I will not address the City Council on December 3 regarding the $2.6M renovation of the old train depot, but if I did, I might offer the following: Excluding city officials, how often do you visit the Old State Bank building? I dare say not often, if ever. I watched trains roll in and out of the railroad station as a child from the doors of my great grandmothers dress shop. I have seen an empty station since the late 60s or so. 40 years have passed while decay has eaten away at the station. 40 years have passed and we still barely use the Old State Bank building. This will soon change for the Bank bldg because of the new amphitheater thanks to many including Downtown Redevelopment and Parks and Rec. Now, when was the last time you visited or needed one of our Parks and Rec services? Attention needs to be given to our future economic growth. I have seen large attendance and great revenue from venues of Jack Allen Park, Ingalls Harbor and Point Mallard. We must stop the budget reductions for our Parks and Rec. New hotels and economic impact for Decatur will come from investing in our Parks and Rec, not the renovation of the train depot. When (and I do say when) the city economy allows for a budget surplus we can revisit the restoration. I urge my Councilman, Chuck Ard to vote no. While the Old State Bank building is a beautiful site and is positioned on a major thoroughfare, it might be enough for maintaining that portion of our history.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 04:42:37 +0000
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