Speak Out 6/23/14

Increase jobs, watch city grow

[mail] Dear Speakout,

Poplar Bluff should use the thousand spring bulbs that Mrs. Houts-Epps has donated to the depot planting project for an annual spring flower festival. Move the Home & Garden Show at the Coliseum up a month to coincide with the same week the carnival is set up in its parking lot. Have pony cart rides for the kids on a level street or parking lot and have the historical commission set up a booth with tickets to a walking tour of historical houses and gardens from houses near the coliseum or on or near Main Street and have a driving tour of Poplar Bluff parks. Feature plantings at the depot, the scent garden at the library and the sculpture garden at the art museum.

Two recent comments in speak out point to the main problem here in town. Jobs and the need for new industry. I believe one reason that Nordyne moved to Mexico is because the enterprize zone status ended. If it was placed on the areas now experiencing retail growth, such as the area of the new hospital and Menards, etc.., then one question for a city manager candidate would be can we keep the enterprise zones we have and renew them for the industrial park. One of the effects of the loss of these jobs at Rowe and Nordyne may be the increase in the blighted areas. One question that was asked by the city was, how do we make these vacant properties more profitable. Well, you increase factory jobs so these properties don't become vacant and then vandalized and bulldozed down. If you think you can cover up the underlying problem with a bulldozer, well, good luck with that!

Signed, Resident of Poplar Bluff.

Crossways of crosswords

Thanks for answering my call. I just wonder what's up with the Daily American Republic rerunning so many of our crossword puzzles here lately? Now the crossword puzzles are one of my favorite parts of the newspaper, but I don't like to have to do the same one the next day. Thanks anyway. Bye.