Two coincident items from last week’s news are worthy of a brief comment.
First, the mayor’s summary mentions at length the takeover of Fraser River Heritage Park and the destruction of the Rotary Observatory. There is good reason for the objections voiced over these actions: a majority of citizens who spoke out in volume clearly disagreed with council’s moves on each, and both were completely unnecessary and inappropriate.
Secondly, the consideration of a major investment in tourism makes sense, but in order for tourists to come, there must be things to see, things to do, things to draw visitors from Vancouver out beyond that imaginary line at the Stave River in sufficient volume to create a viable tourism industry in Mission.
If Stave West becomes a reality, what else would entice people to come beyond it and the Power House to actually have a positive economic impact on Mission?
What draws we have today generate the minimal impact we see today.
The Rotary Observatory was designed to bring thousands of students annually to daytime exposure to the wonders of astronomy and learning about the night sky, and those students would return with their families, in volume, for night time viewing, stopping for dinner and coffee and cocoa on the way, a first step in creating that positive economic impact. It happens elsewhere, why not here?
Sadly, this is crying over spilled milk at this point. This council, in their apparent lack of wisdom, destroyed the observatory.
Brian Antonson
Mission
