23 years downtown was quite enough

My sincerest sympathies and condolences to the U of A staff being relocated to the Enterprise Square location.

I just retired from working over 23 years in the downtown core, and despite the decades-old, ever-periodically advanced “renewal” and “revitalization” schemes, the odds of me visiting the city centre, barring a dire emergency of some kind, are so slim as to be approaching zero.

Hopefully, the sheriff deployment will help, but I doubt it.

My advice? Bring your lunch so you won't be forced to run the gauntlet of open drug use, mental issues, senseless vandalism, garbage, spit, and the smell of urine in every tunnel, hallway, elevator open to the public.

Thank heavens I am free of that.

John Sylvestre, Edmonton