Bravo!
By all accounts the grand opening of the Anvil Centre in downtown New Westminster was spectacular.
If you weren't wowed (and if you weren't, you were in the minority) by the light-filled architectural design of the new civic centre, you couldn't help be filled with pride at how the city outdid itself with the roll out. Tours, entertainment, food and service were outstanding. Blue-shirted guides and volunteers were everywhere helping visitors, and while there were lineups, the folks waiting had plenty to talk about and share. City staff and volunteers deserve full credit for all of their hard work to put on this show. It was a major feat for a small city.
We've said it before, but it's worth saying again: If the city's plan was to revive the downtown area with a statement civic centre, then they have succeeded. The centre adds style with function creating a true focal point. Already being marketed as a "boutique" conference centre, the city hopes to fill a need in the Lower Mainland. Time will tell if the market responds.
To be sure, taxpayers pondering their reflections in the shiny glass-fronted building must be wondering how much it will cost to keep all those windows clean, let alone staff the centre. Can the city afford the upkeep? Will other projects be denied funding in order to run the centre? Time will tell on that as well.
What we know for sure today is that Wayne Wright deserves a lot of credit for making this happen. His vision, as well as his connections, are what, in our opinion, sealed the deal. This is not to say that city council and city managers should not share the credit, but without Wright we very much doubt if it would have come to be.
Will it be a key element in Wright's re-election campaign? Who knows? Big civic projects can help or hurt politicians. While this one still has the shine on it, we think it's a feather in his hat. But any ongoing budget issues triggered by its upkeep and staffing may take the lustre off of this accomplishment.
