Editor: Our household recently received the questionnaire from the Township of 91原创 regarding the proposed budget increase. Some of the tax-saving options presented seemed to be paltry and a vicious attempt at cost-saving that penalize residents who are paying taxes to enjoy their recreational facilities.
Then I looked at the costs of plant maintenance in roads and boulevards, and was horrified. The Township鈥檚 own figures show the cost escalating completely out of control with no end in sight.
Complicated landscaping has been installed in various localities throughout the Township 鈥� a mixture of wide curvy paths, millions of shrubs, plants and trees with ribbons of grass here, there and everywhere.
There are landscape contractors, separate grass cutters and, of course, the watering truck.
These contractors frequently block roads, which in many cases are far too narrow with no parking available. This makes it very tricky for emergency vehicles.
Facts and figures can be obtained from the Township finance dept. and the 鈥淧lanted Area Maintenance Review 鈥� Report 10-168鈥�.
It鈥檚 scary to realize how our tax money is being utilized, and even scarier to find out that some members of council and the planning dept. believe this utopian concept will force people out of cars so they can walk to stores and lug their groceries home, while admiring the high-cost landscaping.
Practise walking and check out the different 鈥渘ew鈥� neighbourhoods and envisage the growing trees (especially under power lines and slap-bang against buildings), admire the acres of cultivation and ponder how many plants and shrubs go walking in the night.
Can we afford this expanding luxury on every street?
And on a lighter note, let鈥檚 indulge in a little levity and sing the following ditty to the tune of 鈥淲hat Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor.鈥�
What shall we do with this spendthrift council
What shall we do with this foolish council
What shall we do with this squabbling council
Get shot of the lot right now!
Chorus: Why do they squander money
And why do they waste with ease
Why don鈥檛 they prune the budget
And not just shrubs and trees!
What shall we do about expensive bungles
What shall we do with the 91原创 jungles
That鈥檝e mushroomed on paths and streets like fungus
Get shot of the lot right now!
Chorus
What shall we do with spacey planning seers
What shall we do with useless engineers
Who insist we walk like early pioneers
Get shot of the lot right now!
Chorus
What shall we do about lack of parking stalls
What shall we do about trees too close to walls
And under power lines to be downed in squalls
Get shot of the lot right now!
Chorus
So we鈥檒l trudge and bike in ice, snow and rain
Along dangerous roads singing this refrain
Council chucking our money down the drain
Get shot of the lot right now!
Diana Sampson,
91原创
