A few yeass ago, Gastown businessmen proposed that a major entrance ramp to Crab Park be constructed behind glass doors, accessable only by an elevator inside a building at No. 1 Alexander St. This building is a prime piece of real estate in Gastown square, in which DEEDS was once offered office space, as a favour for throwing their weight behind the Gastown entrance at City Hall meetings - where their presense was used to make it seem as if the community approved. The idea, adpkrently, was to make an exclusive main entrance to Crab Park that could be claimed to be - -
"open to all," but could be carefully monitored by commercial interests in Gastown. The businessmen said this was their idea of !'full community access" to Crab Park, after City Hall had failed to provide it at the east end. Of course, it was obvious to Downtown Eastsiders at the time that this would be a tourist-oriented, executive controlled entranceway, built & operated by the same commercial interests who specifically refused, years before, to donate any time, money or effort to the CRAB Community Campaign to gain a park in this location.
Pulling the wool over your eyes is thew busmess. Tellin you how they o it is ours. .
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