The Poplar Bluff City Council will vote in December on a budget that could strip downtown revitalization efforts of funding. Or it could continue support for the historic heart of Poplar Bluff just as families have begun to return.
Brothers-in-law Ken Hill and Philip Neeley spent a year renovating Foxtrot Coffee with careful hands that preserved the original glass windows and twin cast iron pillars at the front entrance of 404 Vine St.
Friends Travis Taylor, Mike White and Jon Trammell have created a place at Bronze Owl not only for their craft beers, but also their daughters' homemade sodas.
The Iron Horse Festival saw perhaps its most successful event ever in September, as thousands shopped the booths and downtown attractions. It was also an effort that brought together new community partnerships.
The board of Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc., has asked for a $50,000 line item, making the salary of its executive director a permanent part of the city budget. This director organized the festival and helps business owners find downtown properties, as well as navigate city regulations.
The money for this salary comes from hotel tax collections. This fund can only be used to support tourism efforts, and it currently has a cash surplus in excess of $300,000. It cannot pay for general fund expenses like first responder salaries or street repairs.
A familiar refrain from opponents of spending money on the city blocks at the core of our community has been that this is and always will be a losing battle.
The DAR would propose the businesses making their home here would disagree. We suggest the husband and wife in the midst of extensive renovations to the former 303 Package and Liquor, and Lucas Edington, the new owner of one of the downtown area's most troubled buildings, see opportunity.
City and private investment in downtown offer not only the chance to preserve the history of Poplar Bluff, but also create a unique draw for tourism dollars. This is something that has the potential to benefit every business.
Residents know only too well how an injection of cash can change the face of our city.
City leaders voted in 2012 to pay developers of Eight Points retail area $35 million, plus interest and other fees, to turn a mobile home park into the current location of Menards and a dozen other businesses.
One salary is a much smaller price to pay to help rebuild the downtown for generations to come.
The other option is to ignore the aging buildings and let this district become a drain on our police, fire and other city resources as the deterioration continues.
The city of Poplar Bluff, as the largest single property owner in the downtown area, should especially be concerned about this. Particularly since this is already the home of the Black River Coliseum event and aquatic center.
We agree there is still a great deal of work to do here, but that's why we can't stop now.
-- Daily American Republic