I wish to comment on the recent issues of the tourist information booth and the Civic Arena on 39th Avenue.
The planned tourist information booth in this location is the most ridiculous decision that has come out of city hall since the Coldstream Hotel purchase.
Regardless of the cost, which is $20,000 to $30,000 to remove the tourist booth at the north end of the city, $300,000 to purchase the Correale property, plus $290,000 to renovate it, a portion of this money will come from the municipal tax collected from hotel room tax. If the city were to charge parking fees for the about 100 vehicles presently using the parking lot next to the arena, these fees would provide an additional revenue.
The long-term plan is to construct a park on the Civic Arena site. Apparently the arena is starting to deteriorate. The floor is in poor condition and the walls have some cracks. Why not have a private engineer assess the condition of the arena? Would a second opinion not be advisable?
This is a heritage building that is 75-years-old. This arena has a great history of hockey, entertainment (ie. Anne Murray), the Shrine Circus and many more events.
A new floor would cost less than tearing down the arena. If and when the Civic Arena is removed, let us hope the property does not turn into another parking lot.
As for the location of the tourist booth, how will the southbound traffic turn left on to 39th Avenue without creating havoc? A left-turn arrow will slow down traffic from the north and cause major gridlock downtown.
And when the tourists decide to continue on, how do they get across the highway and carry on south? Think about it.
Major gridlock through town does not make for happy tourists or locals and to add to the traffic, we will have vehicles going up and returning from the new sports park near the college.
When city council receives recommendations from university educated experts it does not mean these experts have common sense.
All decision-makers at city hall should make a new year’s resolution as follows: “I will use my common sense in 2014.”
Gil Garrett
Vernon
