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Were All In This Together |
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by Carl Mumpower
Letter to the Editor
Mountain XPress
August 5, 2003
Vivid
memories persist of my Grandmother, and childhood trips to Asheville.
That big green Buick was a chariot to heaven with the downtown
pleasures to be found at the S&W Cafeteria, Woolworths and the
Plaza Theater. Most trips we found a parking space on the street, or a
handy attended lot close to the action. [But] times passage has seen
the closing of each of those wonderful doors.
That big Buick and
my dear Grandmother have disappeared into dust and memories. Im still
here, for a time, and continue to find and appreciate downtown
pleasures. What I generally dont find easy is parking.
We have
a new downtown [thats] more successful than ever, and most of us
choose to drive there to have fun there. Parking garage capacity is
adequate to cover almost all of our downtown needs, and more [garage
parking] is on the way. The ghost of my Grandmother haunts us a bit,
however, in that we all seem to prefer parking on the street, or in
that convenient lot near the action. Thus the stage is set for a
struggle of needs that pits downtown visitors against property owners,
towing services and others searching for convenience - its a formula
for problems.
Abuses occur on all sides in the form of predatory
towing, vandalism and littering; poor or nonexistent signage; and
indifference to the rights of private property owners. [But] a measure
of relief may be in sight: Asheville City Council, with the support of
our local legislative delegation, will soon imp!
lement o
rdinances
designed to help. Its a start, but the real solutions will come more
through mutual consideration than additional government regulation.
The
letters that follow bring dramatic focus on our parking issues. What
unfolds is not a simple tale of "good guys/bad guys." Buried in both
letters are challenges that speak to anyone who lives, works, plays or
invests downtown. We are all in this together–whether we own the car,
the property or the tow truck–there are solid reasons to look out for
one another.
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