How does a person express admiration, respect, gratitude and love in 300 words or less? With respect to a dying and apparently doomed arena it may be impossible.
People flock to, and stay in this area because of an established lifestyle. The rock painters, kekuli builders, and early homesteaders saw the rivers as brilliant. Early visionaries recognized Valhalla and stopped searching. Varied settlers joined the community and helped create a Kootenay lifestyle. Over the years, parks, trails, courts and pools were created, and a beautiful golf course was carved out. Rinks were built. Much of the material, equipment, labour and land that created the cornerstones of our culture was donated.
READ MORE: Group hoping to save Castlegar’s Pioneer Arena from closure
A list of three hundred names of people who committed their energy to the betterment of our recreational heritage would fall short of acknowledging all who have contributed. Christian, Verigin, Zuckerberg, Waldie, Webster, Clark, Akerman, Charters, Archambault … are but a few of the community pioneers.
A list of community cornerstones would not be limited to Mac Andrew, Talarico, Fowler, Walton, Waldie, Yule, Mosby, Landis, Maddocks, Moore, Schwartze Hauer (He, of the first standoff beard), Brattebo, Thor Larsen and Fayant.
Imagine someone benefiting from Winston’s dedication to the ski trails while simultaneously being apathetic regarding his volunteer work on the Pioneer arena. We should be honouring the pioneers who helped establish the Kootenay Life. Tearing down the rink without a clear plan for a replacement or alternate use is not about Green, Stanbra, Junker, Walker and Horcoff. It is about King, Tassone, Braun, Sloan, MacKinnon, Zibin, Price, Kucher, Kelly, Briggeman, Sutton, Gallo to name a few of many, influencers.
They expanded and nurtured a Kootenay way. Castlegar attracts the bright and humble to its neighbourhood. Blue sky dreamers have come here and are awestruck by a lifestyle. New and exciting solutions are being found to create housing; commercial zoning is abundant on Columbia Avenue. The third floor of the hospital is empty. We can find the funding, permits and political will to have overpasses that light-up, crosswalks that don’t cross, ponds without purpose and optical Mensa puzzles blocking functional wooden signs.
There are corporate cookie-cutter dumpsters blocking our world view. We are building a castle and simultaneously pushing a vital, busy, icon into the moat. Castlegar is one of the last great places on the planet. It is expanding rapidly. Right minded opinion suggests, that housing and clinics should be fast tracked. Broader, more lateral, expanded thought might question narrowly focused decisions or plans.
In the name of those on the brick wall in the new arena and those that came before them— is bulldozing our heritage the best option in this community, at this time?
Bill Lunn
Castlegar, BC