Editor,

I was dismayed by Sharon Emerson’s letter of Feb. 28 in The Record. It’s not just Ms. Emerson, it is the mindset of many people that troubles me. It is the unwillingness to embrace change and possibility. It is the unwillingness to invest in the future of Langley.

I served on the Langley Chamber of Commerce board for nearly 10 years and was the president for three years. I have also been a business owner at Bayview Corner and work in downtown Langley at Music for the Eyes. I mention this simply to lend credence to my experience with the business community.

There are dozens of people on a waiting list for slips in the marina. If we build it, they will come. I talk to people regularly who have brought their boat over to our marina to visit Langley. They eat and shop in town. More would come if we had more space. And I’m betting that if there were an elevator to take them up and down the bluff, they would use it. People would use it to picnic in the park, walk out on the pier and stroll on the beach. Mystic Sea whale watchers would use it as well as the passengers on other excursion boats. I think it would be an attraction and a wonderful convenience for customers of the marina, Boatyard Inn, the Saratoga Inn and anyone who wants to visit our waterfront. An elevator would be another unique feature of our town. It might even encourage further development of the marina area, even a waterfront restaurant.

Change is the nature of the universe. That which doesn’t change, dies.

We can’t be so shortsighted. We can’t pull the purse strings so tight that we choke ourselves with them.

MARY ANN MANSFIELD

Langley