 |
|||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
|||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||
Yes friends, it's mea culpa time here on my hill overlooking Cox's Creek. I've been guilty of taking some tongue-in-cheek jabs at developer and Bardstown native Rick Hill. In the past I compared him (in jest) to the Professor Harold Hill of Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man." The reason? Hill's vision of what Bardstown could become sounded so fantastic, so outlandish, it seemed truly unbelieveable. My training in cynicism (a subset of journalism) led me to wonder if this was not $94,000 worth of smoke, mirrors and hyperbole. Condos in downtown? A specialty grocer? Surely this has to be a joke. Trust me, it is not. I'm as guilty as the next resident of not allowing myself to think outside the "Historic Bardstown" box. Bardstown is Bardstown is Bardstown. Period. Who in their right mind would invest in new development in the downtown? Besides, who would want to live downtown? If Hill is right, quite a few people will. Hill's presentation was a fascinating trip through the streets of what Bardstown could become. Not what it will be, but what it could be IF there's enough cooperation from local government all the way up to the developer and property owner. The general public -- those who did not attend any of Rick Hill's sessions -- are probably as skeptical as I have been. I would suggest that NCEDA and its partners and the media -- particularly The Kentucky Standard -- create a campaign to better educate the average citizen. How? Make use of what newspapers are good for -- detailed explanation of complicated issues. Show the public in words and pictures an overview of Hill's vision. Perhaps NCEDA could pay for a double truck or four-page section devoted to the plan -- in four colors no less. Wow, that's expensive, right? Yep. But with the backing of some of the community's leading businesses and lending institutions, the cost wouldn't be prohibitive. Why do this when you can get the plan for free at the NCEDA office next week on paper, CD or the Web? I love the Internet and using my computer, but when it comes to serious reading on an issue, gimme paper. Give me photos. Give me analysis. Give me facts, charts and more. And give it to me on newsprint. Give it to the readers of Nelson County in The Kentucky Standard. Is it really necessary to worry what Ma & Pa Resident really think about Hill's plan? They aren't the ones who are going to be developing the properties or buying the condos that might be built. True, but this isn't a conversation limited to developers, investors and property owners. It needs to encompass the community in a way no other issue has. What we need next is "buzz" about the possibilities outlined in Hill's plan. And who knows? When Ma & Pa sell their farm, they'll want to find a place that's cushy, comfortable, close to amenities and low maintenance. A downtown condo, perhaps? Maybe, as one local businessman told me afterward, the plan really is little more than "Disneyland" thinking -- a fantasy world that can't be achieved in real life. Challenging residents and property owners to consider new realities of what Bardstown may become is certainly something that's been worth the price of admission. And in the same Disneyland example, even Walt Disney's original concept of the theme park has continued to evolve and re-invent itself. Disneyland isn't a bad analogy when you think about it. Hill's plan challenges Bardstown to think "what if?" If we keep doing what we've always done, we'll never get different results. If nothing else, we owe it to ourselves and our community to open our minds to the possibility of change ... change in a way we've never considered before. That's how it looks this morning from my hill overlooking Cox's Creek.
|
| © 2002-2008. Blurty Journal. All rights reserved. |