Editor:
I love living in a country where we have the freedom to voice our concerns and petition for causes that we stand for, however, sometimes I fear that one voice may not be heard because the other voice is more assertive.
In Aldergrove on Saturday, April 2, there was a petition to prevent the outdoor pool from being built. The protesters want to have a pool with walls, as they claim, so it can be used all year around. It may sound like a nice idea, however, as a small community that Aldergrove is we need something that will bring not just our community but others around us. In the radius around the future pool, there is Blair Pool in Murryaville, a ten minute drive down Fraser highway; Walnut Grove pool which is 15 to 20 minutes away; or Abbotsford Recreation Centre that is 15 - 20 minutes away.
Because of the close proximity of the three indoor pools, people from the surrounding areas will be less likely to visit our pool if it is indoors, lessening the effectiveness of the centre. In the summer, when people would rather spend their time in the sun they would end up going to Langley's overcrowded outdoor pool, Al Anderson in Langley City. Besides Al Anderson is also outdated and families usually end up going to the lake or just spend time in the sprinklers.
As a young adult wanting to start a family in Aldergrove, I would prefer to have outdoor activities from my future children. The platform they had planned for this new pool was what I believed this small town needed to create us to be different and stand out from our fellow neighbourhoods. It gives family not only the options to go swimming but to spend time outside, to have picnics, to include the whole family as outdoor pools often do. So an outdoor pool isn't only what Aldergrove needs, but it is what Langley needs. We need an outdoor activity for families, we need to have children spend time outside, we need the change in community that makes our neighbourhood better than the others.
I believe that the people who planned this pool, those who spent hours on planning it and developing the structure, who had done the endless hours of research to update this town by creating a new facility for us, knew exactly what they were doing and what would be best for not only Aldergrove, but Langley itself.
I want to thank those engineers and township people for working hard on something for the young families of Aldergrove and Langley, and I hope that we can find a way that improves our community. I also hope that those, like myself who were excited for this new expansion in this community and would prefer an outdoor pool, would also speak up so we can get as much of a chance to get what we think is best.
Justine Ehrenholz, A Pro Outdoor Aldergrove Pool Activist