Editor:
The Pender Harbour Aquatic Society board has approved the removal of the beautiful undersea mural at the Aquatic Centre. The plan is to grind the mural off the wall and replace it with an approximately 2.5 metre high wall of white tiles with one row of tiles decorated by children. Reasons sited are that the mural requires constant maintenance and does not fit with the architect's design for the $1.2 million renovation/renewal project currently underway.
Ken Walters and Emily Gray created this mural just five years ago. Flaking paint was an issue soon after the mural was created.
Fixing the drainage and paving the adjacent parking lot has since resolved this problem. Ninety-seven per cent of the mural is still in great shape. Walters has offered to continue to voluntarily touch up the mural whenever required. He also has suggested applying some new improved sealants that did not exist when the mural was created.
Neither Ken nor Emily were suitably engaged in the decision making process. The artists were only recently apprised of the outcome. They do not expect the mural to remain in perpetuity, but would like to come to an agreement with the board for a reasonable duration that would respect the significant amount of work and passion invested, and the opinion of the public.
The pool renewal project is being paid for by Area A taxpayers' money, and they deserve a voice. Please tell us what you think. Paper petitions will be circulated and posted on notice boards. The on-line petition can be found at www.ipetitions.com/petition/PenderPool-Mural/
Kathy Gray, Egmont
