Dear Editor:
As a business owner in Summerland, never have I held the District of Summerland in such contempt as I do now.
Back in 2006, as a condition of granting us a development permit to extend our motel in Trout Creek the District of Summerland insisted that we become part of the sewer district which necessitated the building of a substantial and expensive sewer link under Highway 97 to a specification that ensured that in the future, the whole sub division of West Trout Creek could eventually take advantage of the municipal sewer by utilizing the link we built.
Should this happen within the specified 15 year window we were told by the District that we would be eligible for “latecomer fees.”
That day has now come, but no latecomer fees are forthcoming, no doubt it is politically embarrassing for the district to go back to the residents after they have already announced publicly the amount that each household has to pay to join the sewer district, so instead they bob and weave, hiding behind one bylaw or another to try and get out of collecting latecomer fees.
To make matters even worse the mishandling by the district of the sewer pipe laying project presently going on in Trout Creek has led to a three week delay, when no work took place at all and after nearly two months, we are still driving on dirt roads still suffer restricted access to the motel and have suffered a number of interruptions to our water supply causing our guests a great deal of dislocation.
The complacency at municipal hall is mind blowing, to be told by a councillor that I would have been treated the same, I assume he meant equally badly, by any other community is not a comforting thought.
October is small business month and no doubt the politicians will be out glad handing at a few business sites to try and show some interest, however, it is obvious that city hall and the business community are on divergent paths, this town is in dire need of investment both public and private, when we need a structured investment plan to replace aging water lines to prevent the numerous breakages that occur and replacement of our crumbling road system, what do we get?
A tax hike and colourful crosswalks which look more at home in a Kindergarten playground and must seem incredibly patronizing to the community they are meant to reach out to!
It’s no surprise that no one wants to invest in this town.
John Lathey
Summerland