Letter to the Editor;
I am disappointed with the results of the fire hall referendum.
Before voting, we heard many rumors so we went to one of the meetings to get facts.
We heard that there was planned space for a gym for the firefighters to work out. At the meeting, it was explained that this was needed for the firefighters to detox so they could be safe after firefighting and go home safely to families.
We heard that by saying “no” in this referendum we would not be saying “no” to a new fire hall only to this particular plan. Well, we went to the Town Council meeting on Dec. 12 and talked to a couple of councilors after the meeting, and there is no plan B. It’s back to square one, beginning the planning process again.
In letters to the editor, there was an opinion that council should have saved so that borrowing would not be necessary so taxes would not go up. I find this thinking to be irrational. You don’t want taxes to go up; but to save for a large expense such as this one, the council would have needed to raise taxes years ago to establish a reserve for this expense.
Creston needs a new fire hall and it must be paid for by raising taxes.
I feel for the councilors as they seemed more than a little discouraged. They did a lot of work in research and planning and it was not appreciated. After all, they do work for us, not against us, and we had a say in the democratic process by electing them. Don’t we want our firefighters to be as safe as they can be? Is it not the risk of fires increasing in BC? Are we thinking of the future - the next 50 years?
Sincerely,
Marg Meyer, Creston