Interesting times on the Central Plains

Dear Diane,
I hear that today there's going to be a sod turning in your neck of the woods. With that symbolic spade of dirt we are set to enter a new phase in the move towards Portage la Prairie getting our much needed and deserved multiplex. But really, how much closer are we than we were at the beginning of the year?
I want to start out by saying how much I respect and admire the work done by Brian Gilbert, Warren Neufuld and especially Jeff Bereza, without whom this project would have collapsed long ago. They have worked tirelessly on this and deserve all the praise in the world for what they have accomplished. Like a vocal minority of Portagers, my opposition lies in the placement of the multiplex. Spending my teenaged years on Crescent lake gave me an appreciation for the natural beauty of the lake and an understanding of the enjoyment that residents of Portage la Prairie get from it. In the past few months I've been disturbed by the look of the lake due mainly to the stagnation of water that came with the completion of the causeway. I know the bridge is old and needs to be replaced, but the standards to which this causeway was built is simply as a stopgap measure to get heavy machinery to the island to work on the multiplex. It's hard to fathom why we would be willing to sacrifice one of our most recognizable landmarks to build a facility that will bring ZERO economic spinoffs to the immediate area. The moratorium on development on the island makes sure of that. It would be much better for Portage la Prairie if we were building this on the East or West ends of town, where it would be likely that we would see businesses pop up to cater the the new clientele for our shiney new multiplex
That said, I've long believed that the planned placement of the multiplex on the island has alot to do with the split of funding between the City and Rural Municipality and the need for the RM to get something out of the deal other than the use of the facilities. The ownership of the facility and the rental of it by the City at least covers a bit of the enormous costs to the RM, but it's of little consequence to a Farmer near St. Ambrose that there's a swimming pool that he could use(for a nominal fee) 40 miles away as he watches his property taxes soar. But regardless, on another site, the cost to the RM are bigger and probably impossible to sell to an already bitter electorate. Without the RM ownership, there's no way this multiplex is this far along.
Diane, this whole thing is a bigger mess than anyone tossing the dirt tomorrow wants to admit. Federal and Provincial Funding -although promised- could still be a long way off; We're lopping pieces off the building like we're field surgeons at gettysburg; Funding is fragile; The Environment is suffering; and worst of all, people who were huge supporters of this iniative are turning against the idea of the multiplex entirely. It's very disappointing to see, especially knowing how much work has been put in by so many great and loyal Portagers.
This project is so much larger in importance and size than Splash Island, but the multiplex stands in the long shadow cast by the last cookie cutter solution to Portage's recreation deficit. If this isn't done properly, it might be the end of big ticket projects in the region. This project is a labour of love and to see it shelved at this stage would be horrible, but to see it go ahead, bugs and all, would be an absolute tragedy.