Downtown draw

To the editor:

The April 23 Saturday Column challenged readers to consider what downtown would look like in 25-50 years. Downtown can remain interesting and vital if the city planners respond to the needs of our future citizens, the children of Douglas County.

Here are just a few ideas. Enlarge Massachusetts Street by making it a pedestrian mall. Boulder, Colo., is a great example. This expands outdoor eating areas, accommodates strollers and wheelchairs and keeps our citizens healthy with opportunities for exercise. Adding a colorful musical, kinetic sculpture also would be nice.

Imagine planters, kiosks, fountains, a mini-amphitheater for performers and civic events, all on Mass Street. The Carnegie Library could be the public children’s library with better security and more programming. The Watkins Museum could make the entire third floor a children’s hands-on history exhibit, not just the corner. The old Reuter organ factory could be a children’s museum with active indoor playscapes, similar to the City Museum in St. Louis.

Let the developers build on the outskirts only if they financially sponsor a “Destination Downtown” project. It’s time the city planners use their imaginations and shift the focus of downtown from college students to the families that have a vested interest in the community. The future of our most famous civic asset is with the children.

Megan Helm,

Lawrence