Published: July 24, 2008 01:03 am         

Sales may be advantage to city

To the editor:

In hope of a more progressive and attractive future for Greenville and Hunt County, I have to agree with what Mr. Byron Taylor had published in the Tuesday, July 8, and the Friday, July 14, newspapers concerning Greenville.

Even though I don’t drink any kind of alcoholic beverages myself, I believe that the sale of beer and wine would be of more advantage than disadvantage to Greenville.

It would help keep more tax money in town, also bring in more businesses and customers from the outside into town with even more tax revenue.

I also believe that if Greenville could have persuaded Lowe’s to build their facility where the old Esco building still stands, it would have helped bring more customers to downtown. Not only would it have brought more customers to downtown but also (would have) influenced more business to follow.

Even though it’s too late for Lowe’s to build there at I-30, Lee and FM 499, it’s not too late to get an attractive business or businesses built there. I’m not talking about a three-sided tin building with an 80-percent brick and/or mortar front either.

As Mr. Taylor and I have said, it would help draw more customers and more business to downtown. After all, that’s what the revitalization of downtown is all about.

Mr. Taylor mentioned opening another entry into town, with which I also agree. Yes, there will be the new Monty Stratton Parkway which the City stated is a new gateway into town in the Sunday, July 20, paper. I just can’t see that it will be much of a gateway when it will only go just a little way to the north of Lions Lair Road and then will curve back to the west and T-bone into Highway 1570. Monty Stratton Parkway won’t benefit downtown at all.

I believe building the new underpass at Sayle Street would have been a better choice for an entry. Sayle Street could eventually take you all the way to Graham Park, which is on Sockwell Blvd. if the City just would.

If the underpass was built at Sayle Street and Sayle Street was carried on across the railroad tracks, it would have benefited the fire and police departments, possibly a main school bus route and downtown.

Hopefully, instead of extending Wellington Street, then curving it to the west and then T-boning into Highway 1570, the City will start the extension of Wellington Street at Shelby Avenue and build it to run parallel with Sayle all the way to I-30 and eventually build another underpass so Wellington could continue to the south.

Doing this would be a benefit to the hospital and emergency vehicles going to and from the hospital needing to cross I-30. Doing this would benefit the north and south sides of town.

It’s also a shame that Greenville couldn’t put on a fireworks show, especially with the high tax rate that we pay.

I also agree with Mr. Taylor about having a street car line.

Matter of fact, I drew a small layout of a trolley line that would start behind the Cotton Museum and go north on an abandoned railroad bed to Park Street, then go down the center of Park continuing on and crossing Wesley Street, then Roberts Street, then curving to the north, crossing King Street, then Oneal (and Caddo Street) on another old abandoned railroad bed that continues to the north and comes up in front of the Katy Depot, then continuing the line to Graham Park.

I believe this would be a big attraction to new tax business and tourists.

Showing this to the City is where they got the idea of using the railroad beds for walking trails, which I don’t agree with.

I drew up a larger and more detailed layout of the trolley line and streets, plus the location of different buildings from south of Joe Ramsey Blvd. to the city reservoirs.

I would like the public’s opinion on this. I hope you can agree on at least some of these ideas.

Thank you,

Gerry Hitchcock

Greenville