On Saturday last weekend I was in West Terrace

I was very fortunate to be able to canvass most of West Terrace last Saturday-I still have a few homes to go in that neighbourhood, and I did go back there this morning to chat with people in a cul de sac and make sure my signs were still up. It seem like someone likes my signs because several have gone missing from private property.

The conversations I had in West Valley were mostly with respect to the brand. People were not impressed with the process council used to push that through. They want council to listen to public feedback and not ignore it.

One woman is concerned with the density of day homes in one part of West Terrace. She feels that Council should look at where these facilities are being developed and the imapct they have on residential communities for parking and traffic.

Traffic was a big issue for almost everyone I talked to, as well as speeding and lack of a second access to the area. Another huge issue was weeds in public areas and the lack of maintenance of these public spaces by the town.

I had a long chat with two people about the warm water pool and we discussed the possibilities for funding its development as a stand alone private facility, or as a part of the leisure pool being proposed-also know as the aquatic centre. Both saw the value in having such a facility in Cochrane and believe that it could be operated by Alberta Health.

Five different people complained that there is a lack of responsiveness when they send issues to the council for resolution. Many feel that they are ignored.

One man spent a great deal of time talking to me about my term as mayor. He explained the issues and how he was unsure about whether he could support me this time around. I enjoyed the conversation and learned a lot from it-generally, he, like everyone else I met in West Terrace, wants to feel that council members care, listen to the public and have the best interests of the citizens at heart. He was very pleased that I want to keep taxes as low as possible-this is a huge issue for many people.

Again, two younger families are concerned that Walmart will locate in Cochrane and destroy the downtown business community. I am surprised by the number of younger families who do not want Walmart. This morning a senior echoed their view. Generally, seniors I meet do want a Walmart in town because they feel they can afford to shop at Walmart for many goods and services and prefer not to travel to Calgary.

I also met a number of families who like the current council and feel they have done a good job. Generally, people support the current mayor and will probably vote for him because he is sticking to his platform.

I enjoyed West Terrace, and will be in that area and West Valley again tomorrow-all day! I hope to see you when I come by!