To the Editor:

I have been living in East Wareham for over ten years, having grown up in Natick, MA. I moved here to live near the ocean, which I always wanted to do all of my life. I chose Wareham as I cannot afford the other side of the bridge.

I have been thinking about the proposed change of logo, and reading comments from citizens about the change.

I would like to add my view. 

First of all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being the Gateway to Cape Cod. I remember my sister first seeing the gates at the police station and being so impressed by them! She thought of it as the start of something very special -- that is a good thing!

I love it here, but there is too much blight everywhere you look, too many run down, abandoned buildings and businesses. It ruins the look.

There is not enough nice stuff on Main Street -- is there a gift shop there at all to attract travelers? Again, stuff is run down, and the facades need new makeovers.

Cranberry Highway has so much run down and abandoned property that it is not a desirable place to come!

Our trailer parks need sprucing up! It’s not that the trailer owners don’t try. I own a trailer myself as that is all I can afford, but I keep it neat and clean.

The landlords of the parks need to be more responsible and need to brighten up their parks with landscaping and flowers, lighting, repair of tar on the roads, and being responsible for trailers that become abandoned with trash, old furniture, and stuff left behind. Landlords need to be more responsive to their renters.

Downtown Onset is a great place, but, again, once you reach the outskirts of the town, it gets too scruffy. The mall off I-195 is great, but that is just one location. Everything needs to be spruced up in town. Until it is, it is not a desirable location to come to!

So, in my opinion, stop worrying about the sign that says “Gateway,” which is a good thing, and start worrying about fixing up what we do have here and make it a desirable place for visitors to come to and enjoy!

It can be a beautiful place by the sea!

Sincerely,

Karen Anderson