Dear Editor:
RE: West Van releases funding figures for $17.8-million sports facility upgrade
I was glad to finally see the $17.8 million dollars funding for the sports facility confirmed. Mayor Mark Sager said that the $8 million provincial grant had the Place for Sport "written all over it," but with no public consultation to see if the community agreed with him.
There was no public buy-in to spend all of this council's discretionary funds on a very expensive track facility.
Have we forgotten that the arts community requires support as well? The Silk Purse and the West Vancouver Museum are housed in grossly inadequate spaces. What happened to the promise to find space for an arts centre? Many years and dollars spent on consultation on an arts and culture strategy have been largely ignored.
Sadly, I look at West Vancouver with so many sports fields, tennis and new pickleball courts, and wonder why just sports? Most other municipalities had a much more balanced approach that benefits all ages and stages of its citizens.
Patricia Bowles
West Vancouver
