Re: 鈥淣ew Crystal Pool could be built on Central Middle School field,鈥� May聽4.
I love the Pandora Avenue and Fort Street bike lanes, and look forward to planned north-south routes. But building a pool on the Central Middle School playing field is a crappy idea, and shows how oblivious both city council and the school district are to the basic problem of preserving green space.
I pedal past Central often, and frequently see hordes of teenagers shlepping around on Central鈥檚 field. Plus, other people hang out, throw Frisbees, etc., when school鈥檚 out. It鈥檚 a great spot. I never see people enjoying the ugly string of parking lots on Caledonia Street between Quadra Street and Blanshard Street, for example, or doing much with the school board鈥檚 huge number of parking lots when there are no cars on them.
School District 61 provides a massive subsidy to the oil and auto industries by providing 鈥渇ree parking鈥� to all its thousands of employees and to students old enough to drive. It pays 91原创 Union of Public Employees members good wages for keeping these lots clean. This is stupid.
There clearly needs to be a rethink on the part of many at both Victoria council and District 61.
Louis Guilbault
Victoria
