The Sun Journal article April 5 about Lewiston’s working canals was misleading. Instead of “Powering it down,” it should have read “Powering it off.”
Powering down doesn’t sound like the death of the canals. Many people are asleep at the switch, which the perpetrators knew would happen, so the low-key statement “powering it down” doesn’t sound as menacing as “powering it off.”
The federal stimulus bill states that there is a canal program to upgrade canals. If Lewiston’s canals had been upgraded as they should have been, Lewiston could have been in line for some of that federal money.  Instead, the canals are dead in the water” (great pun) because of Jim Bennett’s insistence that they were no good. He is 100 percent wrong, but that makes no difference, and I don’t have to tell anyone why it makes no difference to him or others who went along with his plan to destroy the working canals.
I have spoken to many, many citizens, and they were shocked to find out about the plans to kill the working canals. They said they wanted to be the ones who would vote to keep them or not.
I was born in Lewiston, and I love Lewiston, but after the destruction of the city’s heritage, including Bates Mill No. 5, I will be looking elsewhere to live, where there are no working canals or mills to bring to ruin by scheming officials.
Or maybe Bennett should be the one to get out of town.
Rita Jean, Lewiston