I attended the public meeting on Wednesday night at the convention centre where our mayor, along with council, two city staff members, the city lawyer, two Trio Marine members and their lawyer were present.
Something I, and many others, can’t comprehend, is the lease itself. One councillor said that Trio did not fulfill their obligations so the lease is dead. However, there was much disagreement between everyone else up on that stage.
Who doesn’t know what is going on? This one councillor, the mayor and the rest of council, the city lawyer, or Trio?
I don’t understand how there can be such ambiguity on this foremost major item between all the parties involved and we were not given a straight-forward answer to the many times that question was put forward. What the heck is going on?
Regarding the 29-year lease, plus the possible two five-year extensions and first right of proposal for other amenities (concessions, etc.) because Trio “doesn’t want any competition” is a farce as well. If a business needs 29 years to make a go of it, then they either need someone with actual business sense and experience or forget about the project in the first place.
I heard $1.5 million dollars Trio has invested and they need to recoup. How many people spend that amount for their house? But, this is a business we are talking about, something wrong there.
Why the city has to pay back some of Trio’s expenses as a compromise is another farce. That is the price of doing business. Suck it up, Trio! Penticton mayor, city council and city staff, please get your act together, use your common sense, abide by your obligations that you have been elected for and set this issue at rest once and for all. Get rid of Trio Marine and don’t sell the farm unnecessarily to do so!
Kathy Krenn
Penticton