nother success for Parksville and all the sponsors, vendors, speakers and attendees.
I have a riddle for council and the mayor: if it were not for the field directly to the east of the community centre, where would all those vehicles have parked at the fair?
And if this land is developed, where will the staging area be for the horses and their trailers when the SOS has their annual toy drive via horseback?
Remember also the incredible turnout for Kris Kringle, where the existing paved parking turned into vendor allotments and the field was at maximum capacity all the way to Corfield Street.
The streets surrounding the PCCC were also lined with cars.
Mayor Burger told me that projections for Parksville’s population is some 25,000! What then?
Even though I have lived here just over two years, I already witness deterioration in quality of life as ocean and mountain vistas are being obscured by what seems to be wanton building sites. I already speak in terms of “I remember when...”
Just listen to those residents who have been here for decades when they reminisce about the former splendor and serenity that Parksville once was. It was their tax dollars that paid for a lot of the existing infrastructure.
Basically, people move here to escape the madness of over development and loss of a degree of peacefulness as experienced in Victoria and environs.
So, let’s maintain what we have before it is all but gone; less is indeed more!
Great cities are noted for their open spaces near the city centre which allows for community gatherings at special events.
Planning for future revenues without regard for city ascetics and functionality is sheer folly. Let’s not lose what remains of this naturally endowed area we call home.
Gord Byers
Parksville