The city spent $6 million dollars on Temple Street beautification. They filled in the ditches, poured cement curbs, added a few sidewalks and planted grass seed which needed a water truck to provide the moisture. They painted the lines, added new signs and made the street very nice. However, they used money that should have been earmarked for a new water plant.
Every child I know has been taught that you have to save up for what you want. Some parents add the incentive by offering to go 50/50 if the child saves money for that special something. It’s teaching responsibility. That’s logical. What is not logical is filling in ditches for millions of dollars and then expect the people of Parksville to foot a $15 million dollar bill after they just spent $6 million dollars on “pretty.” Do we look stupid? I can live without a sidewalk but I can’t live without water.
City council is elected to work for the people of Parksville. They had to know the water supply was in trouble, so why weren’t they saving up for this eventual scenario? What were they thinking as they handed out all the “permission slips” to slash the forests groves, rip everything green out and start building, knowing we had water problems brewing?
Council wants its citizens to agree to an “18 million dollar price tag to ensure the water flows to our fair town. They talk about the city’s infrastructure and how they have to update everything. There is no help for it, the people are going to have to bite the bullet and accept this very expensive solution.
Well, I don’t want to agree to anything unless Parksville city council agrees to a few thoughts of my own. If you can’t afford it you can’t do it. If you can’t afford it you can’t buy it.
If the infrastructure needs to be upgraded, then Parksville cannot afford any more development until the upgrades are finished. The cost will keep growing if you keep handing out building permits like candy.
The rate of development needs to be capped at a low percentage per year after that to ensure the future of all our resources (and keep the spirit of a family holiday destination).
Lastly, stop thinking you can keep draining the people of their limited resources because no one in city councils of the past thought to save pennies for the long-term emergency expenses required.
If the people ran their own households like city hall, the debt collectors would be hounding them day and night.
Elaine ThompsonParksville