It seems that the proposal to turn Johnston Street into a boulevard is still in the works, but there is not much reporting on this subject. We seldom get an article about this in our local daily newspaper, though it was a couple of years ago that it was first reported. Their last article was on Nov. 6 and because of it, we felt we had to speak out.
It stated that city officials want to incorporate green space and shrink the signage. Why? While looking for a store on Johnston Street, we look for the sign above our heads that directs us there ' plain and simple. We don't need small signs or green space to make Johnston Street "aesthetically pleasing," as the article states.
If the city wants a park-like atmosphere on Johnston Street, why not use the millions that it would no doubt take to build this boulevard and use it to buy the horse farm from UL? Then we would indeed have green space along Johnston Street.
Also, this taxpayer money could be used to widen Verot School Road. Have the city-parish president or the council members driven down that road during peak hours? That should be the city's top priority.
We had thought that by now this project had been rejected for the simple reason that, in our opinion, it will not bring added revenue to the city. But, it will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, money that could be used for the better good of the public. It will force some businesses to lose money or go out of business. Many motorists will not like that they will have to pass up the store they want to visit and then turn at a crossover to get back to the store. Many will just keep on going straight to the mall.
Widening Johnston to make a boulevard would take footage from the parking lots of small business owners, some with the coulee just a few feet from their back door. Where will they go? They will have to relocate, causing great hardship and costing money. We do not own a business on Johnston, but we feel that this is wrong.
It is because of this kind of spending that the tax proposals on the November ballot failed miserably.