Many people in Gravenhurst, especially business owners, likely breathed a sigh of relief last week after hearing a delegation to town council.

Judy Terry, chair of the Business Improvement Area, made public the BIA’s true feelings when it comes to the discrepancy in how the town appears to treat Muskoka Wharf and its businesses versus the rest of the community.

And when you look at things, it can be perceived that Terry’s assumption is correct.

We all recognize that it is an important job for the town to ensure that the millions of taxpayers’ dollars used to create the wharf were well spent by making sure it is successful. It is also an important job of the town to ensure that taxpayers’ money is not spent to the betterment of one area of town over another.

There should be no preferential treatment for wharf businesses, because it is just as vital to have a vibrant downtown core and industrial sector as it is to have success at the wharf.

While the creation of a board to help manage the affairs at the wharf seems like a solid idea, similar to Mayor Klinck’s reference as to the how the library board operates, under no circumstances should that board be used to plan events or spend taxpayers’ money to promote the wharf.

The downtown and the wharf should be treated as equal assets to Gravenhurst, and if any money is spent by the town to market the wharf, an equal amount of money should be handed over to separately market other areas of town.

And honestly, isn’t it money better spent, promoting all of what Gravenhurst has to offer, as opposed to focusing on one area?

If the wharf businesses want to run separate and solo marketing campaigns, then let the wharf businesses all chip in to pay that bill, just as the BIA or chamber of commerce should do.

The town needs to make a clear distinction as to where its service to wharf businesses begins and ends, and what exactly the terms of reference for the wharf board are.

And let’s remember, when putting Gravenhurst out into the spotlight, the sum is greater than its parts.

KF