I will be voting for the new fire hall and swimming pool. Stan Wheeldon gave his reasons for voting against the concept but I disagree with much of what he says.
Our city would be a much less enjoyable, safe and welcoming place to live if we had listened to the Stan Wheeldon's in our midst when the many fine facilities in our city came up for referendum.
The CN Centre and other skating/hockey facilities, library, Civic Centre, art gallery, to name a few, wouldn't exist.
Yes, perhaps the location of the pool could be tested. But don't throw out the concept of a new pool on a technicality. Hopefully council will give full consideration to the Y's proposal of having the pool part of their facility. If we, as a city, are going to move forward, be attractive to newcomers, be an enjoyable, satisfying place to live, we must invest in new, well thought out infrastructure like pools.
According to the numbers the city has put together, the pool will cost my wife and I combined about $5 a month and the new fire hall about a $2 a month for 20 years.
An occasional coffee or chocolate bar missed.
Thank goodness the electorate 61 years ago voted for the current fire hall. I remember the one before it and it, like the current one, was tired and beyond its years. And we have had 50 years of enjoyment out of the existing pool thanks to the electorate of that era. That pool replaced an outdoor one whose use was restricted by our weather.
I have never had to call the fire hall because of a fire and I am thankful for that. But I have had to call 911 when a loved one was non-responsive and I can tell you when I call 911 with a medical emergency it will be the firemen who get there first and start doing what needs to be done prior to the arrival of the ambulance crew.
A few minutes here can save the lives or vastly improve the chance for a successful recovery. In the opinion of the experts, moving the fire hall to the proposed location will bring a larger number of people within the critical eight-minute response time they are shooting for. I will give up an occasional coffee or chocolate bar for that to happen.
Stan Wheeldon's suggestion that we need a hall of south of the Fraser in the BCR Industrial area is a valid one. And there are other areas of our city that are not covered. But that is an entirely separate issue from the one we are voting on. Patching up the present Hall 1 and building a new hall in the BCR area leaves all those people who are poorly served in the southwest area of the bowl still poorly covered.
Nobody that I have talked to has suggested this but I think we may need to give up another coffee or whatever to address the BCR shortcoming sometime in the future. As our city expands these issues will still keep coming up. The proposed hall isn't the answer to all our fire safety issues but it is a step forward.
I think Prince George is a wonderful place to live. I have spent most of my 80-plus years here and watched this city grow and struggle with many issues. Many of the things that make this a great place to live are a result of past voters passing money referendums for the facilities we now enjoy. I don't swim (although it would probably be good for me if I did) but I believe each of these types of facilities that we have improve all our lives to some degree.
John Warner
Prince George
