Editor,

When I attended the April 14 meeting on the proposals for the Langley marina, there were brochures being handed out at the entrance to the meeting hall and on the tables inside titled “The Langley Funicular… we can make it happen!” Upon reading the brochure I noted the author(s) of the brochure made some claims as to the similarities between Langley and Saltburn by the Sea, which is a Victorian seaside town on the North Sea in North Yorkshire, U.K. I happen to have been to Saltburn and decided to do some current fact checking as to the claims made in the brochure. Here’s a direct quote from the brochure: “With a population of only 6,000 — virtually the same as greater Langley and similar demographics, Saltburn also has a greenbelt surrounded by a rural area with charming village shops,” etc. I did not know until I did this search on Saltburn that it even had a “cliff lift” as it’s referred to on the websites for Saltburn. I did walk out on their pier and walk along the beautiful North Sea shoreline and dine at a restaurant or two.

An online search for Saltburn found the following factual information: as of the 2011 census, Saltburn’s population was listed as 5,958. Langley’s 2013 census population is listed as 1,045. I also noted from several tourist websites that in Saltburn are the following lodging options: four hotels, seven bed and breakfasts and inns, 13 vacation rentals of various types, five specialty lodgings (farms, cottages and apartments), a golf club with a hotel, and that currently Saltburn has 40 restaurants, just for comparisons sake between Langley and Saltburn. It seems that other than both places being located next to bodies of water there is little in common.

I find it disingenuous that this brochure’s author did not even do a cursory fact check before publishing it. I encourage all readers who have Internet access to look up this information for themselves and to view the many photos online of the “cliff lift” and see the size and scope of it in comparison to Langley’s marina.

CAROL D. GENTZ

Langley