To the Editor, My father, God rest his soul, who received a Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts in action as an infantryman in The Battle of Germany and who then sailed home in a Liberty Ship likely welded at Pier 5 would certainly disagree with the position advocated supposedly on behalf of all veterans by Travis Mills in the “staff article” in last week’s Patriot Bridge. The valiant efforts of our WWII soldiers and navy yard workers and all veterans should be honored as is the vision of the Pier 5 Association and further elucidated in the groups multiple blog posts at http://www.pier5.org. These describe practical and cost-effective uses of this public space. This pier is a public asset of value to our densely populated neighborhood appreciated by many but currently blocked from access by a chain link fence. Any future construction or revisions of the pier need careful review as they may threaten the viability of another great public asset the Courageous Sailing Center on adjacent pier 4. The location cannot be readily accessed, has a 10 foot tide and is not a “canal setting” for floating housing. It would be irresponsible to place anyone in harm’s way in this exposed location in an over water residence in an era of climate change and rising sea levels. The location is ideal for providing public access and educational opportunity around harbor ecology and sustainable shorelines for the entire community and over 3200 of our neighbors who have signed our petition in agreement. The article in last week’s Patriot-Bridge contained factual errors and does not represent either public opinion or the best interest of our community, but rather the biased perspective of a hopeful developer. . Chris Nicodemus
Pier 5 Coverage Elicits More Critical Feedback
To the Editor, My father, God rest his soul, who received a Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts in action as an infantryman in The Battle of Germany and who then sailed home in a Liberty Ship likely welded at Pier 5 would certainly disagree with the position advocated supposedly on behalf of all veterans […]