WITH ORANGEVILLE STRUGGLING to avoid double-digit tax-rate hikes in times of a looming economic downturn, it would seem strange that town council continues to consider going it alone in investing perhaps upwards of $250,000 to restore the Tony Rose Memorial's swimming pool, plus up to $100,000 for arena repairs.

It goes without saying that the pool must either be restored or permanently closed. Although the Alder Street facility also has an indoor pool, those are the only two indoor ones in all of Dufferin - a county that is approaching a population of 60,000.

Orangeville has approximately half that population. Within the next few years, if not now, the town and its three adjoining neighbours - Mono, Amaranth and East Garafraxa - may have threequarters of the total.

The three neighbours don't have public swimming pools at all - neither indoor nor out. Nor do they have arenas. But they probably have as many aspiring or recreational swimmers and skaters per capita as does Orangeville.

In the circumstances, it would behoove the four municipalities to get their heads and budgets together to preserve what should be a co-operative community asset, in much the same fashion as Shelburne and its neighbours have done at the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex.

We don't entirely understand why Orangeville and its neighbours have been unable to see eyeto eye on such other services as library and fire. We do subscribe to the adage that, "where there's a will, there's a way." The year 2008 would be a good time to find it.

If co-operation could be achieved, we would envision Alder Street remaining as an Orangeville facility with Tony Rose becoming the intermunicipal recreational centre. This could solve the problem of funding the required improvements to Tony Rose while, more importantly, providing recreational access to the residents of potentially three-quarters of the county's population.

We urge all municipal councillors to resolve to set aside their differences in the broader public interest.