This letter was sent to District of Squamish council and copied to The Chief for publication.
While we have finally been blessed by the Olympics and are in receipt of Legacy Funds, the hard part is still to come. How do you distribute these funds to truly leave a legacy for all the residents of this town?
I have heard a few of the proposals running around, and while things like a Nordic training centre and a Parkour obstacle system sound like interesting ideas, they will only service special interest and elitist groups in the community, not to mention liability issues for the latter.
It would be nice if these funds were distributed to service as many members of the corridor as possible.
I don't know what all the proposals are until they are released, but I hope you will consider promoting facilities that everyone can use regardless of socio-economic circumstances.
What better way to leave a legacy than to encourage all children in the community to get active?
Enhanced turf fields, running tracks, community weight room are all economical options everyone can use.
And looking around this town at the current birthing phenomenon, the usage of these facilities is only going to rise, not to mention the economic spin-offs from increased usage and tournaments.
I would encourage all of you to reject the special interest proposals put forward in support of some of the more grass roots athletic initiatives.
The people of this town feel they were forgotten by the Olympics.
Giving these funds to the people to benefit all the people would be wonderful compensation, and the best legacy possible.
Mary Mitchell
Squamish
