BIBLE HILL, N.S. — EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter, addressed to Lloyd Hines, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, was submitted for publication.
Dear Sir,
Being a life-long Bible Hill resident, property and business owner, I am at a loss to understand the NS Department of Transportation/Liberal government decision to buy properties and close businesses at the Main Street – Pictou Road, Bible Hill intersection.
The latest is the iconic Ponderosa Restaurant and Bar which has approximately 15 to 20 employees. It's one of the oldest establishments in Bible Hill, which can never be replaced. It has been a historical part of Bible Hill - The Lincolns, Dutchie Mason, Garret Mason and Gordie Tucker, just to name a few, have performed there, along with the hundreds of fundraisers hosted over the years. At a time when businesses are closing and relocating (Truro carpet manufacturer - 240 jobs) you would think our politicians would be trying to save jobs instead of ending them!
The plan, as I understand it, is to create a traffic circle. Having owned a business and residence within 100 metres of this location for over 35 years, the only time there appears to be a traffic problem is when Park Street is closed due to flooding. You would think our taxpayer dollars to buy out these properties and businesses, which I understand is in the $4-million range to date before any construction has even started, could have been more wisely spent on elevating Park Street to help alleviate the only severe traffic problem in the Truro/Bible Hill area.
Also, maybe I missed it, but I did not receive any notification of impact studies or consultation meetings for local residence and business owners. When any big monetary, environmental or community impact decisions are made, one would think, at least the local taxpayers should be consulted.
It seems this is the case in other "higher" profile decisions where there is a more vocal opposition!
Randy Matheson,
Bible Hill
