Millions flow in for wastewater treatment! Oh come on, let's keep it real – most of it is a LOAN (which the article does go on to say), which means you and I still pay!
It’s a good thing there is a source for this money to pay for something that is essential if Cranbrook wishes to stop blushing over its embarrassing behaviour in dealing with its wastewater for the last twenty plus years. $674,800 according to the same article is a grant and the remainder we pay for over the long term along with also, according to the Townsman, another $8 million to come from somewhere if and when all projects are completed. The Townsman states $19 million as being the new minimum for the current upgrades.
A line item for 2012 in the City’s recent Five Year Financial Plan shows $125,000 towards a baseball stadium. A further item for 2014, shows $500,000 for baseball diamonds as well as a hopeful $2 million for a campground grant. By comparison a small $190,000 is shown in the same year for the Southview Park which already has been sitting in a sorry mess for at least two years – a park which would be used year round and on a daily basis if it were properly landscaped and reclaimed.
In the City’s Five Year Financial Plan it states:
The City took over the Rec Plex in March 2007. Projected revenues in 2010 from the Rec Plex, including pool operations are $995,325. Operating expenses are estimated to be $2,349,167 before debt payments of $1,792,431.00. This means the Rec Plex alone costs taxpayers approximately $3 million every year.
Is it really fair to ask the average Cranbrook citizen to partially pay the bill for yet another costly sports facility, which only a small minority of the population might use for only part of the year? Remember also, these facilities would need regular maintenance and field care. The elaborate fence around the existing Moir Park is already torn down in many places and this is a new facility.
How many sports facilities should we as taxpayers subsidize when our infrastructure has fallen seriously behind necessary upkeep? The wastewater upgrades continue to garner headlines but it is not only the sewage system that has fallen behind in its capability.
Getting smug about going into more debt for something that should have been done and paid for years ago is not appropriate.
Interesting to read last nights column in the Townsman from our Mayor , regarding the "spray effluent system". It reads as if this whole idea is new. When in fact , it is 30 years old. Mayor Ty Colgur was headlined across the Province as a "ground breaker' in inovation for waste water treatment when the citizens of this community paid for it 30 years ago.I remember a classic picure of one of the dignitaries drinking a glass of water from the outflow at the opening ceremony.
ReplyDeleteThe sad situation we are in today is, because this city did NOT look after and maintain the infrastructure for the past 30 years. And to have a 19 million dollar price tag to upgrade is obscene .
The sad part of all this is...the city had to be sued to face the situation.
It's neccessary and has to be done , but should we not be pulling back a little on "new ventures".
After all , we still have the problem of the ROADS.
It's always sad to see parks go to waste from trivial things like proper sediment control - hopefully a viable solution can be considered!
ReplyDelete-Jackie