LETTER – Dear City, please provide specific examples on St. Andrew’s
(Image: Mel Rothenburger)
To Mayor and Kamloops City council:
This email is with respect to the letter from Barbara Berger Recreational, Social Development and Cultural Manager, City of Kamloops. In part it states.
“The board recognized at that time that its operational model was not sustainable and that the financial burden of operating, maintaining, and repairing this heritage property would be too great for the society.”
Please provide specific examples with detail on the following:\
-What is the operation model and what part or parts are not sustainable? If not can it be changed? If so how long has this operational model not been sustainable?
-How significant is the financial burden?
-Is the society in a deficient mode?—Are they not paying their bills?
-Please specifically explain what the financial burden is.
Is the building not being maintained properly? Is there a budget for maintenance for short and long term? Does the society look after the short and long term building maintenance?
If so have what specific duties have they fallen short? If not what’s the problem?
What specifically needs to be repaired? Is the building falling apart? Are their funds allocated for the repairs?
Please provide a business case with specific rational in terms of costing, comparing the city taking over compared to keeping status quo? I.e. how much a square foot to to operate this the building? The cost per reservation?
Will it cost more if the city takes over vs keeping the status quo? If so why do it?
Did the city request or solicit feedback from the community through a public engagement process? If not why not? If so what were the results?
What specifics things, issues are not working with how the Kamloops Heritage Society operating the building? Please be specific.
Thanks for your prompt response.
LLOYD COOPER
Kamloops
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Well said, Lloyd. Thanks for your letter. I fervently hope Barb Berger will respond in direct language though I doubt she would be able to address all the concerns and questions in one letter. I worked with Barb a few years ago while serving as chair on the Heritage Commission and I know her to be reasonable, imaginative and skilled in negotiations. Hopefully she will report to us her commitment to meet with the volunteers and work this situation out in a sensible and sensitive manner.
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This is very interesting and an absolutely clear and direct letter, I look forward to the response.
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The questions raised are all valid and properly designed to get to the bottom of the dissonance between the position of the society, and the position of the city.
The ball is in the city’s court. The municipal citizens/ratepayers, and the members of the society, who have contributed their time, effort, and passion to this project over many years, deserve REAL answers. The political obfuscation emanating from a city employee needs to be replaced with clear, cogent answers from elected councillors, and from the mayor. It’s time they did their job.
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Lloyd,
The reply should be both interesting and informative.
Let us look forward with great anticipation and hope that the reply can be made public.
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There will be no reply. And if a reply comes it will be in the form of some convoluted logic. This and other city matters including a puppet council are disheartening to hear/deal about. Instead of building community they are slowing eroding away at what little there is.
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