To a great many of our visitors, tourists, passers-through, and seasonal residents, U.S.-23 South, up from Squaw Bay, is their main gateway into Alpena.

The area has taken an economic beating, of late, with the closure of Peebles and the announced closures of Burger King and J.C. Penney in the Alpena Mall.

While the area remains vibrant, with several local and chain businesses in operation, we hope those closures aren’t signs of a beginning trend.

So too does South Bay, a group of residents and others working with businesses and governments to make the South Bay corridor as beautiful and bustling as it can be.

The group volunteers to clean up the corridor and is working on plans to extend the Alpena Bi-path and build a park. Those efforts make the area more attractive for residents, businesses, and visitors.

We urge our readers to join in and support those efforts, and not just those who live along the corridor.

As the main southerly gateway into the city, the beauty and health of the South Bay corridor affects all of us. We all have a stake, and we all should support the efforts.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)