Editor’s note: This letter is addressed to Mayor Randy Hope.
Sir: I am wondering who is the genius that plans the construction for the downtown core because it appears that whoever it is wishes to kill the downtown.
The residences and businesses of the downtown have been putting up with constant construction for over a year now (new sidewalks, Fifth Street Bridge, condo, curbs, King Street resurfacing) and this latest bit is just an insult added to the injury.
It is the Friday (Friday is one of the busiest shopping days) of a long weekend (makes the day an even busier shopping day) and whomever has decided today is a good day to block King Street East parking off completely and to reduce the street it to just one lane made another mistake.
The businesses along here are struggling enough and now there is the inconvenience of having one of their busiest shopping days shut down without any notice.
If the powers that be that make these decisions would have given it a two -second thought, they would have realized that Tuesday (the first day back after the long weekend) would have been better for this fiasco since it will be a slow day to start with and the loss of it would have had almost zero impact to businesses, but nooooo, they have to shut down business on what is normally a very busy shopping day.
Come on already, stop killing the downtown and start helping them out or at least giving them some consideration.
If you think I sound ticked off, you are right. I work, volunteer, shop and live downtown and you are making my life really frustrating and difficult. As a disabled person who relies on walking and taxis to get everywhere in this city, your construction and detours are costing me extra monies I do not have (hundreds of dollars over the last year) and making it impossible for me to get to where I need to be.
If you are going to continue with this kind of construction/deconstruction and inconveniencing, maybe the joking slogan people are saying about Chatham right now should become the new official slogan – “Welcome to the City of Chatham, the Home of YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE!”
Please, please, please start helping the downtown instead of hindering it.
Angela Gilbert
Chatham
