C.R. City Council needs to move forward

With all the talk of getting people to come downtown, we need some changes. What will bring people downtown is what we used to have: places to shop, eat and movies. When we had Armstrongs, Killians, Sears, J.C. Penney, Montgomery Ward, two hardware stores, post office, Bishops, Harmony's, dime stores, Osco, Hall's Furniture, three movie theaters, four hotels and a large grocery store, these brought good business to downtown and now we have none of these. All we have are bars, coffee shops, insurance and finance companies, lawyers and such, and these do not encourage people to come downtown.

We don't need a civic center; we have the U.S. Cellular Center that can handle concerts, volleyball and basketball tournaments. The ongoing library talk of having it on Third Avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets, is still in flood plain area. Between First and Second avenues and Seventh and Eighth streets should be the only decision.

City Council should get its priorities in order. Last I drove through the Czech neighborhood, I see most of all the homes not repaired and all boarded up. They need to get these flood-damaged homes torn down or repaired. Move forward, City Council and Cedar Rapids.

Robert McBride

Marion