To the Editor,
I am writing, once again, regarding the battle for a sidewalk to the hospital debacle.
I would like to thank Amherst Mayor David Kogan and all the town councillors for doing their part in beginning the process to provide their segment of the sidewalk to the hospital.
However, the Municipality of Cumberland County’s segment needed to finish the sidewalk is another issue. The province tells me it is the responsibility of the county and the county warden told me they don’t have the funding to do it.
However, back around 2001 when the hospital was being built it is my understanding from a very reliable source that the original binding contract agreement included a sidewalk be extended to the new hospital because they were taking it out of town. Somehow, it was never done and nobody was held to account so for the past 17 years we have our taxpayers walking on the highway to get medical attention.
Enough is enough and somebody needs to step up and get this done. I was on my way out there recently and between the weather and the traffic it was quite the ride. I wish some county councillors or someone from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal would come and take a few trips out there on my scooter.
I have worked on a few community projects over the years and it seems that there is always funding hidden somewhere if you can prove what you are doing is in fact important. But you have to care enough to turn over a few stones. What is more important than our citizens lives?
I believe it is time to call for a review as to why the sidewalk was not put in place back in 2001, hold accountable those individuals and/or agencies that got away with it and make them accountable now. It has been 18 years. Would every politician needed to get involved to get this done please come together, do your jobs and get it done? I would be more than willing to participate in the process.
Jim Mitchell, Amherst
