Re: Jobs for families trump lives of attractive trees (Letters, Dec. 7)
Helen Lang has been a resident of Sidney for many years. Her former house on Melissa Street is often referred to in her local gardening column each week. Helen now lives near the said row of trees which have bought out the boxing gloves.
Ms. Lang is an older lady who has watched the face of Sidney change. In the 1960s there were three or so stores on Beacon Avenue, surrounded by small family dwellings on each side of the main thoroughfare
Today Sidney has a new face – vibrant, bustling and bursting with condominiums and town houses. Any architect not able to support himself in this lucrative setting must be in the wrong profession or just not up to the competition. Progress is desirable and indeed essential for our small town. However let us not scatter the essence of what Sidney was and is, by complying with developers who flash a wad of money to sway our judgment.
Show some respect for the views and experience of pioneers such as Helen Lang. Without those selfish opinions from like-minded folks, Sidney would have lost her charm long ago and become just another big-box oasis.
Margaret J. Jestico
Saanichton
