I recently heard some news that has revived my dreams about the courthouse. Some folks are sick and tired of hearing about it, some folks interest is strictly politically motivated, some are getting "more money" in their bank account because of all of the years of so-called studies, and some folks are not interested in it period. But to many of us, we would love to see the old courthouse torn down. We also would love to see them salvage as much of the old as possible, especially the brick. I know some have stated it can't be done. When a patient goes to see the doctor and his report is bad, you seek a second opinion. With today's modern technology it can be done. The people who will be working in the courthouse, should have an input about the size of the rooms, best working conditions for them, and the most efficient comfort for the people they serve. As an example, when I visited the new Milton Fire Station, I was amazed at the way everything was in order and laid out in a way to best serve the community. When I told Chief Reble, he stated he had visited many fire stations over the state of Florida and the plans was his decision. I could list many reasons why the courthouse should be in downtown Milton. The main reason is of all the wonderful things new and old downtown, they are not enough to cause people to go downtown on a daily basis. The burnt out section looks bad, since today's trend is mainly offices, that section could be some beautiful three or four story building with elevators. The rebuilding on that site would serve a two-fold purpose. All the buildings should be torn down on the waterfront. The view of the Blackwater River could be seen a people travel through downtown Milton. The space vacated by those buildings should be something to enhance the wonderful things already built. I don't want to be a worry, but the thought of over 1-million dollars having been spent with nothing tangible as evidence bothers me.
Marion Cumbie Milton, Fla.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Idea for Milton