Forget city projects, hire crews to clean up
Re: City aims ofr grant for Station Street project, and grant to cover Cairnsmore traffic circle, and Langford social issues…Siebring.
For a city of one square mile, you sure have lofty ambitions. The lucky taxpayer! A little more than $2.4 million for Cairnsmore roundabout. To fund 85 Station St., closer to $1 million. Better ways to deal with homelessness and opioid problems.
A suggestion, cancel both projects, with the exception of washrooms. Instead, for community economic recovery, hire casual long-term part-time and/or full time staff to have a street sweeper out on the roads more often, clean sidewalks, clear storm drains, on a regular basis, clear leaf litter off sidewalks and the stuff growing in the cracks, have boulevards mowed, have a sidwalk crew for snow shovelling, so when their co-workers plow the loads back onto the freshly cleared sidewalks they can talk to each other about working together — not at odds. Pick up litter, take care of flower beds. Onus is on property owner to mow boulevard; it didn’t used to be. We had no say when installed, not all have grass on property, so have to buy mower or hire. It must be better to have one body fulfilling this function. Stop planting trees on the boulevard that we have to rake and grow into power lines.
We’re not getting any younger and young people need jobs — win-win. It might even provide economic opportunities for unskilled workers, including kids aging out of care, so no longer living on the streets. Gainful employment, season to season. Low tech — shovels, brooms.
Karen A. Chaster
North Cowichan
