Stephen Ross raised a very important issue in his Oct. 25 letter about missing an opportunity for the development of the St. John’s waterfront.
The decision to erect a permanent barrier to satisfy the needs of a short cruise ship season is not justifiable. Such a permanent barrier would not be appropriate in this historic city and port. It would not provide total security for the cruise ships and passengers.
Perhaps a temporary barrier could be set up for the cruise ship season or when cruise ships are in the harbour. The harbourfront should be developed with pedestrian walkways, plazas and the like.
Excluding the harbourfront from the overall beautification plan for the downtown core is a mistake. Other major cities in Canada and the U.S. are looking to beautify their ports for pedestrian use and we should be doing the same.
Certainly we have imaginative professional designers and an abundance of talent with ideas to transform a glorified parking area into something that citizens and visitors alike will enjoy. As Mr. Ross asked, “do we really want an eight-foot-high barrier the entire length of the waterfront?” Definitely not, we don’t need such an eyesore.
Kevin Flynn
St. John’s
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