Editor: I would like to comment on Chatham-Kent council wanting to take over the Sears building in the Downtown Chatham Centre. This is ridiculous in the first place.
A big portion of the downtown was demolished to build the Downtown Chatham Centre, a white elephant. Some great, well-built buildings were done away with.
Stores moved into the centre and over the years these stores all moved out.
What did the people of Chatham gain? All the old businesses that were here are all gone now also. A man can’t even buy a suit in downtown Chatham anymore.
Any store that was any good is all covered up with paper in the windows now.
Chatham’s downtown used to be a vibrant place anytime of the year, especially at Christmas time. Stores were open Friday nights until 9 p.m.; also late on Thursdays.
The baby skyscraper (Boardwalk on Thames) was supposed to help the downtown; it didn’t. It took too many years to build and that was when a lot of stores closed on the main street.
I have pictures of Chatham many years ago in a scrap book; this is the way Chatham was once. I was proud to live here.
The old city hall was built many years ago along with the museum and the library, also many buildings were built on the same order of architecture, such as Central School. These buildings stood the test of time. It is because people knew what they were doing when they built them.
Also, it was said at a council meeting in January that some councillors were looking at cell phones, texting and laughing and talking and whispering. Apparently they were not paying attention to some of the delegations and someone in the audience who had a cap on that said, “What happened to protocol?”
You people probably won’t listen to the people now either.
David Hamilton
Chatham
