Dear Editor,
The one thing upon which Mrs. Smith and I agree is we wish more of Neosho’s citizens were involved in the design for the Square. It appears that the low turnouts at the informational meetings are an indication that people are either apathetic or too busy with other things. Beyond that, I disagree with a number of items in her recent commentary printed in the newspaper. I hope others who favor the design for improvements to the Square as presented by Hurst-Rosche don’t take offense at her comparing them to “children at Christmas.” We all love Christmas, but my observation is that many of the citizens involved in these discussions are thoughtful, educated, and not mere children.
Just because there isn’t a full budget to complete a dream plan doesn’t mean you abandon the dream. You do what you can in stages and make the future improvements part of the strategic plan. We’re not concerned that all that we dream for the Square may not be completed in one go-around. We’re concerned that something be done to revive the square and many of us believe this design will go far in doing that, even if it has to be completed in stages. We know that if we do nothing we will get what we have now which is about 17 empty storefronts around the Square.
I don’t grasp a good reason for the opposition to expanding the sidewalks except for the oft-mentioned concern about how doing so might impede automobile travel. Our Square is unusual in that it is extremely wide and we’ve become accustomed to the excessively wide lanes.
It’s not uncommon to see three cars driving abreast around it, which can be confusing and downright dangerous. Americans have become a car-dependent society where we would rather drive when we could walk, and we are suffering as Americans for that. Missouri is ranked higher than the national average for occurrences of diabetes and obesity. There is already a national trend afoot toward increasing opportunities for community fitness with cities providing bicycle paths and sidewalks—more of which Neosho needs.
Currently, the sidewalks on the east side of the Square are 12.5 feet wide. The proposed sidewalk improvements will add 17 feet, just slightly more than doubling what is there now. That’s not excessive, and the other sides of the Square will see expansions less than that. Leaving two lanes of traffic each at 15 feet each is very generous. We are fortunate that early city planners allowed for such wide spaces, and it’s an opportunity for Neosho to do something unique and attractive that will draw people regionally.
