Letters to the editor -
Dear editor,
I would like to respond to some of the comments attributed to Mayor Don Coombs in your issue of March 9.
For a man who claims not to subscribe to Face Book, he appears to have a lot of second or third hand misinformation.
First of all, I never formed the group: Speak loud and let your voice be heard in Harbour Grace. While I did take those disgraceful pictures, and made comments, I am only one member just like the 280 other people that are members.
All of those people have the right to voice their ideas, concerns and issues with the town, and how it is managed.
Nowhere did I ever write the town was run by an elite group, or mention religion. That has nothing to do with cleaning the town.
As for the mayor's suggestion that it's the time of year and everything looks dirty, I agree. However, these pictures were taken between July and October of last year. The scrap metal and cars have been there for years.
So there are no excuses!
I posted the soccer complex as a waste of money. That's my personal opinion. The money could have been spent in a lot better ways. Not all kids play soccer. Besides we don't need a second floor on a dressing room.
The post was not there to attack Coombs because I never knew he was the president of the association. But now that I do, that explains a lot to both me and the people of Harbour Grace.
If the fountains don't work in the park, get them fixed, or have a local landscaper put a beautiful flower garden in them.
That park has never been maintained. What an eyesore and embarrassment it is to the people of this town when tourists come to visit!
As for the (Kearney) tourist chalet, how many people come down, take a few pictures, drop into Irving for a drink and bag of chips and then head right back up Jamie's Way to head to either Bay Roberts or Carbonear.
If the town was to be showcased and had things to draw people here for the historic sites, the sporting events and just a basic Tim Horton's, this would generate traffic flow through town and increase business for the already existing small businesses as well as encourage more to open in the area.
Mr. Coombs does not tell the truth. He was quoted in your paper as saying if I apologized for some things that were said I would be allowed to speak. Well when I tried to do that at last Monday's council meeting, I was told that if I spoke again he would have me removed.
All my concerns and ideas landed on his agenda for that meeting. Was that all for show because he knew people would be there and he wanted people to think he was actually working on the issues I was trying to present to council?
I will not apologize again.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Don Coombs can't find an excuse in the book for this once beautiful town to be in the condition it's in today.
As a mayor he should be focussing on promoting this town as a historic tourist destination.
He focuses on things that only benefit himself, and from what everyone can see that would be the soccer field.
As a matter of fact I feel Mayor Coombs owes me a formal apology for the false accusations in last week's Compass and for not allowing me to speak at the public council meeting.
Pauline Yetman,
Harbour Grace
