‘Grow 2040’ just pie in the sky dreaming

‘Grow 2040’ just pie in the sky dreaming

Listen Ralph, as a West Memphis homeowner I want as badly as anyone else to see this so-called Grow 2040 focus group’s ambitious 20 year comprehensive growth and development plan work but, from what I am picking up is there’s a lot of bureaucratic pipe dreaming going on.

Paul Luker, you know the guy who calls himself the city planning and development director and the one who lays the law down to developers and property owners as to what they can and can’t do, says the things they need to do first is “implement the plan.” Once completed the city’s planning commission’s blessing will be appreciated.

Oh, then comes a look see into the city’s existing policies and which ones need to be revised and then, and then Ralph, the city will be ready to develop some type of private partnership that will result in streamlining the permitting process.

From there this ambitious plan calls for the city to spend a bunch of money on public projects like streets and infrastructure similar to how much public funds are dumped into the city’s Main Street project that has shown very little private interest or investment.

I have to agree with Councilman Tracy Catt who expressed hope for the plan but was skeptical about this so-called in-full revitalization actually catching on.

Here’s where I see the problem in all this, Ralph. Let’s look at what this visionary group is failing take into serious consideration when making all this grandiose plans.

We all know this city is the largest in Crittenden County and is the state’s 18th largest city, behind Bella Vista. It’s population has fallen over the years and stands at just over 25,000 inhabitants.

Now Ralph, West Memphis places as the seventh poorest city in all of Arkansas and its population ranks as having the 8th highest incidence of poverty in Arkansas.

Unemployment is an unacceptably high at 10.5 percent with a poverty rate at 31.1 percent. West Memphis ranks fourth in the most dangerous places in Arkansas and fourth in the worst places to live in Arkansas.

By race and ethnicity, whites represent just 33 percent with African American totaling 61.2 percent, mostly poor and dependent upon government subsidies.

Now you can snarl your lips all you want, but Ralph, these are the actual facts that play an major part in this plan, which I am afraid are being ignored as if they won’t be a factor in the plan’s success.

Even you, being the liberal you are, can’t put lipstick on a pig which is trying to make some superficial or cosmetic change to something so it seems more attractive, appealing or successful than it really is.

To think dumping tens of thousands of public money into public projects is going to convince any successful investor to set up shop in West Memphis based on these statistics is nothing more than pipe dreaming.

A prime example of what I am saying is simply looking at East Broadway and all the public money that has been spent to revitalize what was once a booming and popular business district.

While I know you and well as many others don’t want to hear what I have to point out but the facts are the facts and until these statistics change this “visionary” plan will wind up with similar results as the Main Street West Memphis plans that were established decades ago.

Let me make it clear, well before you even accuse me of being a pessimist, by assuring you, Ralph, that my opinion here is based solely on being a realist and fully recognizing the facts as unpleasant as they may be.

By Michael Coulter