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LETTER: Walkway on Port Alberni’s waterfront will be an asset

Writer agrees with city council’s long-term vision for former Somass Sawmill lands
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Walkers check out the new Somass walkway that opened on July 1, 2022, following the Canada Day parade. The walkway is accessible from Tyee Landing. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

To the Editor,

Re: Waterfront development at Somass Sawmill lands

By the sound of it, I might be the only person in town who wholeheartedly agrees with Port Alberni City Council’s vision for the waterfront. I walked the short trail (Somass walkway) now available, and saw the immense possibilities for a beautiful new development with housing and green spaces.

If we want tourists to stop and explore the place, they will head for the waterfront to have a cup of coffee, or a nice lunch—they would not stop for a swim, however great the new pool may be.

Beaches are the most valuable assets in any town, and ours have been hidden behind industrial ugliness way too long already.

Rayana Erland,

Port Alberni