Letter to the Editor

I have given the proposed new community hub a great deal of thought from a taxpayer/common sense point of view.

It is my understanding that the existing skating arena and curling centre have just had close to $2 million spent in upgrades, new ice system and reinforced roof. The bones of the building are cinder block, which should stand up for a very long time. With the upgrades I am led to believe that the lifespan has increased by at least 20 years if not longer with proper maintenance.

The existing community centre is, I will grant you, past its sell-by date. It was however built mostly with donated funds and materials as I recall, a true “community” project.

Seeing as we have the bones of a very usable centre, one which has served the community well, why not consider knocking down the existing community centre building and adding a new centre onto the existing curling club building.

The passageway that exists now between the buildings is really a waste of valuable space. It could be built as a two-storey building thereby giving more usable facilities, even maybe going over the top of the existing curling rink? This to me would make more sense than spending huge amounts of taxpayer dollars on what is really something that I would class as a “want” not a need.

We have several architects locally who are more than capable of designing a suitable and affordable addition to what is already a community hub, by trying to utilize local designers. And even local large companies such as Teck would perhaps recreate the community feel to such a project.

Also, has any thought been given to the congestion that would be caused by moving everything over the tracks, especially in winter and hockey season? Trains go through on a very regular basis; this is never going to change. It would be placing a lot of people in potential danger from lack of access during a medical emergency. This hub is proposing a seniors’ centre to be included, which just adds to the difficulty of access, if a train was blocking the tracks like they often do, not to mention, god forbid, any kind of derailment.

The proposed hub in the location of the existing pool would not be as accessible to a great many people as it is now in its present highway location. It is easy to access from the highway. In case of emergency, easy access and walkable to a great number of people. Surely it would make sense to explore this avenue and even offer it as an alternative to taxpayers in a referendum before proceeding any further on the current proposal.

Grants will always be there in one form or another. To allow the taxpayers to be rushed or even persuaded to go ahead with any proposal just because you can get “free” money is not, in my opinion, looking after the best interests of the taxpayers.

David R Gildea,

Fernie

Article Share