The following letter was sent to Gibsons council and copied to Coast Reporter.
If a project on the scale of the proposed George is appropriate in Gibsons, it seems to me it belongs upslope rather than dominating the Town's limited and precious waterfront. But I have other concerns as well, some of which I haven't seen mentioned.
Whenever I pass the sewage treatment plant, my nose tells me clearly where I am. Can this plant cope with the additional input The George would generate? If not, who will pay for its expansion?
Two years ago, Gibsons, along with the rest of the Lower Coast, experienced severe water restrictions because of drought. If anywhere near the projected occupancy and other uses should occur, can the aquifer, and the larger system that I understand Gibsons connects with on occasion, sustain the additional, unrestrained water consumption that folks from the city would expect in a high-end hotel and convention complex?
Is the Gibsons fire department equipped to deal with structures of the height proposed?
How many of the projected guests will return a second time when they encounter the ferry overloads?
Has the Town investigated other small towns that have convention centres to see whether business, tax revenue, etc. have measured up to expectations?
Lastly, regarding the accusations being hurled at the so-called naysayers, and the polarization this proposal has generated: when the very ambitious proposal for the public market was announced, people in Gibsons and beyond rallied behind it with a great outpouring of energy, money and enthusiasm. I noticed no opposition.
Maybe this should tell us something.
Sheila Weaver Gibsons
