On my morning doctor-mandated walks, I cover basically the same path every day.  Almost every morning I listen to whatever I’ve accomplished vis-à-vis Seven Dreams; it’s the only way I can smooth out all the rough edges.

But I also find myself returning to the same ideas about my surroundings, mostly ideas about how others can improve my surroundings.  Here are some of them.

This is in the park down at the end of College Street.  For one thing, there’s this line of shrubbery stretching right across one of the only level areas in the park.  I would hate to think this was a deliberate design to keep people from picnicking and playing chase there.

The more immediate problem, obviously, is that no one in Parks & Rec has maintained these shrubberies.  Sure, they’ve come in every spring—too late for pruning—and reshaped them, but slowly and surely those shrubberies are eating the sidewalk whole.  My vote is to rip them all out and make it all lawn.

This is at the back end of the erstwhile Scott’s Bookstore.  I’ve lived here for more than 50 years and I don’t know that I’ve ever really noticed that little garage building.  I’m almost positive I’ve never seen it open.  What is it??  Can we tear it down and install a little garden cafe in the alley?

Here’s a thought I’ve had for years:

This is the AT&T complex, which stretches nearly the entire block between Jackson Street and First Avenue.  I was always told that it had been city property and AT&T snagged it through some kind of deal, which would have been before my time.  Outside the frame of the photo, City Hall is to the left, and you can just see the C Building of the theatre peeking up in the distance.  Goodyear fronts the property on Jackson Street.

So I’m thinking, what would it take to convince AT&T to move out of downtown and reclaim that property?  They’ve got to be hurting for space, and the facility has got to be so outdated as to be held together with duct tape and twist ties.  Surely they’re ready to move.  Perhaps they could build on the old EMC building site at the Bypass.

Best use would be of course a new building for the theatre, but I could also see another park there. Or how about a facility for all the nonprofits in town?  Meeting spaces, storage, etc.  It would be best if we could convince Goodyear to  move as well so we could have the whole block front to back.

See?  I’m just full of helpful ideas like this.  I need to start charging consultant fees.