Yes, I am going on Monday to the meeting about how to revitalize downtown and the arts -"Building the New Pueblo." Ho hum. The announcement says our feedback is "crucial to the process." Ho ho hum. Let me guess, we need to be culturally rich, and there is going to be something about economic development in very broad and general terms. Oh yes, I was right! Look it says in the announcement "Glenn Lyons, CEO of the Downtown Partnership, will reveal his strategy behind recruiting private investment into Downtown as part of the larger picture of ensuring an economically strong and culturally rich city core." Wow. Well, some things never change in twenty years or so.
Actually I am only partly jaded. I don't know Glenn Lyons but I am looking forward to meeting him and hearing what he has to say. My mind is open. I will say that most good plans that I know of, those that actually come to fruition, no matter how they were developed, whether by a single individual or by committee, are specific in their purpose, intention and activity. There has never been such an animal from any organization regarding downtown. At least among those I have seen and read over the years. I have seen plans of vagaries aplenty. And none of those have come close to any kind of actualization or to even getting started. Hopefully Mr. Lyons is striving for specifics.
If I get a chance to give my suggestions I will. But not in the form of a survey. Those things are always skewered to get a certain result and give justification to something already intended. I refuse. I'm only partly jaded though. I have two large ideas and a bunch of small ones to offer. Number one on the large ideas is get rid of all those buildings built in the 70's. Spare no expense, leave no stone unturned, use any means necessary but get rid of them. They are uuuugggglllllllyyyyyyy. They are no ones architectural or aesthetic dream come true, nor will they ever be. Second on the large list is bring in nature. I don't mean like hip "urban kind of nature." I mean real nature. Tucson has something that cities this large do not have, unless they are built next to a lake or an ocean - nature within a mile of the downtown district. The Tucson Mountain Park is right there. Its just one, two miles at the most away - this large, natural area. That's an amazing thing and could be an amazing start for a real plan to incorporate nature. Factor in the Santa Cruz river and the start is even better. City hall must represent democracy on the inside, bio-diversity on the outside. And the relationship of those two notions should be made specific and evident. And the plan would move from there.
But what of the Arts and what of Theatre? Yes we want them. But not at the expense of brewerys and go-go clubs! Let's keep our priorities! Well, what do people go downtown for? In the evenings I mean. Monday nights now there is a walk/run social event. Its a nice thing. Tuesday is "Tuesday night bicycle ride." Its a nice thing - unless you are the motorist waiting to turn left when the procession is passing. There is Hotel Congress and the all ages shows at the Rialto. A sprinkling of a few other small bars and restaurants. And...thats it. Except for the shows at Temple of Music and Art, Convention Center and Beowulf Alley Theatre Co. I like all that but that means there are no sporting events (some dummies built the baseball stadium somewhere but not downtown where it should have been), no mainstream movies (the Fox does not count),
no nature events, no bowling alleys or pool halls, no clothes shopping, or shopping of any kind really, no classes of any kind, no unique atmosphere anywhere. So, yes, I think we should have arts and theatres. What the heck. They have as good a chance as anything there in being "culturally rich and economically strong."
I'll be there on Monday.
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