Mr. Denton, thank-you for misquoting me (Penticton Western News letter to the editor, Dec. 2, Everyone pays and everyone loses with the park).
The figures are — 12,292 square metres (11 per cent) with the possibility of 2,227 more square metres, depending on riparian areas. This brings the total to 14,519 square metres (13 per cent).
These percentages would be significantly lower if all the greenspace in the city were put into the equation.
If you want ambiance and character go to the west end of the park. What has that got to do with the environment that the society is so concerned about?
While “natural parks play an important role in countering the stresses of urban life,” so can children’s laughter — there is no better sound.
“Laughter is music of the heart” (author unknown), “Laughter is the best medicine” (author unknown).
Skaha Lake Park is zoned P2, parks and recreation. Waterslides are recreation. No referendum is necessary.
LocoLanding is a privately-owned commercial business on city owned land. It was once a beautiful greenspace. No referendum was held.
Yes, everyone pays and everyone loses. Taxpayers now have to pay for the city to defend itself against a lawsuit. Taxpayers would also have had to pay for a referendum.
Perhaps the Save Skaha Park Society would like to fund a referendum. The city loses rent/revenue from the waterslides.
A loss for the city is a loss for taxpayers. Businesses at the south end of the city could benefit from the added amenities. Our children and grandchildren lose the opportunity to have fun on waterslides.
Kelowna is a much larger and richer city than Penticton. At the present time, Penticton cannot even afford to pay its firefighters wages comparable to their peers in the province. Penticton needs all the revenue it can get.
Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays everyone!
Maureen Wood
Penticton
