Dear editor:
Firstly, I would like to offer my thanks for allowing me to express my opinion through your newspaper.
In my opinion, hindsight is always a clearer view of the journey. The results of the Oct. 28 Fort Frances town council meeting, at which I made a presentation, has shown a clear example and necessary improvement to resolve fencing non-compliant issues with bylaws.
I recommend Coun. Ken Perry to rewrite all bylaws. His clear logic shone through at the meeting. A simply put example by him is, if you hire a contractor to build a fence for you and he doesn’t have the exact materials, he can use what he has.
The addition of Coun. Wiedenhoeft’s view that trying to enforce bylaw regulations was like trying to regulate the growth of grass immediately cleared my mind of the thought that they were making a mockery of their bylaws.
My dazed and confused feelings of the moment were brought back into perspective when Coun. Kitowski solemnly asked the only bylaw representative, Ms. Byrnes, if she felt the fence complied with the fencing bylaw and later had she done her job.
Her answer to the questions were yes.
Later, Coun. Kitowski asked me if I thought the only attending bylaw officer had done her job and I said no, which probably was related to the fact that I couldn’t get that eight-page, explicit, somewhat pompously-written document out of my head.
In the end, I am reminded of a baseball game that ends with all bases covered and camaraderie is high.
The 11th-hour offer by my neighbours to add pickets to my side of the fence in the spring would morph the fence, once again, to one with a more multi-culture look (ask Ken and Rick for an interpretation if needed) so I publicly declined because if the rest of it is good enough for my neighbours, why increase the number of special people around here?
Signed,
Terry Parks
Fort Frances, Ont.