To the Editor,
Good was the generosity of Mr. Fred Rollin who donated his heritage house house on Eighth Avenue and Argyle Street to the City of Port Alberni in 1976. The house and gardens were in need of restoration which was undertaken by a dedicated team of volunteers to make it the home of the Community Arts Council since 1977 with an art gallery, cultural activities and landscaped gardens for all to enjoy.
Bad is that the city has seen fit to destroy this haven. The site has been besieged by building crews and the woodland garden to one side has gone forever. The front garden has been demolished by machinery and the remaining part is now a derelict wilderness.
Ugly is the only word to describe the monstrosity being erected in what was the woodland garden.
And to make matters worse, it is actually joined on to the original structure, dwarfing and mutilating what was once beautiful and historic.
No matter that this is to be a child-care centre which, by the way, could have been built elsewhere.
This is not what we expect our elected council to do with a valuable donated property which was a favourite place for many city-dwellers.
Margaret Growcott,
Port Alberni