Editor:
In reference to your article in the Coast Reporter on April 8, reporting on the Stonehurst proposal. I would like to express my frustration as a citizen of Gibsons hearing that the town is negotiating the sale of a prime lot that has two public parking lots on it to a developer. How is it that our local government can sell public land without a referendum? The mayor has told us at the council meeting of April 5 that the decision to entertain the sale of the lot on the corner of School Road and Gibsons Way was based on a survey posted on their website in August 2020, which received 300 respondents, the majority of which approved selling the land. Really…out of how many people who live in Gibsons…close to 5,000. Hardly what I call enough to base such a sale. How is a survey conducted online, during the summer, in COVID enough to make such an important decision? I think we need a referendum in order to get the public engaged and made aware of the sale of their land.
In my opinion, selling public land and assets is like selling your house to pay the bills. A very bad idea!
Judith Bonkoff, Gibsons
