Laserfiche WebLink
A Downtown... <br /> Most likely, everyone either remembers or has heard one of their neighbors <br /> talk of Monticello's past and the way that its downtown was the focus of the <br /> community. In 1997, downtown Monticello still exists, but some of its vitality <br /> • — its "busy-ness" — has been lost. It is a sign of the times, maybe, as the <br /> pace of society changes; we trade our memories for convenience, variety, and <br /> more time for ourselves. We still see Monticello as a community though, with <br /> residents who believe in the small town qualities that it still possesses. But <br /> when we look for the center of this community, we find a downtown that no <br /> longer fulfills the town's need for a"heart and soul." <br /> Even today —or maybe especially today — small towns need to refresh their <br /> sense of community and rebuild the traditions that tie them to their place. Our <br /> common task must be to bring vitality back to downtown, rebuilding a strong <br /> sense of a Monticello community at the same time. It is not starting over— it <br /> is not"redevelopment." There may be elements that are so sorely dysfunction- <br /> al that their continued existence threatens the whole. But there are other ele- <br /> ments that contribute so much to the whole that their loss could never be over- <br /> come. We need to "revitalize"Monticello's downtown and riverfront, building <br /> on what works, what is good and what is cherished; we need to restore to it the <br /> qualities so essential to its life, and to the life of the community. <br /> • <br /> jt(Fk <br /> ti.. i <br /> �^ t iii <br /> • "- • 7,t1:1 <br /> I11 . , ?t i <br /> .. >.. .o-.. 'PY` ys SwF..•: '�`,.,,,.,.. .. <br /> Downtown Monticello,dro 1900. Wright County tits-tonal Sodety <br /> Elements of a good downtown are still partly visible in Monticello. But we <br /> need to rub off those elements that no longer contribute in order to reveal the <br /> elements that reflect the true spirit and character of a vital community. Once <br /> that is accomplished, the text will tell the real story of this place. <br /> • <br /> A New Bridge • <br /> Revitalizing Monticello's Downtown and Rtverhunt .T"`21 <br /> Page 1:1 <br />