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easons why village doesn’t get the message

letters to Keremeos viilage office go unanswered

To the Editor:

In your cover story of July 14 (exit interview with current Keremeos Village CAO Joni Heinrich), she’s  quoted thusly: “People want to be heard, but how do we get their message? ... we still don’t seem to get much of a response.”

I’m reminded of a letter I wrote to His  Worship Mayor Despot and hand delivered to the municipal office in January, 2010, concerning a village issue. That was 19 months ago, and the letter was neither acknowledged nor acted upon.

Earlier this month, a friend and I decided to visit the local museum but couldn’t find a telelphone number in the directory in order to call ahead and confirm the opening hours.

We called the village visitor information centre, sponsored by Similkameen Country, where the young woman who answered was surprised to hear that Keremeos even had a museum;  therefore, no information existed regarding any museum here - according  to her.

My companion and I made our way over to the museum nevertheless, and asked another young woman inside what the museum’s name was.

She had no clue and resumed huddling over her laptop computer.

There are two signs outside the building, and both say simply, “museum.”

This must be a world first - when a museum employee literally does not know the name of the institution that provided that person’s summer employment.

This seemingly willful ignorance partly defines the Keremeos experience and serves as a segment of the legacy of the CAO as she cuts to the Chase. (B.C.)

R. Saint Laurent, Keremeos