Editor:
Hope is known as the gateway to the Interior of British Columbia. Why not advertise Hope as the place to stop over and explore before tourists travel further east to the interior of our beautiful province.
Hope has wonderful scenery in its majestic mountains and its fast flowing rivers. The development of many trails such as the Hudson Bay Trail, the Othello tunnels, and the marsh trail all provide places for those who enjoy hiking close to nature.
The town is also well known as the site of the Rambo movie First Blood. In more recent years Hope has become also known as the World Chainsaw Capital with a biennial festival. Now is the time to also make it famous for the preservation of one of the last existing CN Railway station, which was built in 1916.
The building of the railway and its station house promoted new opportunities for early settlement in the west. So why not preserve this historic building as part of our heritage? The CN station house is a perfect building for our visitor centre and museum.
At the next District council meeting in August, if the members of the council have been listening to members of this community and have read the hundreds of letters in support of this idea that have been mailed to the town office. They will make the right decision by approving the preservation of the CN station house.
Let us hope Council does not reject this opportunity to save the Station House instead of this crazy idea of destroying the beautiful 3rd Avenue park to build an expensive Taj Mahal as the next town offices. In my opinion, this will cost taxpayers millions of dollars by building a new building.
What are they thinking when choosing to not use existing facilities in our town? Just as they did previously by rejecting the purchase of the properties on 1148-6th Ave. when it was available.
It is now time to make the right decision!
Ramus K. Sjovold