To the Editor:
(Re: “Pioneer Phoenix society dissolved”, Aug. 11 Advance, page 12)
Just to clear the air, and some invalid statements that have recently been put out there: Despite efforts made by some, Pioneer Phoenix Restoration Society (PPRS) is not folding its tent and going away forever. Hopefully, like part of its name — “phoenix”, with the definition of triumphing over adversity — it will continue to rise and work on restoring Pioneer Villa as some type of affordable living/housing for seniors — this is the mission and the whole purpose of PPRS.
Thank you to all the groups and individuals that have been encouraging and supporting us toward this. Thank you to all the different members of the community, both past and present members, that have written letters, given information and given pro-bono work towards helping with restoring Pioneer Villa. It would take so much space to name all the wonderful contributors, but you know who you are.
Pioneer Villa might not come back to this community, although we built it, and funded it and fought for it, but this Society will do its outmost, despite adversity, to work toward restoring Pioneer Villa.
Truth is funny. History has proven, that often if someone is opposed to the truth, they try to silence the truth — or the truth messenger. If one comment made people upset it was a comment I wrote for the June edition of I Love Creston: “Math has been a strength of mine, but you do not have to be much of a mathematician to realize there is a tremendous profit going towards BC Housing and the government to receive something (Pioneer Villa) for $1 and sell it for over $2.2 million.”
PPRS has offered BC Housing a 100 per cent increase on their dollar — a 100-year lease at a dollar a year. That’s a deal for BC Housing when Pioneer Villa was ours in the first place!
Rhonda Barter
President, PPRS