I've been getting lots of feedback, lot's of people want to see SOMETHING civic happen at the corner of Main and Market. Many of the suggestions have been for a Community Center of sorts; a pool or spraypark for kids, a banquet facility for wedding and reunions, a tobacco/river heritage museum, etc.
what a great location for family reunions, weddings, and mini-conventions!
First, let's finish repaving the roads in town (haha),
but after that, We, as a community, have an exciting opportunity to create a citizen space right in the heart of Historic Downtown Weston!
The trailer park and old laundromat buildings have reached the end of their useful life and the property owner has graciously offered the property
as a blank slate to the City of Weston.
This website is intended to be a starting point for discussion, and to get started I am offering one possible solution to restoring some new life to the south end of Main Street:
The civic buildings of a town identify the symbolic and ceremonial heart of a city.
The Weston Civic Plaza, could group together new City buildings, a Platte County History Library-Education Annex, a Platte County Tobacco History Museum and Weston Chamber of Commerce to create a 'town square' that honors not only the history of Weston and it's past citizens, but also provides a useful space for the current and future citizens of Weston.
The Weston Civic Plaza could also serve as a formal gathering space for:
-COMMUNITY EVENTS, group fundraisers(bakesales, plant sales, raffles).
-APPLEFEST OUTDOOR MUSIC, let's give a proper setting for some of Weston's amazing local talent; Connie Dover, Mason Brown, Kirk Lynch, etc.
-MAYOR'S CHRISTMAS TREE lighting ceremony.
-WESTON COMMUNITY THEATER outdoor performances.
-PARK BOARD flower sale.
-A HOMEBASE for the Lewis & Clark Run/Walk, Wheel to Weston, and Memorial Walk.
-COMMUNITY MOVIE NIGHT, bring your lawn chairs and popcorn.
-WESTON HISTORY MURAL with scenes depicting Riverboat traffic and Tobacco farming.
-A FOUNTAIN, ground-bubbler type for kids (and adults) to run through.
-And anything else you can imagine for a town square!!!
Please scroll through the images below and feel free to share your opinion and vote whether or not you think Weston should seize this opportunity!
I encourage you not to get stuck on the 'details' at this point, the design of the building and proposed programming for the space is simply meant as a starting point. Use the 'comments' option or email me to suggest your ideas/alternatives!!!
feel free email me at idreamofweston@gmail.com
Thanks, Greg Hoffman - Alderman - Ward I
a place for a plant sale!
for those hot summer days!
for those cold Christmas nights!
Weston Community Theater - outdoors!
Applefest music, Connie Dover!
Movie night, bring your lawn chairs and popcorn!
MAIN FLOOR PLAN, maybe, your ideas are WELCOME!!!
What would you like to see here?
SECOND FLOOR, maybe a banquet facility for weddings and family/class reunions?!!!
6 comments:
I think it's an amazing opportunity that we shouldn't pass up! And it would clean up an area of downtown that has been an eyesore for years.
-Greg Hoffman
Sounds like a good opportunity to improve an area badly in need.
Is this what Weston really needs? Yes, it is a opportunity to clean up a part of downtown that is an eye sore, but it is not the only eye sore in downtown. Yes, the Idea of pulling all of the city agencies together in one modern location is very attractive, but at what cost? Just because an opportunity presents itself doesn't mean it is the right or prudent thing to do. Mr Hoffman, as an alderman, knows better than most of us that repaving the roads is just the tip of the iceberg in repairing and maitaining the infra-structure of Weston. If we can't find the money to do what is needed, where is the money for this project going to come from.
Weston currently has a library in the high school and a branch of the Mid Continent Library that is under utilized by the public. Do we need another library? Who will staff it? Where is the money going to come from to stock the library?
Weston currently has several museums. The Historical museum, The National Silk Art Museum, The Bonnell Museum and a still unfinished Lewis and Clark Museum. Do we really need another museum? Again, where is the money going to come from to build the displays and who will staff it? How about supporting our existing museums.
As of this writing (7/9/2008) there are 11 vacent store fronts in Downtown Weston. That is 25% of the current store front space. That number could rise by the end of the summer, if rummors hold true, to about 36%. The majority of the sales tax revenue that our city receives comes from businesses on the highway. That revenue stream will start declining in the next year as the work at Iatan starts to tapper off. Weston needs to initiate a program to attract quality businesses back into the downtown area. Businesses that people who live in Weston as well as visitors will want to come to Weston to spend their money at. Isn't that the job of a Chamber of Commerce?The school district keeps warning us about declining enrollment at the schools. Children are the future of a community. Communities die without them. Weston needs to attract young families to the community.
These are hard times. While a new civic center would be nice, Weston really needs to focus it's efforts and resources on what will sustain the community into the future.
Oh, and it would be nice if the design of the building at least resembled, even slightly, the rest of the downtown architecture.
I would very much encourage those who choose to vote against this to leave comments and help those of us who want this to understand the opposing opinion. I feel Greg has generously given his time to put together this site listing the positive effects of the project and it's only fitting that if you disagree with his vision you must post your ideas so that we can have a balanced, two sided discussion. Given the choice of what's currently on the site and a Weston Town Square I'm extremely curious as to opposing arguments.
