Editor,
I couldn’t agree more with Cyril and Roberta Tench (Peace Arch News, June 12 letters) and several people who have written in to dissuade or discourage the idea that we need new facilities uptown: City hall, library, RCMP, seniors centre, etc. What about Kent Street Seniors Centre? Are you kidding? Move all these amenities uptown.
Do you drive or walk around White Rock much lately? I think we have enough highrises at this point in time. Let’s take a break from highrise construction and allow time to let our infrastructure, traffic patterns and amenities catch up. Also, I worry about the final cost considering the delays and over-budget spending that happens lately with most major projects, especially those funded with taxpayer dollars.
I question how the selling off of city-owned land for millions and use of millions of our accumulated DCC’s to pay for any redevelopment is somehow not costing taxpayers? Whose money is this? And who’s going to be paying costs going forward when all these assets are used up? Seems to me that Urban Systems consultants can sure put a nice spin on things. And how much is that costing us?
White Rock citizens deserve a referendum (a yes or no) regarding any relocating of our library/city hall/etc to a new hub, or not. Timing seems perfect as we will be paying for a byelection anyway, likely this fall, to replace city councillor Ernie Klassen, our newly elected federal MP. Does anyone believe that both jobs (city councillor and MP) can be done properly in today’s world? I don’t think so.
Let’s do the democratic thing, have a vote with a clearly worded, unbiased question added to the byelection ballot. I appeal to Mayor Knight and councillors: Let’s have a referendum, no excuses, no dilly dallying.
Bonnie Mathie, White Rock
