It has become obvious that Central Elementary School will become a concert hall/ performing arts centre after the Canada Games in 2019.

Our city’s leaders finally came to grips with our city’s declining health and cut back in their budget. Budgets were cut, positions cut, long time employees were given pink slips for Christmas. Was it enough, or was it window dressing?

It is rather coincidental that the city acquires Central Elementary School to repurpose for the 2019 Canada Games, then approves $220,000 for a feasibility study on what kind of performing arts centre/cultural facility is needed. 3 years ahead of schedule.

The city may be coming to grips with the fact that the city is declining fast. The worst unemployment in Alberta, declining population, declining revenues, increasing bankruptcies, and losing of hope for many, but they continue to spend money downtown. They terminated employees but will spend $1.7 million on the Riverwalk and with the $220,000 for the feasibility study that is almost 2 million in questionable spending.

The arena is being replaced, downtown. Did anyone ask, or even consider, if just perhaps it could have been built in another, much more practical location? No, it is downtown, it would be blasphemous to think otherwise. Why would we build it away from downtown, like they did when it was initially built? What is wrong with having it in front of and hiding another arena?

Last year Red Deer lost almost 1% of their population while surrounding communities grew. Blackfalds and Penhold grew, and both had recent recreational centres built away from their downtowns. Do they know something that our city leaders do not?

Perhaps we should ask ourselves why Red Deer has been hit the hardest in Alberta. Harder than Nisku, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, or Medicine Hat? Why did Blackfalds build their new Abbey Centre away from downtown and then grow by 700 residents last year? Why did Red Deer build the Collicutt Centre away from downtown 15 years ago? Why did Blackfalds build more new homes than Red Deer? Why does Penhold need more land, while Red Deer is shrinking?

Could it be our blind dedication to the downtown? Could it be our continued neglect of residents living north of the river? Could it be that we are stuck in our ways and do not accept change? Whatever it is that keeps us on this downhill slope, we know that our money will keep pouring into the downtown.

The city will turn Central Elementary School into the Concert Hall, they will do studies and surveys until they get the results they want, and use that to justify their decision, which I believe has already been made.