To the editor,
I think it’s time to put aside our grudges and personal agendas and really consider what is in the best interests for our town and the outlying areas when it comes to safety and fire protection. I’ve lived in Creston for thirty years and I have experienced a lot of “knee-jerk” reactions to any mention of tax increases for infrastructure improvements. I’m sensing the same negative sentiments that erupted when the Rec Centre Complex was considered many years ago. I doubt if many people now would think that a bad investment and it took several attempts to get it passed.
I don’t pretend to be an expert on what building facilities like these cost, nor the cost of materials to construct them. But to my mind, five or six million dollars is not unreasonable. I look at what a million dollars build these days and it is not all that much!
I’m writing this letter mainly because there have not been many letters published by the Advance in favor of this project –only the ones from our elected officials. As a result, this lack of public support is a false impression, because there are many people who recognize its importance. Despite what many think, the area is growing and will burgeon in the future as more and more people leave urban areas to escape their high costs and tensions. I’ve met 4 or 5 families each week while doing my stint at the Farmer’s Market this season, who have just moved here or are making plans to do so. Safety and fire protection have to be a high priority –especially in light of last summer’s extreme heat and dryness. And Creston is centred on the main Trans-Canada highway where increased traffic will no doubt bring about more collisions, more emergencies.
I think it is important for our children, if not ourselves, to be sure that a proper and adequate fire hall is in place to meet these current and future needs. And by that, I mean not just the facility itself, but proper training, proper manpower, and proper equipment. This type of commitment is for the future and our kids (and hopefully, their kids). It’s time to be a little less selfish. It is not all about money.
Yours respectfully,
Bruce Paterson
