The city issued a 鈥渕arket sounding鈥� Tuesday in an attempt to see what interest there is in leasing the structure that is now used as an annex to the Convention Centre.
But those good ideas have to be submitted by Oct. 22, insufficient time to do research, crunch numbers, get an idea of possible market conditions and look into financing. If plotting a sound future for the Crystal Garden can be done in eight days, why wasn鈥檛 it done 30 years ago?
Allowing such a short time for submitting ideas makes us wonder if city officials have already made up their minds.
The 90-year-old building has had its ups and downs. For 55 years, it was Victoria鈥檚 social centre.
Time took its toll, and the building closed in 1970, standing empty for 10 years. Then it reopened as a conservatory housing tropical plants and endangered animals.
One of the downs was when the conservatory was shut down in 2004 and replaced with the sa国际传媒 Experience in 2006, which was designed to give visitors an interactive tour of sa国际传媒, touch-screen displays and a giant topographic map. It faltered and went bankrupt a few months after opening.
The Crystal Garden is an essential component of Victoria鈥檚 historic downtown area, and it has great potential. It deserves more than a proposal drawn up on a napkin and based on wishful thinking.
It鈥檚 good to seek ideas, but the deadline for those ideas should be extended.
