Dear editor,
Could someone please explain to me how increasing the hours to purchase alcohol until early mornings will benefit the city of Milton? How exactly will it profit the city?
Hiring more police officers to patrol? That does not add profit to the city.
The majority of businesses located in the main city area are restaurants and attorney's offices. What draws families to downtown? Is there a designated area where children can play and can also be enjoyed by adults and teens?
When I was growing up, the city was a great place to visit and shop. There was a theater, a five-and-dime, a bank, a shoe repair shop, a men's clothing store, a clothing store, a hotel, attorneys’, doctor's and dentist's offices, a dry cleaner, a health department, a car dealership, a funeral home, grocery stores, a sheriff’s office and jail, a drug store, a post office and a courthouse. All of these drew people in.
Whether alcohol is served 24-7 or not is of little consequence. There will be scant benefit for the city.
Unless and until a new vision is put forth by the city council, the city will remain stagnant and unable to bring new life into it. The citizens wait year after year hoping for the rebirth of Milton that never happens.
Stop focusing so much time and energy on alcohol sales that only benefit a small portion of the population — the people who hold liquor licenses.
Stop playing politics and start working as a united council for the benefit of all citizens of the city of Milton.
The city was prepared at one time to purchase property within the main city corridor for a new courthouse to be built. Why cannot these lots be purchased, for a reasonable price, to be used by the city for more realistic purposes? The money to do so should still be available.
Outdoor movies are great! They bring scores of people to the city for one night a week or month during summer and fall seasons. But this alone will not revive our city.
I have heard it said that you cannot live in the past. That is true, but we can remember the past as we look toward the future and make our city a place where everyone is welcome and wants to visit.
If this cannot be accomplished when the courthouse leaves the city, all that will remain will be restaurants and traffic lights.
MAUREEN MOSS WEST
Milton
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton needs more than alcohol to thrive