Dear Editor,

Ever since my husband and I moved to the North Albion area of Maple Ridge from North Vancouver in 2010, we have noticed many changes here – and not for the better.

First of all, the increase in roadside garbage has been alarming.

Close to our house on the 112th Street corridor, along Kanaka Creek, we have seen many items strewn all along the drive and have reported the illegal disposal of everything from fridges to couches to renovation garbage in bags and more to the city.

As we tend to walk much of our neighbourhood frequently, we have seen countless drinking cups, alcohol bottles and cans along the roadside ditches that have been left for weeks on end.

At times we have endeavoured to clean up and dispose of many of these items, but don’t feel it is our job to do this as we pay ever increasing taxes for the city to do their part in maintaining a safe and tidy environment for our area.

This needs to be addressed.

Also, with all the development going on in our Albion area, we have also noticed that we have to deal with the discarded construction materials, as well, that have been left all around the various sites that never seem to get picked up in a timely manner.

RELATED: Slippery slope has Albion community centre neighbours upset

It sickens us to see that the developers have no regard or respect for the existing neighbourhoods.

We have called the bylaws department so many times, to the point that they say we are limited to the amount of complaining we can do.

If the issues were solved, this wouldn’t be a problem.

We have rarely succeeded with our numerous attempts to resolve these problems.

As I write this letter, we get to view a whole block on Morrisette under construction that shows no regard for the neighbourhood with respect to construction garbage being left for weeks on end around the properties and even in the roadside ditch.

It is disheartening to us to see our area look like a dumping ground.

We understand that development is a natural progression, but it should be done with courtesy and respect.

UNRELATED LOCAL LETTER: Cost pushing seniors to the brink of homelessness

The city needs to better police the bylaws so that things don’t get out of hand.

On another issue, with respect to construction noise, is with the current building noise bylaws that allow builders to work from 7 a m to 9 p.m., six days a week, it is hard to believe this is acceptable since we have to suffer through this pandemic with this constant noise.

Several times, we have even caught these people working on Sundays, as well as late into the night with flashlights. We find this unacceptable.

In conclusion, this letter is to express our ongoing frustration and disappointment with the lack of concern for the wellbeing and sanity for the residents of Albion and the lack of support from the City of Maple Ridge.

Respectfully,

Giada Villoresi-Archie

.

Do you have an opinion you’d like to share? Please send us a letter to the editor, including your first and last name, street address, and phone number. Email: editor@mapleridgenews.com