Editor:
Despite Joan Payne’s opinion piece, which you published in your Dec. 9th issue, I want you to know, I have a home!
I live in a lovely apartment in Greenecourt. I am not a prisoner nor do I feel as if I am imprisoned. I seriously doubt residents in the new building will feel they are, either. I resent Joan Payne’s suggestion anyone here feels deprived of anything, but if they do, there is always the option of not living here. We have comfortably furnished, bright and welcoming common rooms on every floor in my building. We can and do gather there. I, for one, am grateful for the no-pet policy Ms. Payne considers good for “mental wellbeing.”
The schoolyard next to the Greenecourt complex offers at least the opportunity to observe plenty of dogs, to perhaps stop and speak to their owners, and pet the animals—which I do on a daily basis. Small, yapping dogs don’t belong in residence here, nor do big, scary ones no matter how adored by their owners. Yowling, shedding cats would disturb my sleep as well worsen as my COPD.
The Lions Club’s planned new building, when it is finally built, will have a much larger meeting area, a “designated gathering space,” similar to what the old Greenecourt Hall offered. That should satisfy Ms. Payne’s anxieties on behalf of the people she wishes not to see in a prison. In addition, we are located on the edge of Hackett Park, a public area with plenty of interesting activities such as the Craft Fair, a small theater, and sports events.
I fear Ms. Payne’s negative attitude might frighten away some worthy potential tenants who desperately need the housing provided by the Lions and hope this rebuttal by an 80-year-old woman who lives in Greenecourt with deep gratitude toward all who have made it possible for me to live in comfort and security for as long as I may.
Judy Griffith Gill. Sechelt
