Editor, The News:
Re: What’s happened to our home? (Letters, July 22).
I agree with Paul Gurm, who has lived here for 40-plus years, on how Maple Ridge has deteriorated quite a bit in such a short period of time.
I too have lived here since 1985 and it wasn’t until maybe five years ago I was so uncomfortable walking or being close to 224th Street and Lougheed Highway.
I am so sick and tired of going anywhere near 224th St.
I’m tired of homeless people asking me for cigarettes (I don’t smoke).
I’m tired of people asking me if they could borrow money.
When Target was around, the minute I got out of my vehicle someone was there bugging me for something.
I am entitled to go shopping (which I never do here anymore) and be left alone. I don’t deserve to be scared to get out of my car.
I too thought about getting the basic necessities here like buying socks or underwear and people kept telling me to go to the mall in Pitt Meadows. Why do I need to drive 15 to 20 minutes to buy these necessities? Why can’t these necessities be readily available in Maple Ridge anymore?
Twenty-some years ago, we had Woodwynn in Haney Place Mall. We had multiple shoe stores. We also had an athletic store, and we had lots of clothing stores.
There were ample shopping opportunities in Maple Ridge and now they are all gone.
Council only focuses on small mom and pop shops that are on 224th St. and in the downtown area.
We don’t need another sushi place, or consignment store. We don’t need another coffee shop, dollar store or cheque cashing place.
We need the basics.
We would like to spend our money in our city, but there is no point in shopping downtown because you either get harassed for money or you can only park for one hour.
Why does council promote shopping downtown when you are only allowed to park for one hour?
I remember downtown about 10 years ago had two-hour parking.
Please stop wasting taxpayers money to widen the sidewalks again, or put water fountains in, or even ripping out the centre median and re-doing it. It’s not going to make a difference.
We have lost, period.
Sonja Ogden
Maple Ridge
Downtown depressing
Editor, The News:
Re: What’s happened to our home? (Letters, July 22).
Indeed.
We have lived in this community for 50 years and all we see now is an old and tired town with lots of homeless wandering the streets.
Why does it seem that the druggies and junkies have more rights than the taxpaying businesses and citizens?
The only thing we have to look forward to is higher taxes every year and nothing to show for it.
There are no places to shop and very few places to eat.
The municipality has spent a fortune on trying to make downtown look nice for the homeless since all our taxpayers are shopping in Pitt Meadows.
A business wanted to open a strip mall on some property along the Haney Bypass, but was rejected by council, telling us that this store would take away from the downtown core.
The downtown core is depressing with various rundown buildings and old stores and is not a very attractive area to encourage new business.
So Mayor Nicole Read, it is certainly time to take action.
Dennis, Linda Conolly
Maple Ridge