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Letter: $5.3M price for Richmond bowling club raises questions

Dear Editor, Re: “ New clubhouse slated for Minoru Park ,” News , May 30. Richmond City Council, specifically Mayor Malcolm Brodie and couns. Bill McNulty, Alexa Loo, Chak Au and Linda McPhail, voted to spend $5.
lawn bowling
Not everyone was happy with city council's decision to approve $5.3M to rebuild the lawn bowling clubhouse in Minoru Park. Maria Rantanen photo

Dear Editor,

Re: “New clubhouse slated for Minoru Park,” News, May 30.

Richmond City Council, specifically Mayor Malcolm Brodie and couns. Bill McNulty, Alexa Loo, Chak Au and Linda McPhail, voted to spend $5.3 million of city money to build a clubhouse for the Richmond Lawn Bowling Club, which amounts to a private club for 280 people.

It’s just inexcusable to show such favouritism when many public sports organizations have no office space, washroom facilities or dressing rooms.

Add to that, the building costs are proposed to be $1,100 per square foot, when according to Western Investor, “the hard construction cost for a Class A five-to-30 storey office building in Vancouver ranges from $270 to $340 per square foot.”

We need to revisit this decision and at the very least, make this building multipurpose.

Bob King

RICHMOND