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Tuesday, 09 January 2007 16:14 |
Patrons of the Civic Center are only too familiar with problems of parking ... but some council members and newspaper reporters do not go there ... donët understand the situation. Fail to realize that the "Civic Center Parking Garage" is actually at the library.
Comparable facilities in other cities have all-weather parking ... which is what people want. Thus we are uncompetitive. Our garage is not connecting. Connects with the library instead. And the media have never acknowledged that unlike others, this is a mountain town, with hilly streets that put pedestrians on slopes. May get out of breath.
Those who watch mud wrestling may not care ... but put yourself in John Doeës shoes. Going to a concert, dressed in suit & tie or evening clothes. Wife in an evening gown with party shoes. Inclement weather with a light drizzle & touch of sleet. Find a parking place on South French Broad, Patton, Battery Park, Lexington ... or Broadway.
Wife says, "You know, John, I donët know why they put the Civic Center here, with no parking. Maybe they think we need the exercise."
"Yeah," says he. "I guess they think we want to walk around the winos. They ought to give free coupons to take your clothes to the cleaners. Well, I voted against those council members ... last time."
The garage at the library has spaces for 550 vehicles. Yes, it certainly helps ... But whatës needed is what was promised ... A connecting garage. With elevators and escalators. Moving platforms. Indoors. And wouldnët hurt to have a bus & taxi ramp. Do it right. Not cheapskate makeshift. We may be poor but weëre not a bunch of bums.
Should be a thousand spaces. In the case of an event at both arena & auditorium, 7,500 at one, 2,500 the other, total attendance could be ten thousand. One garage for 550 cars is not enough! The media occasionally run articles about downtown parking ... in general ... but not Civic Center in particular. Treated like an ugly stepchild or something.
Some of the reporters at the paper have never been to the Civic Center ... even though itës just around the corner. Report that the auditorium is "next door" adjacent to the Civic Center. Arena & auditorium are both prime elements of the Civic Center. It has seven elements. Hey, perhaps they ought to have David Pisha show them around.
Letës get serious.
(Those who still think we ought to put it out in a cow pasture somewhere need to wake up & come to the party as well. You can walk a long way from the far end of one of those huge parking lots. Make you think you were stuck at a Wal-Mart super store.)
DAVID BAILEY
Asheville
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