LETTER

 

------ Marina restaurant should offer music!

 

The Bulletin's report that a lease has been signed for a restaurant in the new building at the Aylmer  Marina is great news. Having been a frequent patron of the previous Marina restaurant, together with many others, I will anxiously await to see if Councillor Mike Duggan's wish, as expressed in the Bulletin, that music and dancing be incorporated in its operation is fulfilled.

In its previous incarnation, it had become not just a restaurant but a cultural facility: on three days of the week it had live music and dancing. On Friday and Saturday summer evenings it was jam-packed with people of all ages and from various parts of the NCR. The Marina restaurant was probably the most popular place of its kind in the region. Not only did it provide a facility for healthy activities for its citizens and visitors but also brought attention to Aylmer as a progressive and exciting community.

Obviously, the new enterprise must be commercially viable.  For many years, the old restaurant struggled. It was only when the new proprietors introduced music that it became successful and, astonishingly, was able to survive for over a decade until demolition, without levying a cover charge. Hopefully the new proprietors will incorporate live music and dancing and that the city will provide whatever incentives are possible to help the Marina flourish not only as a restaurant but as a successful entertainment venue.

Richard Paukstaitis

Gatineau/Aylmer