Panel data provided by Madison's Canadian Lumber Reporter.

Hartley Miller's Slap Shots July 22nd Edition

By Hartley Miller

Last week, I contacted the Leisure Services Department about the possibility of booking a gymnasium. I was informed that for the most part, Prince George elementary and secondary gyms are shut down for July and August. The PG Community can thank the illustrious School District 57 Board of Trustees, and its management team for this short sighted decision. 

Some six years ago, the School Board decided to close gymnasiums, during the summer months. Bryan Mix, Secretary Treasurer, says the main reason for the shut down is for maintenance and that, "We need to have the schools ready for September ". The Trustees supported this concept citing that it would be more productive to have no one in the gyms during the summer vacation; therefore out came the locks. Mix also indicated that there has been little opposition to this decision. 

Here's my take on this issue. I strongly believe in recreation, especially for our youth. These are public schools, and children should be able to access the buildings, just like their predecessors did in the 90's, 80's and 70's. We need to open these public doors and remove needless restrictions. 

While growing up in Winnipeg, I always had access to school facilities, even during the summer. Now, as a 26 year Prince George resident I notice plenty of youth with lots of idle time. Too many children are hanging out, and are bored. This inactivity often leads to mischief. 

Wouldn't it be better for these children to be in our publicly owned institutions, like our gyms, where they can be participating in constructive and rewarding programs under adult supervision? Well known Prince George resident, Matt Pearce, suggests "if it means a user pay system so be it". 

This lock down also hurts our high school sports teams. In order to compete better at a provincial level, we need to find a way to help athletes on these teams continue with their training, and perhaps opening the gyms will propel our teams to be more competitive.
Several lower mainland high schools have their gyms available year round. I wonder how they work around the maintenance issues. Perhaps, they follow our 70's, 80's and 90's model? 

I realize some schools do require two months of maintenance, but they are far and few between. It's a shame better scheduling can't be arranged, so a few of the facilities are available, on a rotating basis. 

This decision lacks creativity and depth and was made by professionals who make a good living. Mix, for example, earns $109,000 per year. I'm not suggesting that his position and others aren't worth six figures, but for these tax dollars, I would think the heavyweights at the board office could come up with more than just a shut down. Moreover, the School District Trustees should not take the easy way out and close the schools, just because it's more convenient. On the contrary, they need to be more pro-active. After all, we are talking about kids, and their voices should count. There's no need for students to be "Board" from school in July and August.


Pass the mustard:

**** --NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, after being behind the wheel of an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile that won a race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"My wiener has never been so exhausted."


****--Dan Daly of the Washington Times, on the Deion Sanders' Hot Dog Express (which is a $49.95 hot-dog cooker)
"It comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Falcons offensive tackle Todd Weiner."

And, how is your week?


--Hartley Miller is the Sports Director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97FM. His
articles also appear in the PG Free Press.

Previous Story - Next Story



Return to Home