Dear Editor,
I noted in Sylvan Lake council’s wish list that they want to spend $1.5 million for a aerial fire truck — it took me two minutes to find a brand new fire truck that has 5,000 miles on it and the seller is a town that has to downsize its dreams.
The truck is fully certified and ready to go — a 2005 American Lafrance 110 foot aerial quint fire truck. Me personally I am the kind of guy that likes my money in the bank instead of on the driveway.
That’s my contribution to the town today — I just saved the town $1,150,000. The asking price for this new truck is $380,000.
My God people of Sylvan Lake — stop to think for a few minutes — the town is dancing with destruction — fiscal suicide.
We do not need a $2 million parade float. In regards to the request on the agenda for a sidewalk along Lakeshore Drive, the proposed solution may be a $500,000 project that could just as easily be done for $10,000. The roadway needs repainting — repaint and call it a pedestrian/bicycle lane. Put up signs, please don’t spend millions more on crazy ideas.
Please also consider this. The town had a cash surplus of almost $7 million prior to the spending spree. It now stands in debt with between $22 million and $8.5 million depending on which news source you follow.
That’s a pile of money for a town of 13,000 to spend on a town hall and a park with no sidewalks from the marina west, yes that’s quite the promenade. I watch people walking a 16 inch wide strip of concrete beside a six foot wide flower garden. Who plans this??
Lyle Dressler,
Sylvan Lake