Things we learned from the flood…
Al McPhail
1. We learned that the much-maligned relocation program, warts and all, actually got many homeowners into a much safer environment. And I would have to think that more than one homeowner who chose flood proofing as an option had some serious second thoughts about their choice sometime over the Easter weekend. Clearly, it is no longer safe to inhabit the man- made flood plains where our community traditionally has been centered. The hills offer safety and a chance to grow – a future.
Those who maligned the relocation program as a fraud and a farce (our mayor, for instance) and those who claimed it was a grave mistake to “cut and run” (like one of my good friends wrote) and many others who claimed we would never see flood waters anywhere close to the level experienced in 2012 and it was all such a great waste of money, well……..I hate to be an “I told you so” but…..
2. We learned that the government’s decision to exclude the business community from the relocation program was a mistake which should now be addressed immediately. While the former Minister of Local Government stated at the time the relocation program was announced that something had to be done for the business community, these were obviously just empty words. The peril still exists and as the government agrees that flooding will become more frequent and more devastating in the future (according to its own reports), is now not the time to develop a solution to address the problem once and for all? Especially considering that the government has recently granted Irving and the other big forestry companies the right to further rape and pillage even more of our Crown Land which can only exacerbate flooding. We cannot invest in our downtown while under the constant threat of flooding. We cannot and will not survive down here. At a recent meeting of business owners the general consensus was that we wanted to stay here if the government would come up with a program to allow us to do so safely. We might want to rethink that. I for one would jump at the chance to move. There is no future for us here.
3. We learned that the silence of our elected MLA and MP throughout this event and since the flood of 2012 is deafening. Where is the representation in Fredericton and Ottawa we so desperately need?
4. We learned again what a master of communication our mayor is particularly through social media. We were also reminded of the contempt he holds for our Chief Administrative Officer, Council (“Send in the Clowns”…really?) and anyone associated with EMO.
There is a valuable lesson here which I hope village employees and Council take to heart. In times of emergency and uncertainty it is absolutely essential that people be informed of what is happening even when nothing is happening. The fear of the unknown is the greatest fear and if there is a void people will grab onto anything. Think how you feel when your teenager is out several hours past curfew and hasn’t called home. Right then, any phone call is a blessing. While we had far better and more timely announcements from the village during the crisis than we ever did before, they were not frequent enough for many and I don’t think they got out to everybody. The mayor, ever mindful of the power of steady communication and always grateful to set the agenda, gladly filled the void by constantly posting on Facebook. He was out in front and to many, his Facebook page was the only source of information about the flood threat …..or anything else for that matter.
5. We learned that the latest proposal for “repurposing” the old downtown neighborhoods doesn’t make any sense. Somehow at the top of the list was a proposal to build a golf course. I have no idea where this idea came from but I have heard it since shortly after the relocation announcement back in October 2012. I laughed when I first heard it and again when I saw the artist’s conception on the display boards shown off at several town meetings on the subject. The idea of a golf course seems to have developed a life of its own. I see no way that this could make any financial sense whatsoever and I certainly have never seen a business plan or financial pro formas that would lead me to believe that it could be viable. Full disclosure – I am a golfer -though those who have witnessed me play would argue otherwise! I absolutely love the game. But we don’t need another golf course in the area. We have too many now and none of them are making any money. In my opinion, this golf course would financially ruin our community. We simply could not afford to build and maintain it. It is truly a bad idea.
And given the most recent flood threat who would want to build a golf course in an area so prone to flooding? Some say just let it flood and we can always rake it off and reseed as necessary. I say that’s just plain stupid! Clearly this idea makes no sense. There are much better things we can do with that land – on both sides of the river.
Until such time as flooding issues might be addressed and mitigated the wisest thing to do with this land is to turn most of it into a park – not all manicured and such – but rather a natural park with forests, grasslands, shrubs, orchards, etc. Also use some to expand on the community garden concept. (great ideas Francine, Diana, Loretta et al). A fairly large area adjacent to the Riverfront Park and near the bandstand should be set aside so that we can develop an area where one could rent kayaks, canoes and other watercraft, and where other related seasonal businesses could thrive. Of course a marina should be developed at Riverfront Park or elsewhere if there is a better site. All of this infrastructure must be capable of being moved for the winter. This could be done quite easily and quickly and it would provide a reason to come downtown and enjoy the river. Face it, whatever we develop downtown is going to be focused on the river. We must exploit the resource. As business expands we can develop more land as necessary but for now why not just turn most of it into easy to maintain natural parkland?
Clearly most of the redevelopment proposal advanced by Dan Glenn & Associates should be burned or at least thrown into the flood waters. It is time to develop some realistic land use ideas.
