Editor:
It is a great disappointment that the Town council has chosen to locate the pedestrian bridge over the Bow River at the foot of Muskrat Street.
Discussion about a second bridge has gone on since I have lived here (1961). Members of the defunct Chamber of Commerce were looking at the possibility of a pedestrian bridge (west of the traffic bridge) where people were crossing in winter to get to the skating rink and recreation grounds – approximately where the old boathouse was standing. Today, it makes even more sense as there are two large staff apartments and more houses along Cave Avenue.
The decision to build the bridge downstream from the present bridge just does not make sense. It is close to the falls and canoeists have always been warned to not go farther than the west side of the bridge. I can foresee exuberant youth and those lovers of “extreme sports” swing or try other antics along the bridge and the consequences that may follow.
The plan to attach a water sewage pipe system under the bridge leads to some other worries. The old pipes in the river worked by gravity; a line placed above will surely need a lift station with motors and the motors will need expensive electricity and ongoing maintenance.
Is this an esthetic or economic decision?
Sewage placed above allows special interest groups/terrorists to pollute our water downstream to Canmore and Calgary. Sounds crazy, but these are crazy times. Every time a municipal organization tries to make a structure for two unrelated purposes, it usually means they are both compromised.
Why can we not have a lovely wood bridge built in a location most people prefer and the problem of sewage be settled in another way?
What a legacy this council could leave: A bridge that is useful for the residents and appealing to the tourists in an area that has a park, the library, the Whyte Museum, Buffalo Nations Museum, the recreation grounds and an extended path that leads to the Cave and Basin, where the tourists could discover another museum.
Why does this long-awaited and wonderful idea have to turn into such a heavy-handed bone of contention?
Shirley Tooke,
Banff
