Taxpayers Send Open Letter To Council
07/07/2009 04:34
Mr. Mayor and
Council:
Yesterday I was invited to an outdoor meeting between Erin Ridge residents and city administration staff regarding the planned walkways off Erickson Drive and Eldorado. There were 30-40 residents in attendance. Most of them were unaware of the project until a flyer was dropped off at their doors, and they were concerned they had not been consulted and now, with an August construction date, would not be heard.
The primary message given by the residents to the City was that “no one here is in favour of building this walkway, we want it stopped now” and asked “Why is Council spending $2 million on a project no one in the neighbourhood wants”.
Facts cited by the residents included:
• The developer Qualico was constrained by prior owners of the land, the Hole family, to leaving the stands of willows intact.
• The treed area was why these residents purchased these lots/houses.
• They want to know: Why is the city ignoring the caveat the Holes put on the land when it was sold to the developer?
• They are concerned the walkway will be a magnet for misbehavior and fires.
The residents want to know how to get this walkway stopped.
Recreation staff explained that it was part of a broader initiative in St. Albert to provide walkways for recreation purposes throughout the city. They also were very open to changes in the design standards of the walkway and to removing a minimum of trees from the area.
However, they could not tell residents how to get the ASP changed to delete this walkway. The residents asked if a petition would stop the development and wanted to know how large it would be.
The St. Albert Taxpayers Association is concerned that Council is spending $2 million on a project that the citizens of the area do not want.
Why couldn't these dollars be be redistributed to other services high on the importance list for St. Albert Taxpayers or be rebated back to the taxpayer?
We and the taxpayers of Erin Ridge await your reply.
Lynda Flannery
President
St. Albert Taxpayers Association
SINC SAYS:
The utter stupidity of this council continues to astound even me. Good Lord, can they not see they are driving this city into a state of depression and financial ruin? This is sheer madness.
