Re: EDA consultant

Here is something I have read: A VIBRANT DOWNTOWN IS A KEY COMPONENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY. So, what will the consultant see as he enters Columbia?

He'll see: sights in the city limits of vacant - some deteriorating - buildings, uneven sidewalks, old yellow paint flecked cement light post bases from years ago. These are problems that are not only unsightly, but show that the city doesn't know how to improve the town's appearance. So that impacts on economic development. It's money wasted, in my opinion, if the city doesn't do its part.

It is not a downtown we can all be proud of, that might serve as a showplace. It sets the tone for how we see ourselves as a community and how others see us.

A dynamic downtown fosters creativity, entrepreneurship and intellectual stimulation. Some of the small towns near to Columbia have learned that.

--Vonnie Kolbenschlag