Dear Editor:
I would like to point out a few possibilities if Alastair Murdoch's idea of “making the downtown core more attractive to tourists and pedestrians” is implemented (Merritt News, Feb. 4).
The benches just off Quilchena he proposes, would become a gathering place for our local wandering people and at times, be used for a bed or drug drop-off while also being the centre of a pile of litter. We have sufficient benches for this purpose in the downtown core already. Most tourists don't put benches high on their list of attractions.
Public washrooms? These have already been tried and abandoned as a bad idea by many towns and cities. Seattle recently took out their state-of-the-art stainless steel public restrooms after the city deemed them a dismal failure. They cost thousands of dollars to build and install and thousands more to remove and dispose of with very little return. They turned out to be a place for graffiti, prostitution, drug deals, and were used as garbage cans and also were nearly impossible to maintain and meet necessary health standards. Maybe Mr. Murdoch could contact the city of Seattle to verify their experience with public washrooms. I'm sure in our travels, we have seen many areas with locked and abandoned public restrooms that are an eyesore and in disrepair. In any case, most tourists who need relief can easily find it in a park, restaurant, gas station, or as a last resort, ask a friendly Merrittonian.
What Merritt needs to make its city more friendly and attractive is clean streets, maintained buildings, and proper social conduct. The RCMP and security people are lax in enforcing laws for loitering, blocking sidewalks and business access; public intoxication, aggressive behaviour, and spitting on sidewalks to name a few. They have been seen in areas where these actions are taking place and have not approached these situations.
Let's hope Merritt doesn't dig too deep into its pocket before it looks further into benches and public restrooms.
.
W. Rice
Merritt, B.C.