in gas or fuel and you shop local. What you don’t do is overflow current resources by offering free programming that competes with local business and then dump a ton of taxpayers’ monies holding useless referendums that pit us against each other.
Seriously do we need a wine tasting venue at our library. Is this even legal? Is our library licensed to serve alcohol and do the people serving it have training to serve alcohol? What are the legal ramifications to our town should someone get hurt or have an allergic reaction to what they are being served?
The mother/daughter tea party was nice but the tea shop that recently closed across the street I’m sure could have benefited from the cessation of this program.
Reference computers at the library, being used for gaming and checking email is hurting The Cave, and will soon hurt the Gaming Café that is up and coming. Arguments have been made that they fill a service for people that cannot afford the Internet. Yet I have observed kids playing games and chatting on Facebook. The Cave charges for this service and has invested personal money and resources. I myself am investing over sixty thousand dollars in computer equipment to rent by the hour and you get your computers for free along with your internet service.
Know that I will be checking regularly to insure these reference PCs are used for reference only and I will be complaining bitterly when they are not. When I had to propose my new gaming cafe to the town I had to take considerations into mind. I contacted the youth center to see if I was taking away from any programming they had planned. I approached the recreation board to see if what I had planned was taking away from new and current programming. I was considerate to other effective programming and wanted to work side by side out of respect and consideration.
Fact is the only solution is to scale back programming. Keep your core programs like kids after school kiddy movie night....and leave the business to businesses. Keep your library books intact and enjoy it before technology makes it obsolete.
Fact is just stop and buy local and soon the stores will fill up with thriving businesses that translate to friendly competitive business that translates to savings for the consumer and employment opportunities for our workforce. Electing a new mayor and council will not change anything but who gets the pay checks. Change can only come about when we elect to change ourselves and our habits. Support your local businesses and local business will support you.
Mark Steeves