This past weekend, I decided to take my own tour through
downtown Hollister to see if I could figure out what all the hoopla
was over the so-called beautification project.
Dear Editor:
This past weekend, I decided to take my own tour through downtown Hollister to see if I could figure out what all the hoopla was over the so-called beautification project.
To my dismay, the downtown historical core of beauty, which was our mature shade trees, have been destroyed.
The definition of beautification is to take the original core of beauty and enhance upon it. The scenario should have gone something like this.
First, replace all uneven cracked sidewalks with new concrete. Next, as an example, pour concrete where it should have been poured years ago, on South Street from East Street to San Benito behind McKinnon Lumber. Next, adjust the street height to sidewalk height. Take Fifth Street for example. Have you ever tried stepping up to the sidewalk from the street? That’s about a 10-inch depth. You won’t make it if you use a cane or walker. Hell, you’d be hard pressed to make it if you had a back, leg or foot problem.
Next, how about the long-overdue handicapped parking spaces on San Benito as well as the side streets? Next, install new grates around the trees and put in a few benches so people could take a short break.
Oh no, the city manager and council make yet another ill-advised bone-head decision to destroy the original downtown beauty.
I hate to burst your bubble, but Hollister is a dead-end town on the way to nowhere and new sidewalks with spattering of brick, electrical outlets, garbage receptacles with the sun rays bouncing off concrete and asphalt sun burning you while staring at saplings isn’t a drawing card for locals, let alone tourists.
Noreen Martin,
Hollister
