Editor:
Open letter to Village of Burns Lake council and downtown revitalization committee
As local residents and owners of Redferns Coffeehouse, we are writing in regard to phase one of the downtown revitalization project.
It concerns us, as business owners directly effected by the plans, that we were never consulted about the project or asked what our concerns were.
We have several very important concerns we feel need to be addressed regarding the project and would appreciate the committee taking these into account at the next meeting.
The majority of our customer parking is along Hwy. 16 and these plans eliminate all street parking parallel to our business. Back parking is not enough because we also have renters that pay for two spots and our catering vehicles, which much have close access to the back kitchen.
Virtually eliminating tourist traffic as they pass through town, with no store front access or parking, will result in tourists driving by. Tourist traffic accounts for a large part of our business from May to September.
Eliminating all access to Redferns for delivery trucks which are vital to the survival of our business. Truck drivers have said they will block all traffic in the single lane in order to make their deliveries, this would happen two to three times a week for 15-30 minutes each time. Parking further away is not an option due to the size and weight of deliveries, especially in the winter when snow removal is an issue.
It will hinder access to our business for the elderly and disabled whom park along Main Street and the corner for access to our ramp.
Should this project go forward as planned we will be forced to close our doors.
Not only will this mean a significant financial loss for us as business owners, but it will also mean laying off all of our staff who depend on this job and the local community losing a much loved business.
We can appreciate the beautification of Burns Lake and support this goal, however there has to be a way to achieve this without locally owned business paying the ultimate price.
The economy is struggling so much already and everyday is a challenge to make ends meet for any small business. We would like to think that council would do everything in their power to support and promote local business.
The latest update of the revitalization project is doing the complete opposite of this and it is very disappointing to see.
Alan and Helen Finch
Owners of Redferns Coffeehouse