Missing link
Paul Galinski’s article is seriously flawed by the omission of the full reasons the Gillies Bay Improvement District (GBID) turned down a proposal to amalgamate the two volunteer fire departments under the regional district umbrella [“Texada firefighters remain apart,” August 20].
Initially, the idea was looked upon favourably but on sober second thought the GBID board decided that, in spite of pressure being applied by the regional district to comply quickly, further research was needed before committing to it. In addition to performing its due diligence, the board also consulted the Gillies Bay ratepayers about whether or not they wanted amalgamation under the regional district to go forward. A survey was sent to all Gillies Bay ratepayers and the return on the question was a resounding no.
No amount of “massaging” the trustees (what an offensive term) is going to change the board’s mind. It was the ratepayers themselves who made the ultimate decision to retain local governance of one of the last island public assets actually owned by Texadans.
Phyllis Mason
Gillies Bay, Texada Island
Hill headaches
Veronica Bourassa, in her letter, raises the point of pushing a wheelchair up Alberni Street from the proposed library at the old arena site [“Library economics,” August 20]. Would the library hire wheelchair pushers? Would a wheelchair be able to stop, coming down Alberni Street? Would library insurance cover them?
Maybe a San Francisco-style cable system to haul wheelchairs up and down the hill is needed?
Have any of the arena site supporters walked or ridden their bicycles up the hill with a bag or two of books? Joyce Avenue is a long way away. What about scooter riders? Get to Joyce and Alberni with low batteries after climbing the hill and there is no recharge station there, or anywhere else. And what about the carbon footprint with the extra traffic pulling up the hill?
I think that maybe the new library should be somewhere along the flatlands of Joyce Avenue where everyone can access and leave it.
Bill Ireland
Joyce Avenue
Offer your voice
Because of the Peak’s article “City requires more cash flow” August 20, I am motivated to want to talk to the taxpayers of Powell River.
Our lovely town is in financial crisis. I don’t want to be over dramatic, but there’s no other way to describe it.
The City of Powell River has a list of projects that are absolute necessities like fixing roads, liquid waste management, the Haslam Lake water main and underground aging pipes throughout the town, and we can’t cover those costs. Other projects are important but not critical, like the library.
In the article I noticed that Shehzad Somji, chief financial officer for the city, stated a new library would cost $10 million at Willingdon and that the annual cost of the loan would be $200,655. What Somji didn’t mention, was that you have to add on the yearly operating and maintenance costs. Currently, with the library situated in the same building as city hall, taxpayers pay $1 million to operate the library. I can only imagine how much more it would cost to operate and maintain at Willingdon.
If we don’t want a new library, or if we want a larger one, we have to let council know that it’s not okay to keep pushing the palace at Willingdon. We don’t need a view. We don’t need a palace.We don’t need fancy.
At 1 pm Thursday, September 4, at city hall, there’s a public meeting, where the architects hired by the library board are going to tell us how much it will cost to renovate the buildings formerly housing The Brick and Liquidation World. If you want council to hear your concerns, you can ask questions and hopefully get some answers. I urge concerned citizens to show up.
Taxpayers do not have bottomless pockets. It’s time for council to rein in unnecessary spending and listen to us.
Gaye Culos
Marine Avenue
Community focal point
One of my first priorities when moving to Powell River last year was to get a library card. When I lived on Bowen Island for many years, the library was a community focal point, a place where our children fostered their love of reading, where we ran into friends and made new ones, and where we were introduced to books, films and music we might not have come across otherwise.
The Powell River library has given me the same sense of community. It sources multiple copies for our book club, is a resource for books for my research and reading pleasure, and is a place where I am getting to know more people. But it is too small of a facility for such a large community [“Two more potential library sites undergo evaluation,” August 6].
I support the expansion of the library so it can have meeting rooms, reading space, more computers for the use of those in need of access and an expanded collection of books. The proposed site at Willingdon Beach makes sense. How great to have a library by the ocean, to have kids being able to play outside and also get books to read, to be in an area close to shops and cafes, so going to the library is integrated with daily activities. Having the library in close proximity to Sea Fair, Blackberry Festival and other community events means it can play a part in these celebrations.
Most importantly, the library is a hub of our community and needs more space to expand and continue to do what it does so well.
Peg Campbell
Mariners Way
