Re: Smells Like an Election Brewing (Courier, Sept. 13)
The Our View column in your Sept. 13 edition does not accurately capture the nature of the hot-button issue in Saltair. The issue is whether Saltair taxpayers will continue to spend Saltair tax and grant dollars on the building.
I support the majority of Saltair taxpayers. I have listened to what they tell me. They say they do not unconditionally support continuing to spend Saltair tax and grant dollars on maintaining and renewal of the old building.
The expert building assessment completed for the CVRD in July 2017 said the major maintenance and renewal would cost more than $3 million if it were completed over a 10-year period. The work may be done over a longer period, but the work needs to be done. The assessment report warned this would likely result in even greater costs. The higher-than-expected quotes being received by the CVRD for replacing sections of the Saltair water distribution system six years after we started would seem to prove this point.
So far, Saltair taxpayers and gas tax grant funds have provided more than $300,000 of the funds needed for the major maintenance and renewal costs. There needs to be a comprehensive and thorough review of the options to ongoing taxpayer support. This will occur if I am elected.
Lynne Smith
Saltair
Candidate for Area G Director