Spring is here and the Clarksdale’s blues festival season will kick off with the Juke Joint Festival in about 30 days. And the festivals keep coming as we head into the hot, Delta summer.
Clarksdale will soon have people from across the nation and from around the world, come to this little Delta town for a little fun and entertainment. Some are family, some are friends and some are just tourist here for a “Blues Weekend.”
This community has a history of these Blues tourist becoming enamored with our town and investing heavily in it.
Just like the warm days of spring, are glad they are here; again we hope this community is always welcoming to those wanting to bring something new to our town, or come back home for a visit with family.
But with that said, Clarksdale needs to do its part and clean up its act.
Your Clarksdale Press Register has repeatedly reported on downtown buildings that need to be condemned and taken over by the city, leveled and turned into greenspaces for the public. Some of those businesses could be taken over by the city and deeded to non-profits or other businesses with a promise to repair and renovate.
And we are proud to say some businesses have responded with new drapes, painted windows, plywood murals and more. Thank you! Your community does notice things like that.
But as we stand right now, there are buildings in downtown Clarksdale that are a health hazard with mold and vermin inside. Those same building are also a safety hazard where someone could get inside and get hurt or start a fire.
There are ordinances on the books that allow our city leaders to address this problem, but there is apparently little if any will at City Hall to step up and improve the appearance of downtown Clarksdale.
Our Mayor and Board of Commissioners are quick to jump on local industries to clean up their act, or go after the little guy and tear down their house and clean off their property in a residential neighborhood. And this newspaper has applauded city leaders for doing just that.
We are concerned that our Mayor Chuck Espy only wants to clean up his neighborhood and not those common areas we all see and use, like downtown.
We also want to point out the “company” that is coming could be the CEO of a national or global company looking to bring jobs to town.
As we said earlier we will soon have visitors from across this great country and world in our town – our downtown – and they need to be smitten with how quaint, clean and nice Clarksdale really is.
Clarksdale has a lot to offer those wanting to move here and live with us. Our city leaders need to do their part to get ready, because company is coming.
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