Tuesday, December 13, 2005

9:30 a.m. at the Alliance

Many of us remember downtown Pine Bluff as a bustling, thriving center of commerce, entertainment, culture, community…of life…not just for Pine Bluff, but for this entire region of Southeast Arkansas.

People who knew that Pine Bluff then know that a healthy downtown economy…attracting shoppers and increasing tax revenues…is a city’s heart, pumping money and jobs like life-giving blood to all the city’s extremities.

We who knew that Pine Bluff then know that a city’s downtown is its soul, that core not only our city, but of our community. It’s the place where a community rubs elbows and gets to know one another.

Those of us who knew that Pine Bluff then know that a city’s downtown is its face, presenting an image to visitors…often their first impression…and a sense of identity and pride for its own people.

People who knew that Pine Bluff…who knew the vitality of our downtown…miss it terribly. We want it back…for ourselves and for posterity.

It is for this reason that we are especially pleased with the opportunity presented to Pine Bluff through the Arkansas Downtown Development Network, Main Street Arkansas and Pine Bluff Downtown Development, a public private-partnership that will spark successful strategies focused on revitalization of our city’s downtown. With high hopes, we look forward to many years of success in downtown Pine Bluff as a result of this relationship.
Thank you.