Better effort needed to keep downtown Penticton clean

Editor: This last spring, I had the opportunity to visit Amsterdam, a large and beautiful city that impressed me as a very clean city.

Why do I mention this? Simply put, the cleanliness of a city leaves a lasting impression on the people who visit there, plus builds pride in its residents.

The red brick sidewalks and roadways are scrubbed with water and brushes. This is done every day and sometimes twice a day.

The city smells clean and looks clean.

Why am I referring to this? Answer: now that we have many streets in the downtown core of Penticton covered in decorative red brick, why don’t we make an effort to keep them clean?

Walk downtown as I do every morning across the “Vendors Roadway” (covered in cooking grease), the one costing close to a million dollars cutting through Gyro Park.

Then I head up Main Street into the 200 block for my morning coffee. On that short walk, I witness the spilt drinks, ice cream plus things I won’t mention.

Endless dirt and dust on the bricks that store owners try their best to sweep clean.

This short walk leaves a bad impression for me, I can’t imagine what visitors must think.

To this council, which gave us the decorative brick sidewalks, please buy the equipment to keep them clean, buy the machines and run them downtown every morning and let’s impress visitors and make the residents proud of a clean, healthy city.

We have pride in our homes by keeping them clean. Let’s have pride in our city by keeping it clean(er).

I give kudos to the city gardening crews, the downtown gardens are looking incredible, the hanging baskets are incredible. Let’s complement their dedication by keeping the sidewalks and streets clean and smelling clean.

Now how insane can this council be, to endorse another two ice-sheet building on the west side of the SOEC.

This area of parking was provided mainly for the hockey teams/players, plus the absolute necessary space for the tractor trailers that come in with the shows.

In some cases, as many as 20 trucks are there unloading and loading daytime and nighttime.

Look what your decision to locate the casino on that site has done, taken away 50 per cent of the SOEC parking, plus created major traffic problems in and around the residential side streets.

Please start vision planning, by buying the properties on the west side of the SOEC when they become available.

That’s what forward thinking councils did over many years. They purchased the properties with tax dollars that you allowed the casino to locate on.

With your decision, you have destroyed years of vision planning of past councils and leased away millions of tax dollars.

Just like you tried to do with Skaha Park. Jake Kimberley, Penticton