Dear editor,
There is a group of cyclists in the Comox Valley suggesting that a pedestrian/cyclist bridge could be built to span the Puntledge River near the Fifth Street Bridge.
The route would see the bridge link up Simms Park with the bottom of Sixth Street, by the former Central Builders property. There is also a local timber frame construction company that has already drawn up plans for the bridge and is suggesting that the construction of the bridge could involve many members of the community; a giant team effort.
This sound like a great idea to implement. Now that there is talk of repairing and/or painting the Fifth Street Bridge. That would probably mean that the bridge would be out of commission for several weeks. Cyclists, then, could only get across the river via the 17th Street Bridge.
Perhaps we could expand on the bridge link idea by envisioning the waterfront property that Home Hardware (Central Builders) is sitting on being purchased by developers/municipality and having the large buildings being turned into office and workshop space for an IT (intelligence technology) park with, possibly, some residential buildings mixed in.
This could encourage a new workforce to relocate to the downtown of Courtenay. This could encourage foot traffic and would let the City begin to tie the two sides of the river together so that the waterfront could be used and enjoyed by citizens and tourists alike.
As it is now, the riverfront, which could be a major attraction, is hardly accessible from the downtown core, unlike in most other cities with a waterfront.
This first cycle/pedestrian bridge could be the beginning of a revitalization plan for downtown Courtenay. Let's get going with this bridge idea as it is, indeed, a winner.
Craig Freeman,
Comox
