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Paul “Andy” Stewart
(Articles are in reverse chronological order)
Tab 11
The aesthetically appealing area features "City Hall Plaza" signs that will serve as gateways to
the parking lot. The 61 diagonal parking spaces replace the horizontal ones that existed before.
The redesigned parking lot area allows motorists wanting to patronize the downtown shops to
find parking without interrupting the flow of traffic at the East Park Street and Main Street
intersection. But James Patterson, who is a co-owner of Haydn James Gift Shop on East Park
Street, said his customers have complained about not having a place to park.
He called the redesign of the parking area a glorified parking lot for those who work on Park
Street and that fewer parking spaces exist now.
Stewart said more parking is planned for the future and city officials have worked the past few
years to strategically provide additional parking in the downtown. Two additional parking lots -
Pontotoc Plaza and Polk Street parking - were created within the last three years. "The long-term
plans show additional parking on Main Street, however, the road is currently under the
jurisdiction of the (state Department of Transportation)," Stewart said.
The first phase of the redevelopment plan was updating streetscaping to the downtown park.
Then, the next phase was demolishing the downtown shuffleboard courts. The courts have
become open space with park benches, decorative brick pavers and foliage such as magnolia
trees.
Parking improvements were also made along West Park Street. Other plans include moving the
basketball courts to a proposed community center and gymnasium on Bennett Street. The plans
also call for the possibility of moving the Chamber of Commerce Main Street building,
relocating the tennis facilities on Wiley Drive, formerly known as Church Street, and creating a
more open park.
Former City Commissioner Charles Johnson, who attended Monday's CRA meeting, said he's
happy to see the projects that he discussed on the commission become a reality.
"We had dreams but I don't think we had dreams like what has come to pass," he said.
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