Dear Editor:
Re: Soccer plan would save the stadium, The Record, Sept. 5.
I am concerned with sudden declarations that the Queen's Park Stadium is going the way of the buffalo and that the soccer plan would save it. I do not remember any discussion about losing the stadium. When was the decision made that it was in jeopardy?
First of all, I don't like the sudden hype and deadlines being set to put pressure on the city and its residents. And I do not like amateur sports, whether soccer, baseball or whatever, put at the back of the bus in what has been a public park for years.
Secondly, this stadium is not the property of the Queen's Park residents, regardless of the 58 per cent vote in favour on a 27 per cent response rate of 375 residents. It belongs to all of us. It is a public facility and since New Westminster has the lowest, if not one of the lowest, park space per capita in the Lower Mainland, it should remain public.
What we are being asked to do is basically give our park facility, in whole or in part, to a private professional soccer club for a good part of the year. I understand the chamber of commerce is excited about the city entering an acceptable financial arrangement with these private entrepreneurs. What is this financial arrangement? Are the taxpayers across this city going to have to pony up and for how much?
I do not recall the details, but the cities of Surrey and Abbotsford were both left to pick up large debts left behind when sports franchises went under.
Let me say again, we have few enough public park facilities, and I do not agree with handing any of them over to private, for-profit sports enterprises.
Bill Zander, New Westminster
