Alert the media! The city is involved in another lawsuit, but this time, they are not the ones being sued.
Their latest target? The Penticton Lakeside Resort.
With it recently coming to light that the Penticton Lakeside Resort somehow owes $600,000 on their hydro bill, I feel the city should shoulder at least 50 per cent of the blame.
The city is responsible for ensuring their equipment is working efficiently. You cannot sit there and tell me that red flags didn’t go up back in 2009 when the hotel’s electricity bill suddenly dropped by $85,000.
By the same token, eyebrows should have been raised by the hotel when looking at their monthly statements and noticing a sharp drop in their hydro bill. The hotel should have made an inquiry to ensure they were being billed correctly. That being said, I think the fairest thing to do would be to split the bill 50/50, charge the hotel $300,000 and give them seven years to repay it considering how long it took to discover the error.
I feel, from reading past letters to the editor, that the bigwigs at city hall do not like Mr. Prystay (and vice-versa). I can’t help but think the city may be doing this because of the proposed extension of the hotel to include a high-end convention centre, which will cut into the city’s convention income. Or, maybe they just need the money to go ahead with their stupid lighted archway. Who knows? I can therefore understand why both sides have dug in their heels. Do what is right for a change. It would be refreshing.
Mark Billesberger
Penticton