In response to the article written on Dec. 5 titled, “ City Council briefs - Wests’ owners respond to broken windows letter,” I wanted to relay to the city of Castlegar my ongoing attempts to try and find a solution to what is more then a broken window issue. I am not trying to create a duel between businesses, but it is erroneous for Mr. Vassilakakis to say that I am the only business downtown to have a problem with Element. There are a number of businesses who have made severe complaints about the club.
The fact remains that my businesses had zero damage before Element opened, after which it has been an ongoing struggle to keep up. We would fix it and then it would happen again and we fix it again and then it would happen again. Finally we had enough. Damage continues to happen on an on-going basis. The fact that my windows are boarded should not justify that it is acceptable for damage to continue.
Perhaps Mr. Florio Vassilakakis has forgotten, but we have come to him and talked. Mark Melnyk, former manager of West’s department store and acting on my behalf, talked to Florio on several occasions. Florio just dismisses it and says that it’s my own fault that I attract the vandalism. I get the most traffic of people coming out of the club because they have to walk in front of my stores, the parking lot is behind my property. Which is quite devastating to think the amount of people who have been excessively drinking and are driving home. I should be the one who is “beyond frustrated.”
-Basil McLaren,
Castlegar