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This writer has class that night, so here's a suggestion for the comprehensive plan, just e-mailed to Ulteig Engineers project manager Joel Quanbeck:
Dear Mr. Quanbeck:
I don't know exactly how far the plans have progressed yet, but I'd like to throw in an idea my wife and I have toyed with for some time to increase the parkland in the city. We have a fair amount of city land from which houses were cleared following the 1993 flood. This space, like the stretch along East Center Avenue, would make a great addition to the city's green space. We propose joining these lands to create a contiguous park through the city. The East Center area already has a good number of trees, plus one existing park that would serve as an anchor for the project. To the northwest, we have unused floodplain land adjacent to Frisbee Park that would make a great expanded recreational area and might even have room for a city campground (like Howard, Brookings, and many other towns have) that could accommodate more visitors. There might even be possibilities for expanding parkland west from Flynn Field along the creek across the southwest part of town.
I look forward to seeing what your planners come up with on the Ulteig website. Do keep us posted!
Oh, and let's make sure we get some wireless hotspots in those parks so the kids can do their homework.
Madison needs a second grocery store to keep more retail dollars here. So many people drive to Sioux Falls and Brookings for groceries and Walmart. We also need the City to offer low-interest economic development loans to downtown businesses so they can upgrade, tuckpoint, re-roof and rewire their buildings for the next 50 years. Our downtown can remain vibrant. We also need to have a comprehensive plan for residential growth on the outskirts or revitalizing neighborhoods to provide affordable housing. This town is ready to boom with a few tweaks.
ReplyDeleteI must say I have often wondered why the city did not have a campground. The fact is that the state campgrounds are always full and with the city having 20-30 (or more sites) it would bring those campers into town to spend there money. The flood plain land on the creek by Union and SW 4th would be good place to start. I would also agree with the land near Frisbee park. Get some use out of the land at least.
ReplyDeleteI've got another suggestion for Madison. Get behind and promote big time Prairie Village! This is a diamond just waiting to be found. If promoted well with the community behind it, it could bring in mega bucks by people stopping thru on their way to the Hills and westward. I've heard from a former board member that the city doesn't think a whole lot of Prairie Village. If that is true, it's pathetic.
ReplyDeleteI toured New England this fall, and included was a stop at Plimoth Plantation (Plymouth Colony actually). It is a restoration of the life of those colonists and attracts many (it is hugely promoted). Why couldn't a village depicting the early life in SD do the same? Actually it could and probably would.
We were just in Branson, and that city makes a huge deal out of early Christmas shows and decorations etc. Make Prairie Village into an outdoor Christmas adventure, like it tried to do once. But this time promote it.
Maybe with more tourists going through our city, we would have more economic development and less loss of jobs as we have seen with Arctic Cat.
Cory, I would appreciate if you would pass this on to the powers that be in the Madison Plan. The hard work of bringing the buildings here etc has already been done. The city could get behind this. It would be the perfect answer to economic development for Madison.
And if they have questions or comments, I would be glad to talk to them about it under my real name.
Another thought. We just got back from Branson. Every medium sized town we drove through on the way down there had a Wal-mart. I know you personally don't like Wal-Mart, but I do and so obviously do many others.
ReplyDeleteIf Wal-Mart won't come to Madison, do they see something stagnant in our community? Don't say we are too close to Sioux Falls as that won't wash either. People would shop here if they had the opportunity. Dollar stores are filled with mostly junk, of which we already have three. Lewis Drug is nice but spendy.
Wal-Mart attracts other good businesses wherever it goes up. Why is Madison so behind the times?