Dear Editor:
I love Ponoka. I wasn’t born here, but I’ve been a Ponoka County resident for 22 years, a business owner in the Town of Ponoka for most of that time (except for 2004 – 2006 when we operated a successful business in Lacombe) and raised our youngest child here. We chose to open a new business in downtown Ponoka in October 2008 and I love what I’m doing. We have great staff, wonderful customers, many of whom come from a long way away, there are lots of great people in and around Ponoka and a lot of good reasons why we’ve chosen to remain here.
Having said this, this past week or so has been one in which I’ve asked myself several times, “Is Ponoka on its last legs as a viable community in which to own and operate a business? Am I banging my head against the wall? Why do we have so many empty buildings in town? Why does it seem town and county are usually working against each other, rather than together for the good of the community? Why did we become known as the Drunk Driving Capital of Canada? Is there a bad smell hanging over Ponoka?
When I drive through the downtown, it’s very disheartening when I see there’s as many empty storefronts on Chipman Avenue as there are full ones. When I saw that the Ponoka Book Store, which has been in business here for 32 years, was having a closing out sale, I shed some tears.
I attended the Atco Gas and Electric “Building Rural Communities Symposium” in Three Hills on May 13. It was an excellent event — well planned, thought provoking and well worth the $45 cost (included breakfast, lunch and at least three coffee breaks) and the two-hour drive to get there. I was most inspired by the presentation made by Doug Griffiths, author of 13 Ways to Kill your Community, (didn’t Mr. Griffiths visit Ponoka and make this presentation a few years ago?). He is now minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs and spoke passionately about rural Alberta and the opportunities he sees for rural communities.
Interesting as well, was the spirit of co-operation I saw between representatives from other small communities attending the conference. I observed county councillors, town or village councillors, chamber of commerce reps economic development officers sitting together, discussing the plans they had for their respective communities. “Why doesn’t this happen in Ponoka,” I asked myself? “What has to happen in Ponoka for people to come together and formulate a plan for our community? Will the election in October change this?”
I’ve had lots of conversation with people around these questions in the last few weeks, and I hear the same answers over and over again: “It’s just the way Ponoka is. Ponoka missed the boat 30 years ago when they didn’t get XYZ business to come to town. Ponoka’s too far from Edmonton. Ponoka’s too close to Red Deer. Ponoka’s only ever going to be a stampede town. We don’t have anything here except the Stampede. It’s just an old boys club. It’ll never change, etc.”
There are people and/or groups in Ponoka who are doing what they can to promote Ponoka as a great place to live, play and work. The volunteer board of the Ponoka Ag Event Centre Society had a vision, made a plan, and built a facility that is busy and has the potential to be busy year-round, drawing people from across Western Canada to our town. The Chamber of Commerce hosts some good events throughout the year; the EDO from the town does what she can to draw business to town; many individual business people do their part as well; the volunteers from the Ponoka Stampede Association plan and execute a world class event at the end of June each year, to name a few.
But these are just “pieces.” Where is “the plan?” Where do you as a Ponoka resident or business owner see yourself in 10, 20 or 30 years from now? I know I want Ponoka to be a thriving town (or even city) in the foreseeable future. If you have a similar vision, please give me a call at 403-783-0730. Let’s see if we can “come together” for our community.
Sherry Gummow