Parkland vital to well-being
Dear Editor:
On Saturday, Lake Country voters will pass their final judgement on their municipality’s plan to support the rails-to-trails recreational corridor. We have all read that the average property tax cost will amount to $27 per year for 20 years if the project goes ahead.
At this critical moment, it would be good to reflect on similar decisions and choices that have come up in the past.
Is there anyone in the Okanagan willing to stand up now and say, “I’m glad I opposed the refurbishment of the Kettle Valley Railway trestles.”
Or, do you know anybody who voices this opinion: “That Mission Creek Greenway … did we really need that? What a waste of money!”
Oh, you say you don’t know anyone who expresses those views? You say that everyone you know loves the Kettle Valley Railway corridor and the Mission Creek Greenway?
Going farther afield, do you think there any any current New York City residents who think that the creation of Central Park in the mid-19th century was a waste of taxpayer dollars? After all, it was city-owned land which could have been sold off at the time to keep property taxes down.
Or, how about Stanley Park, and the sea wall in Vancouver? Is there anyone in this province who doesn’t treasure this worldclass recreational asset? But back in the early history of Vancouver, there was probably a section of public opinion that didn’t see any need for an enormous public park, bigger in area than the city at the time.
Thank goodness that in all of these examples, forward-thinking opinion won the day, and all these wonderful parks and trails came into existence for people to enjoy now and for generations to come.
Lake Country voters, do you want your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to look back in 50 or 100 years and say, “Yeah, we could have had a lakeside trail running from Kelowna to Vernon, but people voted against buying the old rail line in a referendum.”
And for $27 – that’s about onethird of what it costs for a tank of gas. Are we really going to wind up on the wrong side of history because people aren’t willing to spend $27 per year for 20 years?
Peter Woodward Kelowna