Dear Editor:
I found reading Julie MacLellan's opinion on "Public art makes the world better" (The Record, May 2) interesting. Whether we like the "art" proposed or not re the Vancouver Biennale, why is the cost of such being considered at all? Soon to be placed is the Wait for Me Daddy sculptures, which I think is well received my most of the citizens of New Westminster. Do we have a budget larger than that to paint trees blue?
In my opinion, money would be better spent on "white paint" to guide me in the right lane of traffic when driving from Coquitlam into New Westminster at Brunette, and on lanes driving along Eighth Street from Canada Way to Columbia Street. It would make my "world a better place" if I felt safe on our roads. Furthermore, we need our tax dollars to go toward things we can all enjoy: roads without potholes.
I still can't believe contractors are only required to repair a portion of a street after building a complex. The last straw was the recent paving of Begbie Street between Columbia Street and Carnarvon Street one of the worst streets in our city was paved about three-quarters of the way, leaving a few hundred feet untouched. While the crew were there, why wasn't the street finished?
A few months ago the paving machines were out to do some paving on Eighth Street between Royal Avenue and Carnarvon, paving only as far as the Douglas College crosswalk, leaving the rest of Eighth to Carnarvon with pot holes!
$90,000 may be a "drop in the bucket" in the city budget, but it might have covered the cost of completing the pavement on Begbie Street.
Speaking of parks, recreation and culture being $20 million, some thought should have been put into place regarding "accessibility" to the river park before spending that money to buy the land, build a park and then, as a councillor stated, "we have no choice but to spend millions on building an overpass" to get to it.
Instead of spending our tax dollars to remove the western portion of the parkade, it would have been a better plan to take the top deck and make a park with a great view of the river and easily accessible from Columbia Street, leaving the two lower decks for parking.
The waterfront parkland could have been better put to use with lowrise townhomes, bringing in more tax dollars to pave our streets so we don't look like the "poor city" that we do!
That is my opinion.
Geraldine Harder-Anderson, New Westminster
