Local Opinion

Letters to the editor
Link (JG)

Create attractive ‘package’ for city
"Regarding Patricia Wyneken’s letter, “Walkway is unnecessary” (Oct. 8):

If you want to draw people to support your local endeavors, you have to make those activities appealing to that clientele – it’s Marketing 101.

If I go to Indianapolis, I know I can rent a hotel room downtown and access any downtown activities via the skyway. It’s extremely convenient and I’m willing to pay extra for that. I might invite some customers to join me and freely spend some local money, and I might enjoy myself and want to come back again. Surprise – Indianapolis has an attractive package!

I lived in Indy when downtown was not an attractive package, and it is now. That’s what we’ve got to do in Fort Wayne. That’s why we have the Harrison Square project, and that’s why we need to focus on our downtown area and open up our wallets and spend some cash. If we keep doing what we’ve always been doing, we will get what we’ve always got. We’re the second-largest city in Indiana – it’s time we acted like it."