Dear Editor,
Re: “$1.4 million renovation planned for ROX,” News, Jan. 13
A few days ago I read with incredulity that Richmond city council has approved spending another $1.4 million on renovating the Oval Experience, which, it should be pointed out, only opened 14 months ago, having been built at a cost of $10 million.
That is just for the ROX.
When is enough, enough? When will our council stop spending so much of our money on sporting venues, parties at Minoru and bringing (somewhat) Tall Ships from Japan here during summer and start focusing on things that are less about “show” and more about how we look after our citizens?
I would hope that council and city planners, at some point in this past festive season, found themselves driving by St. Alban’s Church. If they had, they would have seen the sign in front of the church with the usual seasonal message. And, hopefully, they would have noticed that at the bottom of the sign was one line that should have gotten everyone’s attention... SHELTER CLOSED.
Apparently, the church can’t afford to keep the shelter open and has been forced to close its doors during this horribly cold winter to people who are in dire straights.
How a community is judged is based, in large part, on how it treats its most vulnerable, and right now Richmond is doing a lousy job. Where are our homeless on these bitterly cold nights? Sure, the Salvation Army has a small facility, but St. Alban’s did an amazing job at their shelter of providing meals, clothing and caring for people who have no where else to turn. It has closed to the detriment of many who desperately need its help, especially at this time of year.
So, Mayor Brodie and all your helpers, how about you pay serious attention when things like the closing of the shelter happen. How about you give even half the energy to helping the shelter as you do to pouring millions and millions of dollars into the money pit that is The Oval.
How about you take even a small percentage of that $1.4 million to renovate a 14-month-old ROX and fund some caring for our citizens who need it most.
The big flashy Richmond Oval sign in front of that building, or the one line, “Shelter Closed,” in front of St. Alban’s — one of those signs should be getting everyone’s attention.
It’s the smaller of the two, in front of the church. And we should be spending our money to enhance vulnerable people’s lives, not redecorate the Oval yet again.
Roidon Lamb
RIchmond
