Editor:
Re: “Hall cost climbs again,” Jan. 4.
The replacement of Coopers Green Hall is now projected to cost a minimum of $2.9 million once costs for septic field modifications, parking lot modifications and dumping fees are factored in, and may end up costing even more. To put these costs into perspective: the replacement of an aging but completely functional community hall in Halfmoon Bay will cost more than a newly built waterfront home, and the price tag of the latter actually includes the cost of the property.
It is worthwhile to recap that the Coopers Green Project started when the Welcome Beach Community Association sold their community hall. Very generously they offered to use the proceeds from that sale to upgrade Coopers Green Hall. Not long after, it was suggested that rebuilding from scratch may be a better use of the money, but at the time a full rebuild was estimated at a mere half million.
So when is a good time to pull the plug on a project that is no longer financially viable? The SCRD is facing major capital expenses over the next few years – just think water supply and garbage disposal. How can any director then justify spending $3 million on a non-urgent replacement of a community hall?
If 100 per cent of the funds needed to build a new Coopers Green Hall can be raised through private donations only, then I will gladly support this project. Until then, I implore the SCRD directors to reconsider their decision and to not waste any more taxpayer money on this project.
Renate Kroesa, Halfmoon Bay
