In response to planning commissioner Heather Lende’s comments in the Feb. 19 issue of the CVN concerning additional boat harbor parking and the impacts of such:
Yes, we need more parking. Especially if we increase the number of stalls by 33 percent. I would encourage the commissioner to view a parking lot as a point of access. As in how the commissioner might access her own home on its pristine beach, or how we all access her family’s lumberyard. If a resident spent any time in the harbor they would know that our current harbor parking lot is full (including the south lot) from June through September.
As to being an eyesore or a “blocker” for the tourists, I find that the harbor is a tourist attraction in itself. We try to schedule our work away from the harbor on cruise ship days because of the incredible increase in pedestrian traffic on the docks. All wonderful people, and great fun to visit with, but it is hard to be productive with so many visitors. I think that the tourists who do intend to visit the shops in town can probably see past the additional 150 feet of parking.
On days that the lot is not full, I hope commissioner Lende will feel welcome to come on over and hang out with us. We can always drink a cold beverage to chase away the dust and we’ll endeavor to teach her some new words she might be able to use in her next book. Dwight Downer