First things first.  The Letter to the Editor this week alerted me to the fact that my admonition to people who may have overreacted to the arena situation may have reached the wrong ears.

I could be accused of being a hypocrite if I were to chastise anyone who reacted as emotionally as I did when I first heard of this idea.  However, I wasn't suggesting that anyone who took positive steps to let their opinion be known should go apologize.  I was directing my words to the people who over-reacted and vented their frustrations toward the staff and volunteers in a way that was totally unnecessary.  There were people who believed it was a fait accompli, and that the credit union was somehow behind it all, which is just foolish.

I've learned my lesson (maybe) and I'll do my best to heed my own advice.  I apologize to any of the well-intentioned souls out there who took offense.  Please don't ever apologize for standing up for what you believe in - I know I won't.

Speaking of humility - we were in a room full of people from all walks of life with a single purpose - to volunteer their time and talents to their community and their fellow man.  Don got his just reward, as it were, at the Volunteer Manitoba Awards Wednesday.  Once again, thank you to the LGD for his nomination, and to all the organizations and fellow volunteers who immediately came forward with glowing testimonials for the nomination package.  The most common response of the people who read the supporting document was, "Wow!  I didn't know he did all that!"  I've put a link to the document on the website.  It isn't too often I use these pages to brag about a personal issue; I hope you'll forgive my enthusiasm in this instance.

The second episode of "Just a Minute ... in PINAWA" is in the can, so to speak.  On Saturday I dropped in to the Moonlight Serenade fundraiser at the Pinawa Club and interviewed the president, Don Kerr for just a minute.  The rest of the video is two beautiful numbers by the Pinawa Stage Band, led by Sandy McDowall.  The video is posted on the website, Facebook and YouTube.  Episode #1 you will remember, was an interview with Donna Warenko, who was soliciting support for her bid for a position on the Sunova Credit Union Board of Directors.   And guess what?  She won!

Steven Spielberg I'm not, but I'm having fun with "Just a Minute" and I'm really excited about making the website as dynamic as possible.  I've added an iPad to my collecton of fun toys, and it's great to share everything I love about Pinawa with the world through my websites, The Paper, Facebook and Twitter.

And finally, they say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but I'm here to say that "All Things Pinawa" and the tagline "Pinawa's source for news" are both my original ideas, as is "Just a Minute ... in PINAWA" and the Pinawa MB Facebook page.

There! My spring cleaning is done!

Once again I applaud Ron Drabyk and the Pinawa Arena Board, this time for their thoughtful response to last week’s editorial. And although he already had it in spades, my respect for Ron grew exponentially with the manner in which he conducted himself over what must have been a very difficult long weekend. It was never my intention to stir the community into such a frenzy, believe me.

I left for Saskatoon late last week, blissfully unaware of the upheaval that my editorial had caused. Upon my return on Monday I learned that petitions had been started, Facebook debates were raging and disgruntled members of the credit union were taking their frustrations out on the staff at the local Sunova Branch.

As I explained in a private email, “I would also like to let you know that my editorial and my feelings about this issue are in no way a comment on any individuals on your board. It is the marketing strategy that I take issue with. I don’t feel that there is a Good Guy/Bad Guy situation here, either. Sunova is a business who relies on the deposits of the community and its organizations. I’m certain they would be open to exploring other options besides naming rights to the building.”

Judging by Ron’s response to the editorial, he fully understood that this was not a personal issue or that I was somehow trying to undermine the Arena Board’s work. What is regrettable is that other people didn’t.

For everyone who tried to villainize the Arena Board, Sunova Credit Union and Council over the naming rights issue please give your heads a collective shake. There is no Bad Guy here.

The Pinawa Arena Board, and Ron Drabyk in particular, have been performing miracles in raising much-needed capital for the continued operation of their facility. They are looking for some sustainable cash flow, and one opportunity might be through a naming rights agreement. The credit union isn’t making demands on the Arena Board to change the name - they are simply responding to the naming rights application, the same as they would for any other community. They are not being heavy-handed or under-handed or anything untoward whatsoever. And it is also not our branch employees who are negotiating the agreement. The Sunova Credit Union has been - and hopefully will continue to be for a very long time - a staunch supporter and advocate of community service and philanthropy. I would hope that the people who now realize that they may have rushed to judgment by accusing the credit union and the Arena Board of any impropriety and disrespect would be just as quick to return to both organizations and apologize.

The Arena Board was also acting in good faith. Times are tough, numbers are down. Volunteers are hard to come by. The fact that Ron Drabyk is both the Chair of the Arena Board and the Councillor responsible for Recreation Facilities should give you a small clue as to his personal commitment to the arena. The same can be said of Rhonda Henschell. I have tremendous respect for both of them and anyone who comes forward to make such a positive difference in our home town.

I have to tell you I was aghast that the Arena Board would even consider broaching the subject with the family, and I recall saying during question period that I thought the idea was an insult to Orville’s memory and his family. I was expecting a flurry of letters in the Paper voicing the same sentiment as mine, but nothing happened until this week.

At last week’s Council meeting, Councillor Drabyk said that a formal offer had now been received from Sunova - not for the $75,000 they had been anticipating, but for $35,000 over 10 years. The arrangement would be to rename the facility to the Sunova Arena, with no mention of Orville Acres whatsoever. Drabyk also said that Isabel Acres wasn’t happy about it. When asked if that was enough to stop the deal, Drabyk replied that he was going to speak with her again.

Gary Hanna is fond of saying that it’s tricky when you name something after one person in a small town, because how do you decide who has contributed more than the next person? The decision to name the arena after Orville Acres was a no-brainer. The man contributed more to the arena over a continuous period of three decades than any other volunteer, starting with the outdoor rink at the elementary school in 1963. There is no other facility in town that is community-built that can say the same. Our elementary school is named for the man who planned our community; the business centre is named for an AECL scientist. Our streets are named for Governors-General. Our arena is named for the man who helped forge minor hockey in Pinawa and our province, and who was a champion of womens hockey in its infancy. He built the first outdoor rink, coached the first high school boys hockey team, refereed, was referee-in-chief, sat on numerous boards, sharpened skates, gave clinics and he did it all year in and year out for over 30 years. It is inconceivable to think that there is anyone more deserving of the honour of having his name on the outside of that building than Orville Acres.

Business is business with the credit union. Perhaps they would like to name the Sunova Ice Park, which is home to the orange Sunova outdoor rink and the Orville Acres Arena.

I applaud Ron Drabyk and the Arena Board for doing everything they can to keep the arena going and for trying to secure continued funding. No amount of money, however, is worth insulting the man in whose footsteps they are valiantly trying to follow. Nor should his family have to even consider this a minute longer.