I am calling for media outlets here to discontinue printing the very embarrassing “Gang of Three” reference.
We are actually “the Gang of Five Thousand” or the silent majority of Qualicum Beach who elected those three councillors to do some long overdue housekeeping.
The only thing the three share in common is their decision-making principles and process, which includes hard work and research followed by doing the math.
It’s unfortunate it does not appear Mayor Teunis Westbroek and Coun. Scott Tanner possess these skills. Recently, the two councillors asked the town administrators to do the math for them on the new Clarion building.
Let me help them add it up. The following numbers are approximate and in today’s dollars: $10 million capital cost to build the Clarion will be spent on local trades and suppliers, $200,000 in annual taxes times the 100-year building life equals $20 million dollars, or enough for five new fire halls.
Additionally, there will be 125 new residents living downtown spending $1,000/month each, which equals $1.5 million annually, plus their strata fees of $400/month/unit is another $250,000 annually for building upkeep and maintenance provided by locals.
The 100-year building life span grand total of $205 million — and all of it new money to the local economy, and almost all of the money will be spent within the Qualicum Beach boundaries.
Other housekeeping to do now that it has been exposed is the free rent we taxpayers are getting short changed on at the Heritage Forest. Instead of being thankful, the tenant has the audacity to complain and cry foul.
These town-owned properties deserve to have current market rents paid. In the case of the Beach Hut, it should be triple net — rent of $1,500 plus $800 for taxes and $400 for the liability insurance, equals annual rental of $32,400 dollars, not what the tenants presently enjoy. In many cases of prime waterfront commercial property, the landlord would also receive a percentage of the gross.
Prime commercial waterfront property is the highest value property there is. Why are we giving it away?
Brian Jenkins
Qualicum Beach