Commentary by Percy Best, a vocal local:
Percy Best to Sackville Bulletin Board System
November 18 at 10:24 AM
Very depressing that the latest endeavour by our Town Management with the Lorne Street Phase II Project (revised tenders to be opened this coming Friday) will actually greatly restrict the flow of water from the downtown area as this latest tender calls for filling in a very large portion of the deep ditches (that they just dug) in order to put in a walking trail (they call it access roads) with small culverts and control structures instead.
Add to this the proposed flap gates as well as grills over the inlets and it will do nothing but help keep the water backing up towards Town during spring freshet. The new water table for this area will certainly be much higher than we were initially told. Is this Project all in the name of creating a massive pond on the railway side of St James Street?
Why will Town Council (and staff) not allow the citizens (as they had promised) to see and comment on the Crandall drawings before a commitment is made and the tender is awarded? Did they forget that it is the taxpayers that are funding it? Isn't Council supposed to be there to give due diligence to spending our tax dollars and doing it in an open and honest way. This, to me, is certainly not the case.
The questions that need to be asked (and answered) are "Who will benefit the most from having a $2 million dollar glorified pond in their front yard?" "Why was the public led astray into foolishly thinking that an extremely expensive and unrealistic route through the Sackville Industrial Park was required?" and "Was it just so that the massive artificial pond could be created as it could then be located on this selected route?"
One minute the 'Green' Town Council refused to alter a by-law because of their concern with passenger vehicle engine emissions so that a simple Robins Donut drive thru could be established at Exit 506 in order to create a bit more employment for our Town. And now --- we are looking at the possibility that they will condone the waste of over 40,000 litres of diesel fuel (dump trucks and excavators) to dig and haul away over 70,000 cubic meters of natural marsh and animal/bird habitat for a fancy pond that is certainly NOT NEEDED. The open ditch that is there now is much more efficient than what they propose in the latest tender call. They only need simple increased capacity under the railway tracks and Crescent Street and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure will take it from there out to Carters Brook.
So much for doing our part in this 'Green' town to reduce our carbon footprint. I really don't know how our new MLA, Megan Mitton and her Green Party associates, could ever see this ill conceived project in a positive light.
Percy Best c 536-7480
November 18 at 10:24 AM
Very depressing that the latest endeavour by our Town Management with the Lorne Street Phase II Project (revised tenders to be opened this coming Friday) will actually greatly restrict the flow of water from the downtown area as this latest tender calls for filling in a very large portion of the deep ditches (that they just dug) in order to put in a walking trail (they call it access roads) with small culverts and control structures instead.
Add to this the proposed flap gates as well as grills over the inlets and it will do nothing but help keep the water backing up towards Town during spring freshet. The new water table for this area will certainly be much higher than we were initially told. Is this Project all in the name of creating a massive pond on the railway side of St James Street?
Why will Town Council (and staff) not allow the citizens (as they had promised) to see and comment on the Crandall drawings before a commitment is made and the tender is awarded? Did they forget that it is the taxpayers that are funding it? Isn't Council supposed to be there to give due diligence to spending our tax dollars and doing it in an open and honest way. This, to me, is certainly not the case.
The questions that need to be asked (and answered) are "Who will benefit the most from having a $2 million dollar glorified pond in their front yard?" "Why was the public led astray into foolishly thinking that an extremely expensive and unrealistic route through the Sackville Industrial Park was required?" and "Was it just so that the massive artificial pond could be created as it could then be located on this selected route?"
One minute the 'Green' Town Council refused to alter a by-law because of their concern with passenger vehicle engine emissions so that a simple Robins Donut drive thru could be established at Exit 506 in order to create a bit more employment for our Town. And now --- we are looking at the possibility that they will condone the waste of over 40,000 litres of diesel fuel (dump trucks and excavators) to dig and haul away over 70,000 cubic meters of natural marsh and animal/bird habitat for a fancy pond that is certainly NOT NEEDED. The open ditch that is there now is much more efficient than what they propose in the latest tender call. They only need simple increased capacity under the railway tracks and Crescent Street and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure will take it from there out to Carters Brook.
So much for doing our part in this 'Green' town to reduce our carbon footprint. I really don't know how our new MLA, Megan Mitton and her Green Party associates, could ever see this ill conceived project in a positive light.
Percy Best c 536-7480
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