The following letter was sent to Delta Mayor and council and copied to the Optimist
Mayor and council:
I am writing to you to express my outrage at the proposals for the Winskill Aquatic Centre re-development.
I have lived on 8 B Ave. since 1983 and look onto the park from my backyard. I am not a user of the Aquatic Centre but know that it is an aging facility and needs to be replaced.
My objection is the location of the new building. It should be combined with the South Delta Recreation Centre (SDRC) in to one facility.
We have been told that there are water table issues at SDRC. How then, was the Ladner Leisure Centre built?
We are told that there is not enough land, however, relocating the skateboard park and Lions playground to Winskill would be a better use of both locations.
It is unreasonable to suggest removing the urban forest at Winskill for this facility, and even more unreasonable to be considering doubling the parking spaces to 350. I have walked my dogs through the park or over to the local stores, frequently, for more than 40 years and can assuredly state that the existing parking is full maybe 20 days/year and only for special events like Sun Festival, swim meets and the occasional, baseball tournament. This park is for more than athletes.
The suggested location also does not make sense from a transportation point of view, as only one bus goes down 56th street every hour. Perhaps that is why we would need such a large parking lot. Why not locate it where all the busses in Tsawwassen meet, at the South Delta Recreation Centre?
My last point is the removal of the Disc Golf Course, one of only two in the Lower Mainland, and the remaining forest. Why are we considering removing it?
Steve Scott
