LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Friday's editorial by Chrisrtina Spence skirts over the main objection to the current LVEC proposal. The choice of location is by far the biggest concern of a growing number of Kingstonians.

Anglin Bay has to be the worst possible place to locate an entertainment centre when taking into consideration accessability, parking capabilities, environmental issues, effect on local industry, effect on local residents, effect on the waterfront and above all the effect this proposal is going have on the tax payer, .

The reason why Anglin Bay was chosen as the preferred LVEC site has been shrouded in mystery. We have been told that other sites were investigated but we do not know which sites nor why they were rejected. It is not surprising that a great deal of scepticism has been generated and it is indeed most unfortunate that this in turn has led to serious accusations being leveled at the mayor. A much greater degree of openness would have been, and still would be, an effective way of avoiding this kind of problem.

Of the long list of problems associated with Anglin Bay, the financial implications are undoubtedly the most serious. An astounding fact is that despite endless studies, we still do not have even an approximate estimate of what the total cost is going to be. A figure of $37.3 million dollars is being quoted but it is seldom made clear that this is only a partial estimate. For example, $37.3 million does not include the cost of the land, nor the cost of moving MetalCraft Marine to a new location, nor the cost of financing the project. A more realistic figure for the total costs of the LVEC project on Anglin Bay will undoubtedly be much higher. It also has to be appreciated that most of the cost of the LVEC will have to be met by Kingston tax payers as the private sector has been singularly reluctant to invest in this project.

Anglin Bay was selected by the inital LVEC task force who were operating under a very tight schedule. Under these circumstances it is reasonable to assume that only a cursory examination could be made of this site and all the other sites that were under consideration. Trying to locate the LVEC on Anglin Bay has resulted in a host of unexpected problems which have made the project far more expensive than at first anticipated. Since these costs could now be in the vicinity of at least $50 million, it is time to re-examine this project and try to find a way of reducing the future burden that Kingston tax payers will have to bear. In other words it is time to recognise that we need to stop wasting money on what has become a fruitless exercise and start making a serious effort to look at other sites that have fewer complications and lower costs.

Raymond Colledge
Kingston