Walking along Beach Road between the dock and the boat harbor, I keep hearing Joni Mitchell’s “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot….” Assembly members, do you really want this to be your legacy to our community? We hear it’s too late and this project must move forward. So who needs to save face here and whose ego is at stake? You were elected to represent us, but it feels like you are not listening. Thank you, Tresham Gregg and George Campbell, for supporting a special ballot on this issue. Too bad the other assembly members shut that down. It’s easy at this point to feel that there is nothing more we can do or say, but I don’t believe that.

How did the original harbor improvement plan go so far afield? The big steel wall and huge parking lot were not really made public until the plan was “95 percent complete and too late to change.” Aesthetic issues aside, it just seems irresponsible to move forward with a project like this when it’s not close to being fully funded and the state is trying to stay afloat financially.

Before you permanently change Portage Cove and our beautiful Haines waterfront, and indebt us for years to come, stop and take another hard look at this plan. Perhaps less would be more. And please pay attention to the rest of the song….”and so it always seems to go that they don’t know what they’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”

Carol Flegel

I approve and endorse this message—Richard Flegel

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