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LETTER: What to do with a heritage property on prime land that is falling apart?

Guelphite, Wayne Scobie, questions decisions made about the drill hall
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Drill hall ‘dilemma’. Really?!

We count on our city government to spend our taxes for the best value to our taxpayers. How possibly can there be any question about the drill hall future just because someone talked another into declaring it a heritage ‘site’ at some point?

Being declared derelict and requiring a reported $2 million just to stabilize and 6-7 million to make ‘usable’ makes no sense whatever. If it were one of the great stone buildings found throughout Guelph it might make a worthy project.

Who within the MAJORITY of Guelph taxpayers is going to benefit from restoring this ‘rotting from the inside’ structure? The first and second War veterans? There aren't many of them left!

Even the cotton mill, which has connection to my early family, would be of historical interest to a broader range of citizens and that historical wartime building was demolished. One can be sure that if this were a private residence which fell into such disrepair no matter how old, it would be ordered demolished.

Wouldn’t the city rather demonstrate to their young citizens that they have an earnest desire to invest their hard earned tax dollars in the future by replacing that derelict structure with immediate tax-generating modernization such as possibly valuable commercial/residential high-rise for example to satisfy retirees needs wanting to relocate to the urban centres?

How does council even have time or interest in discussing situations such as concerning the drill hall. The costs for projects like this and such as the pretty little speed skating rink facade just to name another could go a long way in helping to fast track important projects such as the south end recreation centre and other progressive projects which would immediately benefit and be of important personal interest to a greater number of taxpayers of Guelph.

- Wayne Scobie