Dear Editor,
Re: drainage issue at Vince’s Gym
At age 21, I started my first business in Barrhead. At 26 years, I built the gym, designed it and was the general contractor. At 34 years, I designed my second home and shop and was also the general contractor, doing a huge amount of work such as prepping cement for the floors, lots of the plumbing and designing and pouring pads and sidewalks, coloured and stamped. I’m just a farm boy with no formal education in building.
How is it that I know that for drainage you need a quarter of an inch per foot. At Vince’s Gym, we have a nine-foot drop in the 14 feet of street. I’m hoping I don’t have to do the math for you.
I’m wondering if Mr. Ross should have gotten out of his truck instead of just doing a drive by. I’m also wondering if Mr. Ross wants me to shovel off my neighbour’s roof, being that his building drains in the same spot as mine.
I’m curious what the residents and business owners are getting out of the new multi-million-dollar town maintenance building. I have even noticed that all the new sidewalks have been contracted out. Well, except mine, because we are low priority.
Even though the town’s survey showed that the people of Barrhead felt the gym was on the top priority of recreation and that I have more users than the pool, town management still refuses to take care of my drainage/sidewalk issue, let alone purchase gym memberships for the fire department or ambulance service, which to my knowledge has been brought forward several times.
Council says our existing businesses are important, and we need to take care of them before we even worry about getting new ones. If this is how you take care of businesses, by calling them low priority and taxing the heck out of them, it is no wonder we see very few new businesses. The town has done nothing but make me jump through hoops since Day 1, and I’m wondering why I stayed here – to watch the population decline, the schools go from 1,600 to 800 students? Do I actually need to invite the mayor or the council to see what a fantastic gym facility my wife and I offer to the Town?
Vincent Wiese
Owner
