Editorial
Reconstruction of the Adra Spiral Tunnel was a project debated by the regional district board on January 6 when the Towns For Tomorrow grant was being decided.
The tunnel restoration was a “dark horse” project amongst five others that concerned water issues in various parts of the district, the only one that did not deal with water quality or quantity issues.
Initially, there seemed to be a reasonable amount of support for the initiative, noted by the fact that at one point a motion was on the floor to choose it as the project to which the Towns For Tomorrow funding would apply.
Restoring the Adra Tunnels, we agree, would provide a boost to tourism on the Kettle Valley Trail as well as being important from a historical point of view. The tunnel is the longest one on the KVR line, and epitomizes the strength of engineering and thought that went into the design of the railway.
At the same time, however, we find it hard to understand how any regional director could prioritize it against the other projects offered up for Towns For Tomorrow funding.
Without wishing to be alarmist, we see the potential for huge costs to be imposed on taxpayers over the next few years as individual communities grapple with water quality and quantity issues in the regional district.
The Adra Tunnel restoration is a politically “sexy,” high profile project that would probably get national attention - whereas, let’s face it - supporting infrastructure construction and repair is a mundane, boring - but ultimately responsible - use of public money.
We support the restoration of the Adra tunnel. But we cannot condone this type of public expenditure during economic times like the present, when this type of funding is so necessary in so many places of direct and quantifiable benefit to the regional taxpayer.