Ambiance factor for Front Street
Dear editor We have previously sent the city our comments regarding the proposed design the Chase Valley Group had for the 123 Front St. property.
We were glad to read your article stating the Chase Valley Group has confirmed listing their 123 Front Street site and plans for sale (Herald, A3, June 13).
Should another company purchase the site let’s hope they design with consideration in keeping with the ambiance and uniqueness of our Front Street – not such a “contemporary design” as your picture displays.
We support the concept but feel the design should have to be aligned with the area. The city should take this site in that direction. Donna and William Stollery Penticton back to at least 2013 and was brushed off.
Recently, staff presented a report that adopted a revenue neutral approach to tax policy that is entirely appropriate but missed the point from one major perspective.
They relied on a consultant that gave the current council platitudes for their misguided, uninformed decision saying they’ve done a good job getting to this point.
Second, on June 5, 2018, another consultant report came with recommendations to extend the contract for the SOEC and was approved with just a few months before the election, and virtually no discussion.
Instead of following adopted processes for publicly tendering city services and products, doesn’t it appear the consultant was used to circumvent established processes and negotiate a back-room deal?
This was all done after the SOEC running ongoing deficits for more than a decade. Not one councillor asked questions about the deficits, consequences for failure to perform, public perceptions of not going to tender, etc.
The city is now bound for at least 10 years and up to 20 with no public RFP, and the penalty clause for non-performance by Spectra, the current property manager, has been removed.
Aren’t city policies and processes for RFPs important to show no preference to any one company? Isn’t it true that practices like no RFPs led to controversies like the hockey dorm, lighting for the SOEC, Trio, etc.? Are consultants the all-seeing messiahs who have such enormous insight that their recommendations become infallible?
Councillors are elected to serve the people that elect them, make decisions that go against their own beliefs if needed and the solutions are simple.
Critically evaluate proposals, follow processes that protect staff, council and the public. It’s not about those that are elected to serve, or, staff that don’t want to follow approved processes and have almost unlimited resources to hire consultants to say they, and perhaps council, are doing OK.
It’s about the residents that elect them to serve, ensuring good value for money and following prescribed policies and processes. Wayne Llewellyn Penticton Apparently severance for outgoing council is also likely to become an issue in the future. This should also be declined. The annual financial report for 2017 will be released shortly. This report will show the annual salary of the mayor and council. Elvena Slump Penticton themselves jobs for life at taxpayers’ expense. Jim Thornton Osoyoos