Recently, the Winona Mayor and Board of Aldermen voted to install a new directional sign at the southwest corner of Highway 51 and Summit Street. However, the board voted to change the wording from "Winona Downtown Business and Historic District" to "Historic District and City Hall."
Several aldermen said by stating "downtown business district," the sign would alienate Winona businesses not located downtown.
I agree that every business in Winona needs to be promoted by those commuting down I-55, Highway 82 and Highway 51. A sign directing people to Downtown's business district should only be the start. Attractive entrances promoting Winona and all its businesses would be very beneficial near the intersection of Highway 82 and Middleton Road and Highway 82 and Highway 51.
For those driving down Highway 82 and not familiar with Winona, the city appears only to include the commercial strip of businesses on the I-55 corridor. The city behind the trees is invisible.
Winona has so much to offer, and that should be promoted every day.
The board should keep "Downtown Business District" on the sign at Highway 51 and Summit Street. In order not to alienate other businesses in town, other signs should be installed to lure those just passing through into our fair city into stopping at the city’s great retail stores. The local economy is boosted, and more tax dollars make it into the city's coffers to fund public safety, economic development, recreation, and infrastructure improvements.
It's time Winona announces itself to the world and shows its pride in what the city has to offer.
The Carrollton Pilgrimage is just two weeks away, and I am already making plans to attend.
Last week, I stopped at Carrollton Town Hall was greeted by new outdoor banners, flowers, and charming accents dotting the historic Carrollton square.
The scene was so homey that I imagine some out-of-towners attending the pilgrimage will not want to leave. That, of course, is the point, I'm sure.
I hope the pilgrimage becomes an annual event. Carrollton's storied history is one of the best qualities of the town, and the pilgrimage is the perfect way to put that on display.
Who are these nameless aldermen? Do they not get paid to go on the record with their stupidity?
Winona is dead and dying, not just downtown, but all over. When was the last new home built in Winona?
This administration is all about street dances, ballparks, and clocks.