Dear Editor,

Re: [Cop shop all about legacy, The News, July 16]

I don’t think Darlene Mercer totally understands that buildings that are built due to legacy’s sake are named after individuals that provided outstanding community service, citizens of the year, philanthropy, that sort of thing. The much needed RCMP detachment in Pitt Meadows is not going to be called the Bill Dingwall RCMP Detachment.

I remember the first time I drove from Burnaby to Pitt Meadows was 1976 – past the Old Wild Duck Inn, cornfields all the way along the highway, up I went the one-lane-each-way Harris Road to my friend’s tiny little duplex house on Ford Road where the next door neighbour had a cow in his backyard that we fed over the fence.

I have lived here for 22 years now and those 45 years ago seem like ancient times. From my parents back deck in Burnaby I count 15 High Rises where there were once apple and pear orchards. It is called progress.

The fact is, the old brick building to be demolished was once a concession stand, as once about 20 years ago I remember one little section was actually opened for just that. It is used for storage now, oh and also there is the occasional homeless person sleeping in the alcove. As for the Art Centre, as quaint as it may be, I have been in there once and have yet to see anyone in there when I walk by.

Surely, it costs the city more to man and maintain it than it actually makes in revenue. More or less yet another storage building only just for art.

The loss of a few of trees, a picnic table that I have seen people sitting at once, and a few parking spaces that are seemingly always empty.

I think you get my point. This area is a totally underutilized waste of land. It is a perfect and very visual spot to build a proper state of the art RCMP detachment. The art centre can be moved maybe to Osprey Village where there are actually tourists that will make purchases, there are other benches in the park to sit upon, and trees can always be re-planted.

Policing a growing population and keeping a community safe is not something that can be put off for some future date. The sooner it is built, the less it will cost.

Basically, things will never remain the same as they once were and me feeding a neighbours cow hay over a fence will likely never happen again. I won’t be around 44 years from now, but I do know for yet another fact that Pitt Meadows will change tremendously. Been to Burnaby lately?

Patricia Tochkin, Pitt Meadows

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• LETTER: Pitt Meadows needs to walk back approval of new RCMP detachment

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