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Auburn Annie · 08-01-2008, 09:22 AM

I dunno - I realize the letter writer is more concerned about conditions in downtown Stockton than entertainment, even by our Gord, but come on lady. I'd walk dark streets to see/hear Gord, even in Stockton.

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Downtown is for work, not for fun
I love Stockton. I grew up here. In fact, my mom was born here, the daughter of Swedish immigrants in the early 1900s. I'm a proud graduate of Stagg Senior High School, class of 1960.

The past several years have produced a lot of negativity about my town. It's not too difficult to see why. And it hurts to admit that so much of it is based on truth. But I only want to address one hot topic: redevelopment of downtown.

It started interestingly enough decades ago. Clean it up. The buildings, the street people. Tear down the old county courthouse and the slums west of Center Street. Make it safe for people to come downtown.

Then, instead of re-creating a business/financial district, the money handlers decided to attract people to the area for fun. When are those people going to admit it hasn't worked?

The inspiration for this letter comes from repeated advertising on the radio for the Oct. 15 event at the Bob Hopeless Theatre. The attraction: Gordon Lightfoot!

How many of your readers have just said, "Who?" Exactly. Who is going to pay for tickets to travel downtown at night (and not wine and dine before the event at Paragary's), then walk the dark streets, to see Gordon Lightfoot?

Give it up, City Council, city planners, Downtown Stockton Alliance. Go downtown for an evening of fun? It's not going to happen.

Carol Dooley

Stockton

08-01-2008, 09:22 AM	#1
Auburn Annie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 3,101	Stockton letter to editor I dunno - I realize the letter writer is more concerned about conditions in downtown Stockton than entertainment, even by our Gord, but come on lady. I'd walk dark streets to see/hear Gord, even in Stockton. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Downtown is for work, not for fun I love Stockton. I grew up here. In fact, my mom was born here, the daughter of Swedish immigrants in the early 1900s. I'm a proud graduate of Stagg Senior High School, class of 1960. The past several years have produced a lot of negativity about my town. It's not too difficult to see why. And it hurts to admit that so much of it is based on truth. But I only want to address one hot topic: redevelopment of downtown. It started interestingly enough decades ago. Clean it up. The buildings, the street people. Tear down the old county courthouse and the slums west of Center Street. Make it safe for people to come downtown. Then, instead of re-creating a business/financial district, the money handlers decided to attract people to the area for fun. When are those people going to admit it hasn't worked? The inspiration for this letter comes from repeated advertising on the radio for the Oct. 15 event at the Bob Hopeless Theatre. The attraction: Gordon Lightfoot! How many of your readers have just said, "Who?" Exactly. Who is going to pay for tickets to travel downtown at night (and not wine and dine before the event at Paragary's), then walk the dark streets, to see Gordon Lightfoot? Give it up, City Council, city planners, Downtown Stockton Alliance. Go downtown for an evening of fun? It's not going to happen. Carol Dooley Stockton