Nuria Sanchez generated some interesting dialogue with her question on Facebook to local residents about Old Town.
She wondered how many people looked to Old Town as a place they’re likely to go like other parts of Chemainus to shop, enjoy the amenities and businesses, stop in and browse the stores or just to say hello.
It does seem like Old Town is often overlooked by those who’ve been living here a long time. Sanchez acknowledged tourists find that part of town through Google searches and from making the rounds.
It all brings up an interesting aspect about Chemainus and how it’s very much segregated into different sections. None of these sections is very far apart as the crow flies, but to some it seems like the distance prevents them from going from one to another.
You can certainly understand it with seniors or those with mobility issues, but for the average person who’s in reasonably good shape without any major problems, it doesn’t take long to walk from one end of Chemainus to the other.
But many people are either unwilling to do it or don’t want to. Having to carry items while walking is another matter.
There’s Old Town, Downtown, Village Square and Chemainus Road as the main quadrants that comprise Chemainus. All are relatively close, but separated by housing.
In a perfect world, the town would not have been built this way. It has evolved like this over time, particularly with Village Square being constructed more recently outside the more established areas.
The path through Waterwheel Park makes access easy and a connection point between Old Town and Downtown. The same can’t be said for further along Chemainus Road and Village Square, but there’s always ways to make the town more cohesive.
Continuity among the four areas would make life better for all the businesses in town, but that’s the way things are so you make the best of it.
In the future, it will be a good idea to find ways to better connect the areas, whether that means a small shuttle or physical changes once older houses are torn down and replaced with additional businesses to close the gap.