Dear Editor,
“The Old Town Hall” should remain “The Old Town Hall’. The current Municipal Council is out of touch with reality. Council needs to focus on the “Community’s Needs”, not Wants. Remember, when they were running for office, they wanted to build an indoor-swimming pool. Over the years, we lost places (or buildings) where people could meet for different purposes, such as 12-step meetings.
Back in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, many meeting places were available where locals could get together to discuss their steps in recovery from addictions or mental health issues, just a place to meet and talk. Today, these places are hard to find. Traditionally, meetings were held in Church basements. Today, churches themselves are having a difficult time to keep up with the costs of maintaining their buildings. I don’t understand why Council has not done anything to take over the Public School on Reuben Street to make it available for subsidized housing, or retirement living, or even informing us about the future of the old High School on Prescott Street.
Let’s fix up the Old Town Hall and make it available for the community. “Old Town Kemptville is slowly losing its historical character”, perhaps because we have a Council who did not grow up here, and are, perhaps, unaware of Kemptville’s great Agricultural and other cultural past. Kemptville already has its nickname, “Modern Barrhaven”. That’s sad.
William Langenberg
