I am writing regarding Prince George City Council's desire to demolish the No. 1 firehall and the Four Seasons swimming pool, located across from each other downtown. Their plan would entail rebuilding the firehall in Carrie Jane Grey Park beside the YMCA facilities, which will remove it from the downtown area (why have a firehall in the middle of a park?) and cause a youth baseball field to be lost to young players when it is having a positive effect on them.
Why are two excellent facilities, both younger than the hockey arena beside city hall and the downtown post office, to be demolished? Is this not to free up space for parking for the people attending a performing arts centre? Such a facility is proposed featuring an 800-person venue and a 250-person venue that could require some 500 vehicle spaces for parking as people going to a concert usually go with one other person. I doubt that many people can be provided with a place to park, and may have to walk some distance to attend.
That is what I believe is behind the removal of a perfectly good firehall and pool.
To replace the firehall is estimated to cost $15 million and the pool $33 million. This totals $48 million, which would be an unnecessary outlay. There is also the cost of the performing arts facility which could bring the cost to $100 million plus $1.5 million for a home for the cats and dogs of Prince George.
City council apparently "must have" a performing arts centre that will have to be paid by taxpayers, who may not be able to afford to attend the concerts.
In addition, there could be fewer taxpayers paying taxes in future according to a discussion paper that was produced in March 2016 by the Minister of Forests. It indicated that because of damage done by the pine beetle locally, the annual allowable cut in the Prince George area will be cut in half, which undoubtedly means sawmills will be closing and people will be moving away. You would think in view of this that city council would not be considering this outrageous waste of taxpayer's money.
Julia Serup
Prince George
