AMHERST – The entrance to Canada’s Ocean Playground needs an upgrade.
Art Marks, who is running for one of six seats on Amherst town council, said he will work with the rest of council and the Municipality of Cumberland to enhance the entrance to the province and the town if he’s elected on Oct. 20.
Marks is one of nine candidates for town council.
“We have one of the most beautiful areas of the province here in Cumberland County and there a half-million vehicles passing by our community. We have to get them off the highway,” the 64-year-old Marks said. “We are the first community these people come to when they enter Nova Scotia, but there’s nothing there to encourage them to come into Amherst.”
Amherst has done considerable work to enhance its downtown in recent years, including new entrance signage on LaPlanche, Victoria and Church streets. Marks would like to see the town-county entry committee brought back to find ways to enhance the road from the tourist bureau to the town.
Marks also wants to see the town do more to create new jobs in the community. He said considerable efforts were made 10 years ago to bring GFS Foodservice and Staples to Amherst, but little has been done since then to continue the momentum.
“We have lost our momentum,” Marks said. “We need to start lobbying business and industry and we need to go after government to replace the jobs they’re taking out of here.”
dcole@amherstdaily.com
