The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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June 29, 2009

Upscaling downtown is more than just a vision

A vision is starting to coalesce about the kind of downtown area Enid can have.

City leaders and officials have “wished” for years that downtown could be more viable and draw more traffic. We’re finally moving from the “wishing” stage into the “doing something about it” stage.

All it takes is people willing to put some money and sweat equity into a dream or a project. Take Shane and Sara Scribner, who developed a dream of opening and operating an art gallery and studio downtown. Their dream was the impetus for starting a monthly First Friday event downtown in which more businesses participate nearly every time.

How about Californian-turned-Enidite Corey Groendyke, who had seen how well home-grown produce markets have done in other areas and thought Enid could do it, too. She didn’t wait for someone else to do the project. She rolled up her sleeves and got others interested in the Enid Farmers Market concept, and now more and more people are seeing the potential in that young project.

These are some recent examples of people getting busy and doing, not just dreaming. But, years ago, community leaders did the same thing when they developed the idea for Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse and Adventure Quest. And, look what is happening with David Allen Memorial Ballpark and how fantastic that facility is for downtown Enid.

And, just wait until we finally have the grand opening for the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center and its state-of-the-art exhibits and programs.

Momentum is in full swing for making some big changes in downtown. As people see ideas and projects succeed, they are more and more willing to get on board and help. That is exactly what we need to happen to make the vision of a viable and entertaining downtown a reality.

It takes time to get the wheels rolling and make things happen, but once a project gets past the idea phase, it makes other ideas and projects much easier to fathom. Let’s keep the ideas coming and the realities occurring.

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