They have sold hot dogs, braved freezing winds, stinky fish, showed up early in the morning and late at night, all in the spirit of raising money to refurbish a city-owned tot park they donated more than two decades ago.
And yet, despite their altruism, the Prince Rupert Lions club has found themselves smack dab in the middle of one of Murphy’s best-known laws: No good deed goes unpunished.
The Lions came up with the money some 23 years ago, did the work and then kindly handed it all over to the City of Prince Rupert for the enjoyment of the citizens of this city.
After 23 years, whether through city neglect or just the passage of time, much of the tot park at Mariner’s Park is unusable and a safety concern. But once again, the Rupert Lions stepped up and raised a staggering $100,000 to make the park a gem of the Rupert waterfront.
But Murphy and his friends at city hall have other ideas.
Instead of thanking the Lions and jumping at the $100K windfall, the city et. al. have engaged in hauling out the red tape and hamstringing a simple, generous donation into a battle of contractors, volunteers and timelines.
Maybe our motto shouldn’t be City of Rainbows, but rather City of Bureaucrats.
