The editorial pages of the StarNews are regularly littered with the desire to have larger governments, more regulations and support for large government projects like convention centers and ball stadiums. Now they have weighed in on adding MORE government to the waterfront.
Downtown needs a public commons. Downtown needs a place for picnics. Downtown desperately needs a playground for children. The Water Street deck would be the perfect spot. The best use would be something that downtown desperately needs – open park space.
“Desperately Needs”???? That’s kind of a weird choice of words. What Wilmington desperately needs is more entrepreneurs, more innovators, job creators. Heck, it desperately needs fewer regulations. It even desperately needs some vision. But it most certainly does NOT desperately need a place for more picnics.
It might WANT another park, but it doesn’t NEED one. And that’s ultimately the problem. When editors and big government types don’t know the difference between needs and wants, we’re all in trouble.
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07
2012 At 6:25 am, justin Said:
Chad,
Did you ever stop to consider that public spaces -like green spaces, parks and playgrounds- actually help attract businesses, entrepreneurs, job creators and economic growth in communities? The dingy and dilapidated parking deck on Water Street would be an ideal location for a park and amphitheater. Just visit our downtown on any recent Friday night during the Downtown Concert series; families gathered, listening to music, all shopping and eating in LOCAL businesses. A larger venue for folks to set out chairs and blankets, other than the dirty and crowded steps of the Federal Courthouse, would be a welcome addition. Building a park for the taxpayers isn’t building bigger government – it’s building a better community. And if you knew your Wilmington history, you would remember that this community has voted -again and again- for adding green space bond monies. We value our parks because we value our community. We certainly have a vision.
09
2012 At 10:20 am, Bob Smith Said:
It’s amazing and amusing how editors distort our English words: as you point out statists promote their “wants” by using “need”–a word they fling carelessly in the editorial air hoping it will land on some gullible politician desperate for more votes.
13
2012 At 9:53 am, Chad Adams Said:
Green spaces aren’t necessarily bad, but the sheer volume of them is overkill. Why do we need two golf courses? Why are we now the owners of Airlie Gardens? What about dozens of parks we already own? At what point is enough enough? Every time you remove a piece of taxpaying property, you make it a tax spending piece of property. Right now, we’re looking at removing millions of dollars in tax paying property for a baseball stadium.
No, it’s not inherently evil by any stretch, but we could make ALL of downtown Wilmington a park and it might be beautiful, but who would pay for it?