A resident of West Kelowna urges the local government to stop building a new town hall building.
Dustin Herbst put together a petition calling on the city council not to build a new building. He said now is just not the time to think about a new building when the money could be used for something else, such as helping residents in need of financial assistance.
“With the economic downturn, many people in the community are suffering. I just think it’s an irresponsible decision to spend millions of dollars on a town hall building now, ”he said.
The city of West Kelowna is aware of the petition, city officials said in a statement.
“We are unsure of the purpose of the petition as the project takes a back seat and our focus is on helping residents and businesses with the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring priority operations and vital services during these challenging times to be continued, “they said.
Mayor Gord Milson confirmed that the project is currently not a priority for the council.
“We have shifted our focus to managing the impact of COVID-19 and advancing our most important infrastructure project – the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant,” he said.
“We are also continuing another major priority infrastructure project which is the improvement of the Glenrosa / McIver transportation corridor.”
He added the city will keep residents informed if the city council needs to re-examine the town hall project.
But Herbst said it was one thing to say the project was not a priority and another thing to get confirmed in official letter.
“If you check the town’s location and logs, building the new town hall is still a breeze. Granted, it doesn’t sound like they’re going to break new ground next week, but every month they still put money into doing research and getting permits, ”said Herbst. “What we are looking for is something stipulated from the city that says we will not continue with this project until there is a better economic situation.”
READ: Migrant workers advocate government and employer blame for the COVID-19 outbreak in West Kelowna
READ: The West Kelowna store produces plexiglass barriers with a cause
Twila Amato
Video journalist, Black Press Okanagan
Coronavirus
Get local stories you won’t find anywhere else straight to your inbox.
Login here
