Dear editor:
I agree with much of what letter writer Elizabeth Masson has to say about the NOTL gateway project (“Like gateway project, town survey is deeply flawed,” Aug. 12) and the need for more thought.
A generous donation of $ 250,000 by the Kowalchuk Family Fund to enhance the existing entry into the historic Old Town provides an outstanding oppurtunity to design and construct a well-considered, thoughtful and appropriate entry statement.
The illustration of the proposed project that accompanies the letter, in my opinion, does not do this.
For example, while the town name is easily readable, it has a sterile and unimaginative look and the obelisk represents a lighthouse that apparently stood for only 11 years (hardly of historical or, indeed,a any importance). It also gives an overall look of imbalance to the project.
Again, in my opinion, an entry statement into the historic Old Town should, of course, be welcoming to all visitors and should represent its important historical past (the War of 1812, for example) and the significant role of Indigeneous Peoples in their participation, the growing and renowned wine industry, and the town's many other natural attributes.
Derek Collins
NOTL