|
The regular council meeting of March 10, 2008 was a quick one with
mostly routine business conducted; perhaps the most notable item being
the Third Reading and Final Adoption of the Zoning Amendment Bylaw which
will allow the proposed construction of an Ambulance station on Oscar
Street to move forward.
With little to report
from the council meeting, I will take the opportunity to make some
observations and express some thoughts that I have about some issues
that I think Revelstoke may be facing.
Of course there is the
issue, if not crisis, of the lack of affordable or attainable housing
and the challenge of finding dollars for replacement and expansion of
truly needed infrastructure (roads etc.). These must be and are being
addressed as best as can be with the resources available.
I wonder, however, if a
bit of complacency hasn’t set in and sight lost of what Revelstoke
values sees as its identity.
Recently Council received
a letter from the Chamber of Commerce expressing concern that the
Christmas decorations that we put up in the downtown area had not been
updated for some time and were looking a little tired. And, the other
night I met a fellow from Colorado (not one of the developers) who has
visited a number of times who said that he loved lots of things about
our town but wasn’t sure what its identity was. These are relatively
small things but served as a reminder to me that we need to always try
to do better and grow while maintaining what we value.
The ski hill development,
though it is certainly partially responsible for some of the
difficulties that I mentioned earlier, is a great benefit to the
community and is key to Revelstoke’s vitality and growth. We, not only
City Hall, but the community as a whole, need to support the resort to
ensure it continues on its track to success. But we can’t expect to ride
on its coattails without this support.
We can’t forget our
community that existed before the resort .Twenty or so years ago, the
Revitalization Project in the downtown was indeed a revitalization but
some days I think we are resting on what was done and expecting that the
Resort will carry us from here. Since revitalization we have seen the
Aquatic Centre built and it is a great asset. And, recently the
Revelstoke Station Heritage Conservation Area was established which is
also important to our community and protects part of what I think
Revelstoke’s identity is.
When I walk around town I
also see where we could be doing a lot better. Some businesses are not
keeping themselves up and there isn’t a lot of life in the evenings
except when the music is on in the summer. We can’t be satisfied with
what was done a number of years ago but need to be continually growing.
When spending tax
dollars, yes we have to ensure that what I would call “hard” things
(roads, sewer, water, and sidewalks) are kept up but we also need the
“soft” things like the enhancement of Mackenzie Avenue, parks, an Arts
Centre, Public Art, well kept properties and maybe even new Christmas
Decorations. The Resort is a very large part of our community but I
don’t think it is Revelstoke’s identity. We have to ensure that the
heart of Revelstoke remains and that the downtown area is a vibrant and
friendly place where people want to be and come back to.
The views expressed
are mine and not Council’s and there is no criticism directed toward
any City staff.
Submitted by
Councillor Johnston
|
