OUR VIEW: Residents, city work together for MLK tribute

Poplar Bluff ofificials recenlty made an announcement and accepted a donation toward a Martin Luther King Jr. tribute on a city street.

The project is a long time in coming. Many conversations were held between city officials and the community members who brought the project forward about how and what could be done.

Pastor Spencer Jones attended numerous council meetings, starting more than a year ago, asking for this project.

The project they have decided on will be a memorial section of Pine Street, with signs and banners recognizing the late civil rights leader.

Citizens have raised half of the cost of the signs and the city will pay for the remainder. The signs will be purchased from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

We want to thank Pastor Jones for continuing to bring this matter to the attention of city officials and continuing to have dialogue with those who could make the project possible, including state officials.

The project will require state legislature approval, which city manager Matt Winters is hopeful will happen in the next session.

It will likely take another year before signs can be put in place.

It might have been tempting for those involved in the project to give up with such a long process to go through. Thank you for continuing to work toward this goal, even when the process itself has not been simple.

Thank you as well to the citizens who have raised $1,600 to help pay for the signs.