It has come to my attention by the notice posted on Park Street and through other people that the houses on Bendigo and Park are to be torn down to put up a Bartell’s drug store.

Why do we need a Bartell’s drug store? We have pharmacies in Safeway and QFC. We don’t need a drug store. Those houses look very nice and provide a buffer between the Frankies Pizza plaza and the ACE hardware plaza. They are important to keep the small-town feel. To put a Bartell’s there would just make a long, run-on shopping complex from downtown to the bridge.

There are other places to put this. There is a big space at the end of the Safeway plaza that has nothing there. Why not buy that land and put it there? Parking is already available. There is also a lot of space in the plaza that is vacant. Why not buy the land across the street on Bendigo that is empty and put it there? There’s lots of room next to the outlet mall. Why tear down perfectly nice houses to make way for something that will be unsightly and unecessary.

If the owner of the houses doesn’t want them, sell them as homes. I am sure there are lots of people who would love to buy them.

Let’s not destroy the wonderful feel of our town just to add something we don’t need.

S. Santiago

North Bend