Letters to the editor 10/17/24

We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to editor@illinoistimes.com.

—

FIX CURRENT PARKS

Springfield has 36 parks already (“Governor’s Mansion block slated to become a park,” Oct. 3). Even though I am all for parks, we do not need an additional park at that location. If the city wants to use these funds to fix up the current parks we do have, that would be a worthy investment.

I love the Levitt AMP concerts in the summer, and I really wish they would consider doing seasonal concerts. This would be a huge benefit for all the businesses in downtown Springfield, not another park.

Darci Zook
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

—

A SAD HISTORY

The Y block was formerly occupied by more than the YWCA. The Lincoln Hotel was a grand old hotel with real class. It was built in 1925 and imploded in 1978. The state planned a federal court complex for the site. However, once the great hotel was gone, the state changed its mind and the lot was an unsightly gravel parking lot for decades. This seems to be the state and city’s modus operandi.

Mayor Jim Langfelder proposed developing the site with businesses and perhaps housing, and he issued a request for proposals. As soon as suggestions were submitted, he changed his mind and decided it should remain an open field. At least it was an improvement over the gravel parking lot.

So here we are, nearly 50 years since the Lincoln Hotel was demolished, thinking about perhaps planting some trees.

Richard Leary
Springfield

—

HOMELESS HAVEN

This will be a haven for the homeless, all while completely ignoring the homeless problem and spending needless cash. Not to mention the downtown ZIP code has less than 1,500 people living in it. So who exactly is this park being built for?

James Hamilton
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

—

THINK BIGGER

Oh sure, that will draw hundreds of people downtown every day who might otherwise just stay home or go to Rotary Park, Centennial Park, Duncan Park, Lincoln Park or Washington Park.

With our NAACP history and the 1908 lynchings, what would put Springfield on the national map would be having a human rights activist training and conference center right there. Churches, synagogues, cities governments, businesses and universities would donate and nominate applicants to attend and participate. Springfield could become a globally recognized city beyond Abe.

But no, we currently intend to expand the role and expenses of the city government to establish, protect and clean another park. We could be the starting point of a national civil rights trail from here to Alton to Memphis to Birmingham to Montgomery, but some in city government want another park instead of thinking big. Hopefully, this park idea will collapse on itself.

C. S. Stahlman
Springfield

—

LESS IS MORE

I’m all for the permanent designation of this space for recreation, but I really hope the city keeps hardscaping and landscaping to a minimum. I think the simplicity of the open lawn has been part of its charm and having an unobstructed view of the Governor’s Mansion has been an aesthetic game changer in the neighborhood. My concern is that the more the space it built out, the less flexible it will be and the fewer people it will accommodate.

Ann-Jo Mounce
Via Facebook.com/illinoistimes

This article appears in Citizens want a voice in CWLP.