Dear Editor: Great letter Kelvon Smith! We think keeping the signs from the movie company and all the painting they did would be a great improvement to our downtown area. The downtown area has been going downhill for years. The oil boom in the 50s was the last time we saw this town look so good.
We have had quite a few visitors who used to live and work here say “What has happened to your beautiful town? It looked better in the 50s!” These are a few things that would come to our minds. Perhaps the storeowners have lost their sense of pride in their store fronts. Maybe most of them don’t own their places and the rent and taxes are way too high. The streets and back lanes are deplorable, you could wreck your car or truck in these potholes. Some storefronts have two- to three-foot weeds growing.
We know the competition from the stores in Brandon is taking its toll, but come on peoples, take a drive to other small towns like Elkhorn or Souris and other areas, there is pride left in these towns. It takes more than big auto industries, and fast food places out on the highway to make a small town work.
If you can make a deal to keep the store fronts with the movie company, jump at the chance, it would be a great start at being proud of our Virden’s downtown area.
Hoping you will give serious thought to Kelvon Smith’s proposal.
Sincerely,
Bill Haskett and Louise Park,
Virden, MB
