To the editor:

On Nov. 18 the Journal-World published another in what has become a series of letters criticizing the decision of eXplore Lawrence to move the Lawrence Visitors Center from the beautifully restored and landscaped Union Pacific Depot to a nondescript, dinky, vacant retail space in downtown Lawrence. The primary reason given by the eXplore Lawrence board of directors for this move is that few people were visiting the Visitors Center. Whose fault is this? I suggest that this BOD look first at the failures of eXplore Lawrence itself and not blame the Visitors Center’s location.

Jackie (Tuttle) Kennedy’s letter was full of suggestions for activities that eXplore Lawrence could hold at the Union Pacific Depot but hasn’t. Something else that eXplore Lawrence could have tried, but apparently never did, was to improve on those puny, poorly located signs along I-70 that say tourist information is available in Lawrence. I wonder if anyone in eXplore Lawrence considered trying to have the Union Pacific Depot Visitors Center designated as an official Welcome to Kansas Visitor Center. That would certainly encourage more people to take a look at Lawrence.

EXplore Lawrence is funded primarily by city tax funds for the purpose of improving Lawrence. Moving the Visitors Center out of the Union Pacific Depot is doing the opposite. I think the City Commission needs to look into how this decision was made and who will benefit from having the city pay rent on what was formerly vacant space.

Gary J. Bjorge,

Lawrence