Citizens speak out against moving town hall to Shelby Road

A large crowd filled the Poplar Bluff City Council chambers Monday night, with more than a dozen business owners and private citizens each speaking in support of keeping city hall downtown.

Although not an agenda item, 15 people spoke during the citizen’s input in response to a 4-3 vote by the council on Sept. 3 to pursue a Shelby Road location for a new city complex. The proposed complex would house city hall, the police department and Municipal Court.

Dylan Acevedo, who owns a few buildings downtown, spoke on behalf of the private investors and expressed “our concerns about the direction of city hall being moved out of downtown.”

Acevedo asked the council to look at what was best for the city.

“I have a dog in the fight about keeping downtown going,” said Acevedo, who sees the potential in downtown, which is the reason he is involved.

Acevedo said he has seen other downtowns across the county and what has been done to them to make them thrive.

“I see potential in Poplar Bluff … I am going to do it,” Acevedo said. “I’m very committed to downtown.”

So much so, Acevedo said, he has put “my money on the line” and signed grant paperwork.

Acevedo reportedly put $500,000 up for the city to possibly receive $500,000 in grant funding.

Having the city pull out of downtown, Acevedo said, is not going to look good for the city’s grant application when so many other cities are applying across the state of Missouri.

In recent years, Acevedo said, there have been improvements in downtown.

Acevedo asked the council to move away from the Shelby Road option and with the option to stay downtown.

Thomas Wright, who has owned a Tom’s Barber Shop on Vine Street for 33 years, reminded the council of its previous vote to keep city hall and the police department downtown and also talked about the potential grant money that could “go away.”

Wright asked the council to “do what the people want instead of voting against us. … Most people want the police station and city hall back downtown.

“I ask you to do what the people want.”

According to Poplar Bluff attorney Robert Smith, 87 percent of the votes in recent Chamber of Commerce surveys were to keep city hall downtown.

“I hope all of you will listen to the people, not your own” desires, said Smith, who indicated he sees immense growth and interest in downtown.

Ben Traxel with Dille and Traxel Architects advocated for city hall and the police department not being adjoined.

“I see no reason why this should be the case,” Traxel said. “They are separate functions, and more often than not in cities the size of Poplar Bluff or larger, are separate.”

A city hall, Traxel said, needs to have a promotional aspect, an appearance of invitation, be positive and welcoming.

“A police department needs to be efficient,” said Traxel, who indicated it does matter where it is built because officers are responding from their cars not a building.

As far as city hall, “good or bad, every city has an identity,” Traxel said. “It is remembered based on the experiences people have when visiting, moving about and participating in what a city has to offer.”

Cities with a positive identity are unique, Traxel said.

“When a city cares about its buildings, its history and traditions, it shows civic pride and garners community support,” Traxel said.

To say “our downtown is dead and cannot be revived is lazy,” Traxel said. “There are countless success stories throughout the state and country of revived downtowns.”

For a downtown to come alive again and flourish “a city has to make a real commitment; to date the city has not,” Traxel said.

Poplar Bluff, he said, has had Academy Sports + Outdoors, Menards, Walmart Neighborhood Market and others open.

“Great, more commerce, more tax money available, more people being lured to the city,” Traxel said. “When these places are the only destination points the city has to offer, they become the identity of the town.”

Every town has an Academy, Menards and Walmart, Traxel said.

“They provide nothing unique, different or special,” Traxel said. “These destinations are exactly the same in every 20,000 population city in the Midwest.

“In other words, they are forgettable, and as the only destination points, make the town forgettable.”

City hall, according to Traxel, is a landmark building.

“Leaving downtown shows a lack of commitment to a unique identity,” Traxel said. “Building it downtown shows respect to our past leaders, shows a commitment to a rebirth of the city.

“And, it shows the city is proud of its past and has faith in its future.”

In asking the council to reconsider building downtown, Traxel suggested a location not previously discussed on Fifth Street, between Pine and Vine streets.

Presently a city-owned parking lot, “it is also a major entrance, if not the major entrance, into our downtown,” Traxel said.

Building city hall on the site would “not only provide an anchor, but a front door to our downtown and would be a magnificent statement in recreating Poplar Bluff’s identity.”

Also speaking were Sandra Elliott, Jack Altman, Charlotte Craig, Felix Baker, Phyllis Baker, Ron Hill, Joyann Githens-Bates, Chester Phumphrey, Wally Duncan and Robert Kearbey.

All spoke of keeping city hall downtown and several indicated the police department could be located wherever Chief Danny Whiteley thought would work best for his department.

Duncan said there needs to be a “compelling reason” to move city hall out of downtown, and “nothing is a compelling reason why it should be moved.”