Tuesday night, dreams were welcome.
Not the pie-in-the-sky kind, but the ones where if you just had a little help, they might come true.
Tuesday’s summit was to discuss downtown Iola and the fact that it now has many empty storefronts. Our “smile” looks like a Jack-o-lantern’s.
The best thing that came out of the evening was that to a one, people agree action needs to be taken on multiple fronts — improved streets and sidewalks, amenities such as public restrooms, a concerted effort to do business locally — because without it we have no reason to expect change.
One of the things that some people resent about “economic development” is that it always seems to be for someone else; they take offense at being asked to foot the bill to recruit “outsiders” or for things they never will get to enjoy.
But at Tuesday’s forum all sorts of ideas came up that were, frankly, very self-serving. Good for us!
It’s not indulgent to want a more attractive downtown; and if it happens to attract out-of-towners, all the better.
Heck, if we aren’t happy with our downtown, then why should we expect others to be?
For me, that would include a splash pad on the courthouse lawn where children could delight in random sprays of water while their parents sit on nearby benches.
Other suggestions were a charging station for electric-powered cars; bike rentals, a downtown art gallery; statues of the presidents represented by the square’s four streets: Madison, Jefferson, Washington and Jackson; flower planters hanging from lampposts, and a cooperative of sorts where several merchants could share one large space.
The goal is to make downtown a destination for a variety of purposes, including doing business, shopping, dining and entertainment.
Why is it a big deal? Because a community’s downtown is its heart and soul.
And it’s up to us whether that heartbeat is vibrant, or weak.