They’re going to tear up the roads, the sidewalks and the water system on Fairview Road at the very top of the year.

The summer, when businesses like ours look to the massive influx of tourists as the one beacon of hope and possibility to survive another year.

We drag debt all through the year and count on recovery and survival during our summer tourist months, but they’re tearing up the roads in our town, the result of which may very well be to tear Medici’s down. I fear for our ability to survive.

Upgrades need to be done. Water Systems need to be replaced, that’s a natural part of life. We elect officials at all levels of community and government do the things that need to be done and take care of the society that needs to be taken care of.

I understand that this project has to happen. I am disheartened and disillusioned that the planning, the process and the communication by the people we elected to office have failed us so badly.

We were not contacted, advised, consulted or in any way considered prior to this decision being planned and locked-in. We were told, after the fact,  the province was subsidizing a majority of the cost and it had to be done this year. Not true! We were told by His Worship the mayor that paving plants may close if left to the fall. Not the true reason!!

The true reason was to avoid a disruption to the beginning of the high school year. (35-40 minutes twice daily on a road that is the secondary access road to the facility. About 20% max of the school day).  Well thought out plan? Nope!

 Will road work disrupt learning, teaching or administration inside a teaching facility? Nope! Will massive and disruptive roadwork and forced closure due to no water disrupt access, parking and incentive to come to our business? You bet!…100% of our business day.

Silvia and I have spent six years building a business from very little (it’s much more Silvia than I). We have finally reached the point where we have achieved some success and notoriety.

If you’ve tasted Silvia’s gelato you know there’s none better outside of a major centre and maybe even all the way over to Italy. We draw tourists from up and down the Okanagan Valley from out of Province and out of country.

We may not be the biggest tourist attraction in Oliver but we feel we are a significant one. We felt we had created and established Medici’s as a valuable asset and point of pride in our community.

I know that we are going to suffer badly as a result of this decision. I don’t think it needed to happen this way. There were choices. There were alternatives. Like us they were excluded and not considered.

We hope to see you during the summer. There will be days when we are forced to close because we will be without water or replacement income from the town?

In the wonderful, encouraging words of one of our elected officials “It’s just our tough luck so just suck it up.”

We’ll try our best to do that and with some luck and maybe divine intervention we will stagger out of this summer and survived yet another year although I’m not so sure we will …we hope to see you… bless you all…come get some gelato, please.

David Badger, Medici’s, Oliver