Shots were free but not cheap

Mayor Taft, are you really criticizing grants that would pay for the CPR Lodge despite the fact that Mount Nelson and Pothole Parks recently received funding and the work at Pynelogs was paid by grants? Is it really your opinion that grants are “exaggerated by our senior governments to score points”? By restoring part of the CPR Lodge “without having to depend on outside government funding”, do you mean that we need to chip in another $200,000, in addition to the $30,000 of our tax dollars that you already committed? Your proposal of the “part Lodge” on top of a washroom, are you comparing that to the great work done to restore Pynelogs into a functional community building? Are you comparing the restrooms for the use of patrons inside the Museum and Pynelogs, to an open outdoor public bathroom under the half-Lodge?

The Heritage Building Society volunteers accomplished a lot within a short period of time, certainly more than you accomplished in a year with an arsenal of paid staff. What you called a “waste of time,” were significant accomplishments that you are actually working from, including:

• Resurrecting a project that you fumbled and bumbled for a year;

• Determining the structural integrity;

• Enlisting donations and forming a legal society;

• Generating media coverage in the valley and Calgary;

• Soliciting bids and input from qualified building movers;

• Soliciting input from structural engineers;

• Developing construction budgets;

• Obtaining grant funding from the CBT;

• and, writing a grant application that would fully fund the project at no cost to the Invermere taxpayer beyond the donation of land. This funding would provide professional engineering and design, construction management, contingency, completely accessible interior bathrooms, kitchen warming area, concrete sidewalks, paved parking lot, landscaping, irrigation, and exterior lighting around the Lodge at the ballfield. Mayor Taft, this would have paid every supplier and contractor working on the project. The application states “The District of Invermere would not have the money to pursue this project under any other funding mechanism that did not provide 100% funding levels”. (This is the concept that mayor Taft said was “ridiculous”).

Mayor Taft now calls the ballfield a “poor location.” He wrote to the society “I will get behind it {the ball-field location} and we can change the resolution from council to reflect that location and I will figure out a way to bring services to the building.” That promise disappeared without explanation.

Unfortunately, you decided not to work with the original society to formulate the options and to define the District’s commitment, which is obviously now much greater than you originally indicated. If you recall, your direction to the society was that the “project had to pay for itself with a clear business plan.” I don’t see a business plan in your proposal, and I certainly don’t see a half-Lodge on a washroom paying for itself.

I can’t join mayor Taft’s efforts because they are wrong for many reasons. But, he has my personal donation of $2,000 representing my professional labour to this point. Not being a “political animal” I certainly don’t need the “grandstand” of a council meeting to present it, and unlike others I don’t need a hefty tax receipt. Of course, you can also consider my share of the $30,000 in taxpayer contribution (soon to be $200,000) as a further contribution.

I appreciate heritage and would prefer to see the Lodge go to a caring recipient (regardless of their location) who will restore the entire structure, rather than have the Lodge chopped and placed on a washroom. I hope that the mayor lets the Lodge go or does the right thing and restores the entire building and not on top of an outdoor public washroom. I hope that he solicits all the available grant mechanisms including arts, culture, heritage and tourism grants to avoid conflict with our infrastructure grant applications and to minimize the impact to the Invermere taxpayers.

I have a challenge to the Mayor if he is still committed to his plan. Stack your hastily prepared proposal up against improvement of the concession and restrooms at Kinsmen Beach to be an all-season facility in support of the winter and summer lake activities and then let the public decide.

Nick “Free But Not Cheap” Berzins,

Invermere

P.S. Just so you know the difference between free and cheap, this is a cheap shot. I see that council has downgraded the elevated crosswalk on 13th from a “summit” to a “base camp.” There, see the difference.

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