To the City’s Leadership:
We’ll admit it, and we’ll even write it out loud: We’re really beginning to appreciate the streetscape!
Don’t get us wrong, now, we still have our questions (Is there a plan in place to maintain all of that concrete?) and we have our concerns (What impact will winter weather have on those grave-deep bioswales?), but the streetscaping that’s finally coming to fruition in downtown Wheeling is clean and crisp and is a fantastic upgrade from the tired and crumbling curbs and walks that were in place prior.
And … WOW!! LOOK AT THAT WALKABILITY!!
It was FREE, too, since the state picked up the vast majority of the $37 million bill, so let’s hope we see vacant storefronts start filling with tenants and the number of downtown residents grow so we can see some foot traffic finally return to Main and Market streets. Sure, we know downtown Wheeling will never be the retail mecca it was 50 years ago, but it soon will become more than the cluttered construction zone it’s been for the past five or six years.
We can’t wait to watch it evolve. Congratulations to all involved.
So, here’s the next logical question? Can other business district areas of the city get streetscaped, too? Like National Road in Elm Grove? The Centre Market area? Maybe others?
Doable or not, we hope to hear the conversation.
Sincerely,
Baby Steps
