Outdoor ice rink a ludicrous tax burden
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Editor,
The hits just keep on a comin’. Before departing northwest Montana, Polson City Manager Todd Crossett, in cahoots with the Superintendent of Parks, and now interim City Manager, decided to add one more ludicrous tax burden to Polson: they proposed that Polson build an “outdoor, refrigerated ice skating rink” with plans to later turn it into a “Whazoo” ice skating attraction. What, are we developing a Polson mini-amusement park here — and with whose money?
Of course, this is absolutely essential to draw desperately needed tourism to the overlooked, under populated, “we’ll just drive through on our way home to Alberta,” community of Polson … not.
I find it difficult to believe that Polson taxpayers have been asking for years to have a refrigerated ice rink out near the new Aquatic Center to showcase their struggling community. I’m sure it will draw the likes of Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan and Brian Boitano for our annual Ice Capades extravaganza and I’m guessing the planners of this “white elephant” figure it won’t be but a couple of years before the NHL will be begging them to hold the Stanley Cup playoffs here at the south end of Flathead Lake.
What is this: we can be as stupid as California with out-of-control city credit card use and community debt? Are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind? An outdoor, refrigerated ice rink?
Hey, fill an irrigation ditch, open a gate and flood a wheat or potato field (like they do in Korea) in January and open it for ice-skating. Check with the Cincinnati Ohio Parks and use a hard Plexiglas/plastic surface (instead of water/ice) as they did in their Riverside Park and you can ice-skate year-round.
Are you out of your mind? You don’t have anything more important to spend city money on now? When will this insanity end? Fix the roads. Fix the sidewalks. Fix the sewage treatment plant.
Fix the infrastructure and then think about what the residents and tourists want … not what a handful of special interest groups can dream up. Just saying.
Michael Gale
Ronan
