Editor:
I am very concerned the debt that the Town of Banff is taking on during these difficult times due to, principally, two main projects.
First, the construction of the woonerf on Bear Street with a construction cost of $9.5 million and secondly the construction of a new bus garage in the industrial compound with a cost of approximately $8 million. I understand that a large portion of that is subsidized by the province and grants, but I believe the portion the Town of Banff is responsible for will be in excess of $3 million.
In regards to the woonerf, I suggest that only the water and sewer component are completed this year and the rest should be postponed.
In regards to the bus garage, Brewster's has been parking their gas or diesel powered buses outside, sometimes in -40 C, for decades.
I also don't understand how it can be claimed that electric-powered buses are "environmentally friendly" when they require millions of dollars worth of material in order to be housed in a warm environment within which they can be started during winter months. Additionally, there is an environmental cost to both building batteries and the disposing of those batteries.
Additionally, how are we going to collect the taxes necessary to repay these loans when:
1. So many local businesses are closed (no income therefore no tax revenue from those closed businesses).
2. The value of residential homes and of businesses will decline, due to declining demand, therefore lowering the tax base.
3. Difficulty that some (many) landlords will have paying taxes because some residential and ultimately, many commercial storefronts will sit empty, therefore generating little or no revenue.
I believe that the building the bus storage facility should have been postponed and only the water and sewer component of the woonerf should be addressed on Bear Street.
Please reassess spending that I think we cannot afford.
Guenther Boehnisch,
Banff
