Return on investment
When it comes to the downtown area, what is the return on our investment?
Whether it be capital, operations or subsidies, are we getting are monies worth?
Capital expenses are enormous. Spending millions on Riverlands, to relocate the civic yards, re-align roads, upgrade services, demolish buildings to give us a 23-acre starting point.
I am not totally against having a nice downtown, but like most people I do not spend much time downtown. Making the downtown such a high priority at the expense of other sections of Red Deer, does disturb me.
If we were to look at Edgar Industrial Park, my sense is that the return on investment is high, that the tax revenue far exceeds the expense to the city. That same sense tells me for downtown the expense to the city far exceeds the revenue.
High return for their investment north of 11a and a negative return on their investment downtown for many years to come. Like
Edgar Industrial Park, North of 11A will subsidize the downtown. I guess we should be happy with that, but I am not. Are you?
It is nice to have a downtown, would it not be nicer to build facilities in areas, where they are needed but cannot be built because the city over extended itself downtown? I wonder who else may feel this way.
Garfield Marks, Red Deer