BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a story titled 'Council shows love for landmark sign... as long as money is donated' published on June 8.
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I love Barrie. That is why we moved back to our hometown to retire after 50 years. We love living where we can admire the view of
beautiful Heritage Park every day and every night.
Please do not spoil the natural beauty with a crass, third-rate, Barrie sign.
I lived in the city of beautiful Kingston, on Lake Ontario, for nine years and I note that they did not spoil their beautiful, natural lakeshore with “The Sign." It is located in front of city hall.
Toronto did not spoil their lakeshore with “The Sign." It is in front of city hall.
Obviously, the Barrie Canoe Club or the Military Park would not appreciate having “The Sign” spoil the ambience there.
The installations in Kingston and Toronto are first-rate architectural designs with extensive landscaping, unique to their environment.
There is currently a professional, plan/design underway in Barrie to make Heritage Park a more beautiful, natural, accessible place for people to quietly gather. Why spoil it with a plastic sign? If we must have a sign, there are great artists in Barrie. Why not have a design that is unique to Barrie, like the Spirit Catcher!
“Open Dunlop Street” on Saturdays attracts thousands of people who enjoy shopping, eating and drinking at many venues, as well as relaxing at Heritage Park, Meridian Place and walking on the trails around Kempenfelt Bay. Centennial Park location does not need any help attracting tourists.
It appears that the purpose of “The Sign” is to provide a platform for Coun. McCann.
Carol Oliver
Barrie
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