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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Who Wants To Visit Downtown Salisbury Any More




Yesterday I walked up and down the Plaza and spoke to a few people, (property owners) along the way and they're not very happy right now.

In fact, in one conversation someone mentioned how they put plants in one of the large planters last year and Public Works refused to water those plants because it wasn't done by the City. ind you, they had planted these plants more than a month before the City finally got around to filling the planters, because they wanted to beautify the area near their business.

Nevertheless, the Plaza has trash on the ground everywhere, the brickwork is falling apart worse than ever before and clearly public Works has been instructed not to take care of the Plaza like they used to. So, that being said, are we better off with this new Mayor? Or, is it simply the fact that the City is going broke?

For me personally, I think the property owners and or renters should be held liable for taking care of their store fronts and take the burden off the taxpayers anyway. However, I'd like to hear your thoughts on that matter. The trash cans overflowing has been an issue for far too many years.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

If they put like 5 colleges bars down there you might revive it but then you would have to do something about the hood thugs out to ruin everyone's good time !

Anonymous said...

Plus, if you are not paying close attention you can become road-kill!

Anonymous said...

This town has way too many other problems now that are more pressing than whether the plaza is viable anymore. I'd be more concerned about getting shot by some street thug than potted plants.

Anonymous said...

That new $31 Million library will make all the garbage disappear.

Anonymous said...

No one wants to go downtown salisbury anymore, there is nothing there.
Besides , get up off there lazy a-- and clean the place up , i dont want my tax money to go to cleaning private owned businesses.
Why dont they hire some people instead of keeping all the money for themselves and clean up the place.
Oh i forgot they dont have any business , because they have nothing of interest to anyone.
The only ones downtown doing well are lawyers , selling people out of there homes and defending the rich.
So go ahead keep paying your help $7 hour and see how well they economy picks up.

Anonymous said...

Even when the economy was buoyant, City Council didn't spend enough money to look after downtown. Now that the economy is in the tank, they'll spend even less.

Anonymous said...

Why dont you try putting a hardware store downtown and a drugstore and a movie theatre ,what a grocery store , and how about some reasonable prices to go along with it,
To hell with a bunch of drunk ass college kids. Send them home to mommy and daddy where they belong ,like you said the only part of the economy they help is the bars and pizza shops.
It use to work when we had all of that downtown, why wont it now?

Anonymous said...

What about all the work release guys, get them to help.

Anonymous said...

11:14

you have it all figured out. all business owners are greedy and rich. how intelligent...

Anonymous said...

Looks like the Judge is part of the system. Great photographs. Jusy tear down and make it parking. Sell it and PRMC or SU will buy it and make it pretty.

Anonymous said...

11:27
like i said , get off your ass and do something.
Looking for a hand out for free again.
Yea just like some of the local business.
You dont want to pay for your help.
Go water some flowers.

Anonymous said...

Many cities and jurisdictions have maintenance laws and requirements for owners to maintain their properties and lots. Some even have vacancy laws where properties cannot sit vacant or inhabitable for so long or the owners are forced to demolish the property. I can think of several.

This would solve a lot of problems in Salisbury and it would clean up the area making it desirable to future businesses and taxpayers.

To bad the town will never do it.

Anonymous said...

Maybe a neighborhood association of some sort can be formed made up of all volunteers to handle some of these tasks? If the association works in conjuction with the city and asks the city to do fewer things then the city might be more apt to pitch in. It is difficult i am sure with all of the budget issues but we cannot just let the downtown area continue to rot. I feel that it falls on everyones shoulders to take part in cleaning this area up.

Anonymous said...

Joe you got money why don't you just buy up the whole plaza lol

Anonymous said...

2:28 PM "a neighborhood association ... asks the city to do fewer things ..." Fewer than what?
The City doesn't do much now.

Why should anyone care about a neighborhood when Council doesn't.
Unless, they're trying to buy votes.

Anonymous said...

its the people we got running this city, a bunch of a-holes who are only out for themselves an trying to make their pockets fatter,,,,know wonder the city is in such poor shape.... an mayor jim ignorate is a joke!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I find it weird that so many of us are begging for less government spending but then are asking the government to water our plants to make our businesses look better. In my neighborhood, we have a homeowners association that we pay yearly fees to make sure the areas around our homes are maintained. i think the downtown business area should try doing the same.

Anonymous said...

What happened to the Downtown Merchants Association? Oh right - Urban Salisbury replaced it. Why don't they do a clean up day or organize their members to chip in funds to hire it done???

If Urban Salisbury cares so much - what not do the basics - like clean up the trash????

Anonymous said...

interesting negative comments. it would be very simple to put up cameras to monitor the trash cans or simply have caps on them. there is a good restaurant down there now unless we have forgotten escape. also eric the barber is down there. i think some art type stores/book store would garner interest.

Anonymous said...

What happened to all of this pride in ownership crap that is spewed regularly around Salisbury? The owners of these buildings/businesses should be out sweeping their own sidewalks and dumping their own butt receptacles. How hard is it? Why would anyone want to patronize a business that is filthy on the outside? Who knows what the inside might be like. Take pride in yourselves and stop expecting the government to do everything for you. You are responsible for the sidewalk in front of your homes, why would you think you were not responsible for the sidewalk in front of your business? Salisbury has some of the laziest people I've ever run into in my life. It seems the majority of the population in this town thinks the city, county, state or feds should be taking care of them. No wonder Obama had such a high percentage of votes in this area. You are all to lazy to take care of yourselves.

Anonymous said...

Why should anyone, anywhere in this city have to clean the streets, maintain planters or do the other things that are done everyday by local governments that take pride in their communities?

It's obvious everybody cares about the city except the City.

Anonymous said...

is the real problem a lack of people/customers?
or lack of parking, or both?
I say cover the entire plaza area kinda like Fremont str,
but without the light shows.
Keep it dry and clean;
turning it back into a mall.
We could have a really cool retro mall for the cost of a fancy roof system.
But I guess stimulus money is better spent buying deserted old mall, doing nothing anyway, parking spots that'll get used twice a yr ;
is that considered
validated parking
at 10k a day per car?

Anonymous said...

Salisbury really needs to get the vagrants off the streets. I stopped in at the library to use the copier the other day, and I had to go past a bunch of bums hanging out on the street in front. Please post some no loitering signs in front of the library and enforce them.