First of all, I would like to thank Greg for his time and effort in putting together not only this website, but the ideas that make up its content. In order for a community to remain vibrant and active, it is necessary to creatively plan for the future, and this is a great example of the kind of vision needed. Secondly, in the interest of maintaining a civilized and productive debate on these topics, I would encourage everyone to sign their name at the end of their posts. On the internet, it is certainly the best way to keep things honest and respectful.
With all due respect to the anonymous critic of the Civic Center, I think that the concept itself is excellent, and something that should certainly be vigorously pursued. It is important to remember that in a town like Weston, where tourism is critical to our survival, it is necessary to pursue two different, but complimentary, goals. One goal is geared toward maintaining the historic atmosphere of downtown Weston in order to bring in more businesses and tourist traffic into the town as a whole. Weston is what it is today because of this image and the tourism trade. The second goal is geared toward making this a wonderful place to LIVE for not only the current residents, but future residents as well. This also includes controlled growth so that the town may remain vibrant, add to school enrollments, the tax base, etc. It is absolutely possible to pursue both goals simultaneously, and many projects can contribute to both goals. The Civic Center is one very good example of this.
In order to maintain a high occupancy rate in the shops downtown, it is necessary for there to be enough foot traffic in town to go into those shops 12 months a year. Certainly, having a variety of city-wide events (such as AppleFest, the Summer Solstice Cottage Garden Tour, the 10-Mile Antique Trail, the Christmas Homes Tour, the Cemetery Stroll, etc.) contributes to that. But a new Civic Center downtown, with new and up-to-date meeting facilities that could accommodate both small and large groups would provide year-round opportunities to bring people into the town all year long. The potential for this should certainly not be underestimated, and would have an impact on all the shops and restaurants in the area.
Additionally, having a coherent Civic Center downtown is an advantage for the residents. It enables them to have a central place to go for a variety of services, plus provides an additional place to use for family, school and organizational functions, thus bolstering the activity within the community itself. Such a Civic Center also adds to the perception that the community of Weston is a growing and active community, which makes it more desirable for businesses considering the town for their shop on Main Street, or for people considering purchasing a house in the area. The perception of a town’s viability is certainly a contributing factor to being able to bring in new businesses and residents. I agree that attracting young families to the community is of vital importance, but rejecting a Civic Center in the name of attracting new families is akin to cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face. It is actually counter-productive. And certainly, the exterior look of the Civic Center could be redesigned to be more in keeping with the historic look of downtown. That is a minor consideration compared to the concept of the Civic Center itself.
I would also like to address the criticism that Weston already has enough museums or cultural attractions. I would beg to differ – I cannot think of an instance where having “too many” interesting things to do and see has been a bad thing for any given community. On the contrary, the more we have to offer, the more likely people are to come back and/or spend longer amounts of time (and therefore money) in our town. With gas prices the way they are, the more cultural and entertainment avenues we can offer to the public, the more likely they are to spend their gas money coming to Weston, as opposed to another place that does not offer the same density of attractions. The same goes for attracting new residents. If families can see that there are plenty of things for them to do in-town, then buying a house in a town that is possibly a longer commute from their place of employment may seem like a better idea.
One additional idea to add to the mix would be to use the current City Hall facility (if the City Hall moves to the new Civic Center) as an extension of the Weston Museum. This extension could house the archives and become a genealogical research center in town. These services are in high demand, and would certainly focus more interest on the town, and its history. This, of course, is only one idea, but demonstrates the potential that Weston has to offer.
More ideas are certainly needed to fine-tune this proposal, but overall I think it is a critical step in taking control of our destiny as a town, and making long-term plans to make it the best place in the region for tourists, business-owners, and residents alike. Funding a project such as this is certainly always a consideration, but a variety of funding avenues are possible if the town is committed to enacting a long-term plan for growth and viability. Reaching the consensus that such a plan is necessary is the first vital step.
Ann Raab
I was a daytripper from KC prior to relocating here 10 yrs ago. The Chamber, Weston Dev, and Parks do a fantastic job in bringing tourism to town. This is another great gem that would open doors of opportunity, and also benefit residents as well.
The theater/movie portion is a wonderful idea for locals as well as visitors. Perhaps this attraction would attract performers such as magicians and comedians. Jazz or Blues trios could play early evenings as people finish dining. Look at other music genre's to compliment our Irish draw and Weston could have another great festival on its hands with the center as the anchor.
Possibly it would help draw more unique stores. A few years ago there were some stores that drew me shopping downtown about every other weekend myself, and friends living elsewhere were coming up on a regular basis. Stores that had furniture, food, liquor, kitchen utensils, coffee, spices, gifts, glassware...you name it. The winetastings didn't hurt either. All these are wonderful variety, but we need perhaps one or two solid anchors to draw people.
Thanks for asking for out thoughts and good luck! Weston has many great, beautiful gifts to offer, they just need to be opened up!
Lisa Hall
Post a Comment