Sidney, North Saanich could work together
Times Colonist Letters
February 25, 2015
North Saanich needs to replace its municipal hall, the Town of Sidney its town hall and Town of Sidney its fire hall. It is not often that these opportunities align themselves at the same time, and with leadership this needed infrastructure could be achieved with a minimum of cost to the taxpayer.
The two municipalities could build a shared building with three pods: one for North Saanich administration and one for Town of Sidney administration and a shared central gathering place for a council chamber. This would provide opportunities for integration of common services, operational economies of scale and sharing of staff and yet still provide the distinct society that each council seems bound to preserve.
A location would be the surplus community lands immediately south of the Mary Winspear Centre. These memorial lands are for the joint use of the two communities and ideally suited for a location for a town hall.
A well-designed building would start to heal the architectural blight that exists in this location with its unfinished parking lot, graffiti-ridden skateboard park and tired collection of dilapidated trailers posing as an art centre. Indeed, it would become the hub of our twin communities and reflect our pride in our Peninsula.
The fire hall and ambulance headquarters could then be built on the current site of the Sidney town hall adjacent to the RCMP headquarters, thus providing a centralized emergency precinct.
Let’s hope our community leaders grasp this unique opportunity for community-building.
Richard Holmes
North Saanich
© Copyright Times Colonist
Times Colonist Letters
February 25, 2015
North Saanich needs to replace its municipal hall, the Town of Sidney its town hall and Town of Sidney its fire hall. It is not often that these opportunities align themselves at the same time, and with leadership this needed infrastructure could be achieved with a minimum of cost to the taxpayer.
The two municipalities could build a shared building with three pods: one for North Saanich administration and one for Town of Sidney administration and a shared central gathering place for a council chamber. This would provide opportunities for integration of common services, operational economies of scale and sharing of staff and yet still provide the distinct society that each council seems bound to preserve.
A location would be the surplus community lands immediately south of the Mary Winspear Centre. These memorial lands are for the joint use of the two communities and ideally suited for a location for a town hall.
A well-designed building would start to heal the architectural blight that exists in this location with its unfinished parking lot, graffiti-ridden skateboard park and tired collection of dilapidated trailers posing as an art centre. Indeed, it would become the hub of our twin communities and reflect our pride in our Peninsula.
The fire hall and ambulance headquarters could then be built on the current site of the Sidney town hall adjacent to the RCMP headquarters, thus providing a centralized emergency precinct.
Let’s hope our community leaders grasp this unique opportunity for community-building.
Richard Holmes
North Saanich
© Copyright Times Colonist
