Penticton councils of past and present have made irreversible decisions that forever affect the quality and livability of our city. In the ‘80s, despite public outcry a hotel and casino were built directly in front of the Main Street view corridor, forever blocking the beautiful lakefront panorama; in the ‘90s three condo towers were approved and later built on Okanagan Lake, forever presenting an unpleasant obstacle to the viewscape when arriving from the north into Penticton; and no one in this city is likely to ever forget the decision made by council to build the events centre in this last decade, forever tying us to its debt string.
Now Penticton council seems poised to make another irreversible decision with the misguided view of dealing with our horrendous debt problem brought about by another forever decision. Building a prison will only provide a forever irreversible regret for this city.
We have the opportunity to follow our well thought out growth and planning strategies to make Penticton a beautiful, livable, sustainable city forever known for its wonderful beaches, natural beauty, arts and culture, sports tourism and fruit and wine excellence. Let’s make the forever decision to support those amenities rather than floundering for the first hook dangling with unreliable promises of money and employment.
Allison Howard
Penticton