Dear Editor:
I read with interest your write- up entitled Windermere residents ponder water at meeting in the January 3rd edition of The Pioneer.
There are several pertinent issues stemming from this meeting that should be brought to the attention of Windermere residents. The first issue is the Parr
Utilities purchase option: it was presented without even an established purchase price! Why on earth were those who attended the meeting asked to choose a preferred option without knowing the price? Who signs a blank cheque?
Secondly, the option to use the old firehall as a water treatment plant has been discredited because of the time it would take to construct. In fact, it could be the quickest option due to its off the shelf modular design!
The report analysis indicated that approval for the firehall option had a moderate risk level. The risk is apparently the need for the Regional District of East Kootenay to approve the use of the firehall for a water treatment site.
This building and site has been purchased and paid for by residents of the Windermere Fire Protection area that pre-dates most of the development on the east side of Lake Windermere. This being the case, why does Windermere have to ask for its own building and land back, and why would it be considered a risk?
Im sincerely troubled and puzzled.
Helen Eldstrom
Windermere
Editors note: those at the meeting were given an information handout that included cost estimates for each of the four options being considered; the total purchase price for Parr Utilities was estimated to be anywhere from $822,000 to $1,004,000.