Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter

Yesterday, every member of council received a lengthy e-mail from a resident in a particular area. The neighbourhood park is used for soccer practices, games and tournaments every year.

Available parking is on an arterial collector road. Hundreds of cars converge for the games. The situation is hazardous. Neighbours dread the start of the season. Every year they draw council's attention to the problem and hope someone will hear before something terrible happens.

The e-mail referred to a news story about town plans to accommodate sport needs in a community park. It expressed the hope the new plans will resolve the problem they have been enduring for years with increasing anxiety.

The plans do not. They do the opposite. Consultants hired by the town established the needs. They proposed solutions. They recommended we not sell lands we own, until we have identified the existence of other lands to meet the needs.

Timing is critical. In 2007, first year of this term, staff recommended purchase of a suitable parcel which they were aware might be going on the market.

The recommendation was rejected.

Funds taken from town business for purchase of land have grown to $12 million.A million dollars added in the last year.

We hoard it while land disappears and prices soar.

We are currently selling property purchased for recreational purposes eight years ago which may prove to be the last land available within the town's boundaries.

We spent $53,222 on the consultant study to analyse needs , provide practical and feasible means to meet them and resolve current problems.

We haven't put it on a shelf to gather dust. We tossed it and replaced it with a plagiarized version recommending more studies at quadruple the cost rather than action to meet the needs.

In other words. we spent $53,222 , wasted three years, accomplished nothing and will accomplish nothing in the next years.

There's a clause in the Town's Code of Conduct which purports to prohibit me from making that statement.

It requires me to provide the rationale for council's decision and their "attitude" .

Damned if I understand their rationale. I can only guess the attitude.If I attempted to put either into words that would be criticising a majority decision.

Lord Have mercy.