No alternate water source

Dear Editor: In response to the retired welder who has lived in Summerland 10 years and believes it’s the same group who say “no” to everything.

I could probably speak for many people who are against the proposed development of Banks Crescent but I won’t. I will speak only for myself. I have lived in Summerland since 1987 and I have never been against anything this town has proposed before. To assume this is an insult.

I am against Lark’s proposed seniors’ development for very good reasons. Banks Crescent land cannot support the weight of such a structure. Roads leading to Banks Crescent cannot support the weight of heavy construction vehicles and are not designed for heavy traffic use. Nobody knows how big the aquifer is or how deep it lies, but we do know it comes to the surface just below Banks Crescent and that is the very reason B.C.’s oldest trout hatchery was built here.

We also know that most seniors want to live within easy walking distance of shopping facilities and that many prefer quality of life over a distant view.

There is a reason that the developers aren’t giving specifics about how many people will be employed. They don’t want to commit to hiring until they absolutely have to.

The part of the facility that will employ the most people is the part that they plan to build last and there is definitely no lake view from underground.

There is a reason that red-zoned cliffs are zoned red. They tend to shift and the potential for hazard is high.

There is a reason why the developer keeps trying to back out of their commitments to find an alternative pristine water source for the hatchery — because there isn’t one. But they also don’t want to be accountable if something does go wrong and destroys the hatchery. What better way than to offer a one-time cash donation and wash their hands of all responsibility.

I suggest you Google the accidentally-disturbed aquifer in Vancouver that has cost that city more than $10 million so far and is still unstopped.

I’m guessing you retired from a larger city. Many people do. But if High Density Level 8 is allowed in Summerland, we’ll all find ourselves living in a larger city real soon. We won’t even need to move.

If council lets this can crack open, there will be a lot of worms crawling out. Donna Wahl Summerland