Town Square Backers Aren’T Discouraged Organizers Will Now Make Plans For The Development And Apply For Grants

Supporters of a plan to build a town square here will push on with their proposal after getting mixed reviews Monday night.

About 12 people attended the hearing, which was the second and last chance for public input on the project.

Organizers will now make plans for the development and apply for grants to help fund the project.

There is no specific date for completion of the square since it’s dependent on how much money supporters can raise, said main organizer Cyndie Hammond.

Plans call for developing the area around the new city hall into a meeting place with features such as a fountain, a farmer’s market, a German bake house and a community bandstand.

On Monday, Councilman Clay Larkin wondered if town square supporters actually had the right to develop city land without the council giving explicit authorization to do so.

“The City Council has not formally given permission for the town square to use this land. I think that needs to happen first,” Larkin said.

The council endorsed the concept behind the project at a March 17 meeting in which Mayor Gus Johnson cast the tie-breaking vote.

The project was criticized during Monday’s hearing by members of Youth First, a group seeking more recreational facilities for young people.

“If there’s any money to be spent by the city, I think it could be better spent on the youth of this city,” said Carl Caughran, a Youth First member. “If you’ve got grants and money you want to burn, why not spend it on the kids?”

But another man, William Ladner, said residents need the connection to one another that the town square would provide. He suggested balancing the needs of the city’s youth with projects such as the square.

“I think there’s plenty of things to do,” Ladner said. “When we were younger, we didn’t have to be entertained. … You were expected to have responsibilities.”

Craig Wilcox, 14, said kids don’t have enough to do and that having a youth center would alleviate that problem.

“The Dugout is where everybody goes,” he said.

“Is that where you want your kids? I mean, it’s a family restaurant but it’s also a bar.”

Anyone wishing to help plan the town square should contact Hammond through Jerry Basler, the city’s urban planner, in the city planning and building department.

SQUARE Plans call for developing the area around the new city hall into a meeting place.