Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Let's all just walk..
Check your neighborhood walkability score! Did you know that downtown Crookston has a walk score of 98 out of 100! And the north residential end of town has a 38! So why do keep on with sprawling out the North end of Crookston? Check out this site: www.walkscore.com, and type in your address. Let’s think “green” in March.
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Kay I haven't been around when the flood waters really got bad so can you give me some info. If the river reaches 26 feet does it back up by Taco Johns and Arbys? Will or can it move up the street towards Dominos Pizza and flood parts of downtown from the north? You grew up here so has there been a time when all the bridges into the center of town have been over run by flood waters? Good blog, keep it up.
ReplyDeleteHi Jake, I'd guess you know by now where the water goes when Crookston is near flooding. It always hits the low areas first the area under the RR Bridge both by Dominos Pizza and by the Fire Hall on 75. In all my years here, the downtown has been safe from high water. Anyone out there who can correct me, please post! I think the flood of 1953 or 54 the water went over all bridges, but they were not the bridges of today. We could be called "the Oxbow City!" Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteAre we getting out onto unsteady ground with the lack of city spending downtown? I know you detail lots of plans on your blog here while the city spends on projects that have nothing to do with vacant buildings or downtwon. Where is the stimulus for downtown Crookston. Also what eventually will happen to the old Cathedral if it continues to just sit there?
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, you have some really good questions. I’m not sure what you mean by “unsteady ground.” Please clarify for me. Regarding the former Cathedral, I believe it has to “sit there” until a couple of generations grow up and the hurt when the former Bishop built his new box-style Cathedral passes away. We are almost there now. The majority of the roof is in great shape. The Prairie Skyline Foundation repaired the steeple shingles. The Foundation is working toward a “Brownfields” clean-up grant and matching grants to fix the flat roofs. It is structurally sound. Its best use is as a performing/visual arts center combined with a Gateway to Northwest Minnesota tourism information center. Raising funds for an arts feasibility study by “Artspace,” is on the agenda of the Prairie Skyline Foundation. We just need to get the focus on our strong arts community for this project to move forward.
ReplyDeleteIf we want to get downtown C-Towne growing again, we may have to do it ourselves. Establishing a strong downtown improvement (DI) association is the first step. It is in numbers that we can influence the City to pay attention to downtown. Within the new group, we can do marketing for new business owners, paying attention to the niche we want: the retired or second income families. And we can do many things with an organization like this.
BTW, think for a moment, if property taxes downtown were income taxes what a wake up call that would be for City and County leaders!
I believe the City will focus on affordable housing downtown shortly, a great move: people first, businesses follow. As far as stimulus money goes, block grant money is the best choice for the City of Crookston to apply for. They can apply for projects that fix blight. Perhaps it will be creating a downtown stimulus package, and/or assisting with the Palace Hotel and KT Apartments project. Working together, the City and a new DI group, we can turn blight into a blessing.
Good reply to my question. Did you notice that the Nicholas Collections Mall will be shuttering it building soon. I believe Speedie Auto is closed for good on 5th and N Broadway. There's also all the vacant buildings peppered throughout downtown. The problem the city's inaction leads to is a inability to ever turn this around years from now. Housing for low income will, likely, become common place downtown. Nothing wrong with that except that it won't be business commercial.
ReplyDeleteThanks Spock, Yes, I was sorry to hear that Denise will be closing her store, she has put so much into it over the years. Remember that low-income folks are the single heads of households, the people working at fast food restaurants, the nurse’s aides at the hospital, starving artists and students.
ReplyDeleteI like to stay positive and encourage people by explaining that the more people downtown, the more businesses will open. This has been a proven economic development strategy. One of the best things that could happen to Crookston’s downtown is if UMC bought the Fournet Block (Four Seasons, Munn’s etc.) and the former Professional Building aka the former Villa St. Vincent and rehabbed these buildings into student housing. Think what the $10 million new dorm could do if it was downtown! The City could put in bike racks and flowers around town and encourage walking and funky shops and services will come. There’s nothing like the fresh outlook of students to revitalize us all.
Hi Kay,
ReplyDeletePeople are interested in saving the bowling center rather then have it remain closed. Anyway a non profit can be started up by interested parties so as to buy it? Thanks, Patsy