To the Editor,
Re: Council reluctant to discuss Centre Stage upgrades, Dec. 6.
Some in the arts community must truly believe they are born with golden spoons in their mouths and that taxpayers must cater to their every impatient whim.
The last thing city council must do is give close to $1 million to fix up the falling-apart, Temple of Gloom, otherwise known as Nanaimo Centre Stage.
When this old church and nightclub was bought by the city four years ago, thanks to the misguided prodding and an extra $100,000 thrown in from the then Downtown Nanaimo Partnership’s board of directors, the idea was stupid.
Stupid in that taxpayers were conned into buying a dilapidated building for a few spoiled whiners who still believe it’s their eternal right to the public money trough.
Who knew then they’d be coming after more coin down the road from the public?
Thankfully, today, councilors Ted Greves and Bill MacKay say the white elephant should not receive one cent – Greves rightfully saying “we should knock the darn thing down.”
This exceptional, straightforward opposition is all quite contrary to the city hall spin-doctoring of 2008 which said the theatre would spur economic growth and development in the area.
Trouble is, the only thing being accomplished is helping local renovation and construction companies get rich at taxpayers’ expense.
Socialites need to put down their ‘whine’ glasses and fold up their held out hands – the money trough has run dry.
Taxpayers are mad as hell that it’s going to cost almost twice the purchase price to fix up this aging palace of doom.
City council must sell the crumbling structure forthwith and divert our hard-earned cash to essential services like police, fire, water or sewers – not garbage.
R.C. Stearman
Nanaimo