Dear Editor:
Re: Reporter Jeremy Shepherd’s May 15 article on a BIA in Lower Lonsdale.
As business owners on East First Street in Lower Lonsdale we are against the BIA counter-petition which proponents claim will fund a LoLo beautification.
Our commercial taxes for last year were $19,000 for the three businesses we house — Yoga with Corrie, Two Daughters Bakeshop and North Vancouver Aikikai. That didn’t give us clean gutters.
All 12 businesses on our end of the block signed a city-sanctioned petition and after years of trying we got regular street sweeping two years ago.
It made a huge difference to the look of our street which had weeds growing out of the debris collecting in the gutters.
The street lost its run-down, abandoned look and started to look well-kept and inviting.
Sadly for us, and confusing as to why our petition was ultimately discounted, city workers just took away the street cleaning signs a month ago, and now we are back to where we were six years ago.
We will keep our eye out for that BIA counter-petition as we are not in favour of paying another tax if the city cannot keep our gutters clean with our $19,000+/year.
We have good festivals. What we need is clean gutters so that our clients will come here and not feel uneasy. Let the city use our high taxes to provide the most basic enhancement of a business-friendly environment — a garbage-free, well cared for street.
Lyn Flitton
North Vancouver
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