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Opinion, by Bobby Rice

 

For the first time that I can remember (and I’m older than dirt), every building in downtown Troy is occupied with a local business.  The sidewalks are occupied with people walking from shop to shop or to one of the many great restaurants on or near the square.  Downtown Troy looks and feels vibrant.  As the kids say, that’s a cool thing.  However, to some folks, there’s a problem…or the perception of a problem.  A parking problem.

 

As someone once said, “anyplace worth a dang has a parking problem.”  Yet, do we really have a downtown parking problem?  I think the answer is yes and no.  Yes, on a Thursday or Friday, around lunchtime, it might be difficult to locate a spot “on the square.” Be that as it may, there is plenty of parking on side streets or in the lot across from the mural on Byrd Drugs.  So, you could argue that, no, there really isn’t a parking problem.

 

I say all of this because I think there are some local merchants that may be concerned that someone drives onto the square, makes the loop, doesn’t find a spot and then decides to go another direction…when in reality, there are plenty of close by parking options.  BUT and this is a BIG BUTT, gasp, you may have to walk a few additional steps to get where you’re going…and it’s probably less distance than we walk when parking at a big box store.  I’m a glass half full guy.  My doctor recently told me I needed to exercise more.  Heck, I look at it now like killing two birds with one stone, doc.

 

This last paragraph is going to get me in hot water with some of my local downtown merchant friends, but I’ll take it like a man.  If you work at one of the businesses on the square, help a brother out, and park over there by the Byrd Drugs mural.  Now, I’ll duck my head for potential incoming fire!