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Time to review town council’s record

With an exciting civic election in the offing, it is interesting to review some of the accomplishments of our town council...

To the Editor:

With an exciting civic election in the offing, it is interesting to review some of the accomplishments of our town council, especially in view of the abbreviated opportunity for this to happen at the forum.

It is worthy of note that our own destination hotel is nearing completion, and we eagerly await the arrival of increasing numbers of upscale tourists that this new facility will attract. In the excitement of negotiating this venture, the council did not have time or I just missed some of the details that led the Ramada folks to find a Creston location was what they were seeking.

I heard it mentioned recently that this business has been exempted from taxation for five years. Another bit of information is that the cost of water and sewer was, contrary to usual practice, picked up by the town. I myself am quite eager to contribute my own share of taxes for these details. I hope that contractors who have to absorb such costs in their developments understand the special nature of this project and do not complain undeservedly of favoritism. The incumbent council will no doubt pick up quite a few lefty votes from this bit of socialist type of support for the venture. It is also rumored that effectively all building materials for the project were sourced from out of town. I am sure that our own building suppliers, even if they were capable of meeting the demands for this project, were very busy with other ongoing construction. I am not too sure why the proposed restaurant needs to have its hours extended; perhaps the expected international tourists will expect fashionably late hours.

In looking over what I have written it strikes me that the construction phase of this project did not contribute very much to the town economy, especially if it is true most of the workers on the project came from away. But what can you do when you need higher-skilled employees? I am sure that at least we have many potential employees for the ongoing operation and the expertise is not so demanding.

Some people think the hotel will have an adverse impact our many local motels, but they need to understand that this is a different standard of accommodation, and the hotel will be bringing in new patrons. The plan to gradually move our businesses further out of town also seems wise. It makes it nice and quiet and peaceful when you walk through town without all that hustle and bustle.

With this project and the seniors housing, which I hear incorporated some similar practices, the town council has made its mark. I am pretty sure the incumbents have little to fear regarding their seats.

Bob Ewashen

Creston