Letter: Church St. deserves a better City Council
Editor’s Note: The following letter was written in response to an opinion piece Council President Meleesa Johnson submitted to another publication, in which she supports the four-to-three lane conversion on Bus. 51. Despite numerous requests, Johnson declined to send the column to the Metro Wire but would not say why.
To the Editor-
Meleesa Johnson, the signs that you are talking about are all representative of the business owners and taxpayers on Church St. They represent Stevens Point, unlike you and your Common Council.
As I drive up and down Church St. and see all the signs with the “catchy slogan” to “Keep Church Street Four Lanes,” I am amazed by your arrogance to think that you know better than the actual business owners and their wishes. Nearly every property on Church St. has a sign on it. That alone should speak volumes.
On the news, you once stated, “Stevens Point needs this.” Not only does Stevens Pointy not need a two-lane road, we don’t want it.
The two-lane road will kill businesses as traffic counts plummet and drivers take alternative routes to avoid our beautiful Southside.
How did Plover get it so right, and Stevens Point get it so wrong? To go from a perfect four-lane road into a two-lane bottleneck is crazy. It makes no sense at all. You stated it would cost about seven million dollars more to make the road four lanes. That seems like a small price to pay with so much on the line.
Don’t punish business owners for the poor choice made by the city when it took a payout for Bus. 51; either do the road right or don’t do it at all.
It is so obvious that you have never owned a business or worked in the private sector, as you and the City of Stevens Point are turned their backs on the entire Bus. 51 community. “Slogans are easy,” especially when they speak the truth.
Kevin A. Flatoff
Flatoff’s Gold Key Motors
Stevens Point