Editor:
Re: Fire destroys Grand Forks Hotel (story in the March 14 issue of the Grand Forks Gazette)
In regards to the hotel fires, thank goodness no one was injured! It is a sad day to lose a historical building, true, but not those that pose concern and might be overlooked by health and building inspectors due to historical relevance.
I worked in both buildings and thought they were potentially dangerous to the general public. Although they may have been culturally symbolic and have cherished memories for the community, one needs be realistic.
I believe they were a hazard, an accident waiting to happen. I am glad at least one is gone. It would appear the only time Grand Forks gets a safe building is when one burns down.
How many other messes are in town whose electrical, plumbing and foundations are hazardous and grandfathered. I wonder?
I love Grand Forks and miss it dearly but it is a little town lost in time. It is incidents such as these that ensure progression, revitalization and forward momentum, regardless of the community’s desire.
Thank God for the law of impermanence.
I am sorry to those who may have lost possessions in the fire and the few jobs that will be lost, however, that is a small price to pay. On any given day, it could have been someone’s life – perhaps a tourist’s life. Then all hell would break out and you would nod your head in agreement. You would be forced to.
It’s the tourists that keep that community alive and I would argue, they don’t mind where they eat their borscht; unless it is a building that feels and appears dingy and unsafe.
Kelly Little, Duncan, B.C.
