The Peoples Pier should prove to be an asset to Washington’s waterfront, probably the city’s greatest asset, aside from its people.

The People’s Pier will allow folks — residents and visitors alike — to walk out over the Pamlico River and discover views they cannot obtain from the Stewart Parkway promenade or even the city-owned docks along the downtown waterfront. The Peoples Pier will be open to the public. The city docks often are restricted to boaters using those docks, and some of those boaters do not necessarily want the public to have access to their boats. That’s understandable. The Peoples Pier helps alleviate such concerns.

The Peoples Pier will provide the public another access point to the Pamlico River. Providing such access has been a priority for the city for several years, especially since the public lost access to Whichard’s Beach and Griffin’s Beach several years ago.

The city has budgeted $150,000 for the project. Just this week, the City Council awarded an $83,124 contract to Sawyer’s Residential & Marine Construction to build the Peoples Pier and erect the pier’s gazebo-like structure. That’s a relatively low price to pay to provide the public another way to access the Pamlico River.

Not everyone supports the building of the Peoples Pier. During a public hearing concerning the pier, several people voiced opposition to it. They said it would intrude into the river’s navigable channel and mar the city’s beautiful waterfront. Others said it would not help improve the city’s economy by drawing more visitors to the city and its waterfront.

Earlier this year, Chris Furlough, president of the Washington Harbor District Alliance, said the pier would not intruded into the navigable channel. He said the pier would enhance visitors’ experiences with the city’s waterfront.

“This was part of the reinvestment strategy (adopted by the city) back in 2009,” Furlough said.

That strategy has brought about Festival Park, public restrooms at Festival Park and the dockmaster’s station (with public restrooms) at the west end of Stewart Parkway, Furlough said. The strategy also calls for a pier as part of the waterfront experience, he noted.

The city, with its decision to proceed with building the Peoples Pier, continues to invest in that strategy. That strategy deserves the opportunity to be implemented fully and given a chance to prove itself.