Editor, Ceres Courier,

If they finish the downtown Fourth Street redevelopment project by Thanksgiving, that would make many folks happy indeed.

I like to think on the positive side of this as necessary progress to keep the downtown urban core of Ceres as viable for many years to come.

Over $3.19 million will be spent for this project. The storm drainage improvements will be an investment for future use involving the timeline of many decades to come.

There have been too many disruptions in downtown, traffic snarls at peak times due to the redevelopment street construction activities. At least it has been hard for me to get into the downtown Wells Fargo Bank parking lot during those peak usage times.

Well, it is the stated goal of the city planners that this will surely lead to the enhancement of bringing in more small businesses to the downtown area. In my opinion, they are correct in this assumption. And, it will not take years to happen.

Small business development for the downtown core will bring in more jobs and sales tax revenue for the city. The long-term benefits certainly outweigh the costs.

Please have the streets paved and the landscaping done by Thanksgiving. Maybe the city fathers should have a short celebration at this time to take credit for this phase of the project.

Daniel Marsh,
Ceres

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