More patrols, new ideas needed for downtown Duncan
Dear Duncan mayor and council:
Councillors are thankfully aware of local and tourist dollars sorely needed in downtown businesses.
The last thing Cowichan’s unofficial capital needs is more vandalism leaving shop windows sadly decorated with plywood — and owners paying hefty insurance deductibles for costly new panes.
I strongly suggest 24/7 patrols by our trusty commissionaires and/or paid security firms, accompanied by another council request for more night-time police surveillance.
Maybe citizen patrols can also be tried, too.
Locals and authorities are well aware our core is often a twilight zone of street folks, especially after dark.
Dead or damaged frontage does nothing to entice visitors — and new entrepreneurs — off the highway and into our historic-yet-struggling downtown. It just begs for new, clever ideas pitching our otherwise cool core.
Perhaps council could revisit and finally apply the brainily wonderful concepts in Duncan’s cogent Plan Of Action 2000; a bright blueprint for boosting Totem Town as a delightful destination, not a degraded dud.
Yours in smart growth and renewal,
Peter W. Rusland
Duncan