In the first six decades of my life, those things at street intersections were referred to as street signs. Now, council will be considering a $3.2 million investment for new “wayfinding signs”. As one councillor pondered, “are they made of gold?”, but voted in favour of them anyway.
Wow!, Wow!, is all I can say!!
READ MORE: UPDATE: Revelstoke City Council approves potentially million dollar signage project
Revelstoke isn’t so big that you can’t ride a bike through it in 20 minutes, never mind drive a car. You won’t be lost for long. Instead of constant cash calls for tax increases, why not consider priorities, must haves, instead of nice to haves, (if maybe we had the tax base of a community ten times our size).
It’s not sexy, but an upgraded sewer treatment plant would be appreciated by anyone living or working remotely near the plant. This upgraded sewage plant will be critical if all the wish list of building schemes around the city come together anytime soon. Among these, three new hotels, an employee residence, a new phase of McKenzie Village, a new subdivision, all contributing to the load (pun intended) of an overburdened, outdated, and at times, a very smelly sewage treatment plant.
I think the pavement on the old abandoned roads down in the flats is in better shape than many of our roadways. We have a school running out of room for portables, there are housing affordability issues, a leaky water supply system and an arena that needs a roof. On and on the list goes.
The money being proposed for “wayfinding signs”, possibly $3.2 million, will go a lot further improving Revelstoke and it’s image, if it’s used for the substantive building block needs of the City of Revelstoke. To council, please be respectful of all revenue streams that find their way into the public purse.
Some of it may seem like a windfall or a gift, but all of it found it’s way to City Hall as some form of taxation. Citizens and visitors expect to pay taxes, they understand the cost of maintenance and building. “Wayfinding” your way to the responsible dispensation of those funds is what the electorate expect. Thank you.
Brian Tobin
Revelstoke