Comments about ‘St. George touts Town Square project’

Wow, four pictures of some stained-glass windows and not a single picture of the new town square itself.

I feel I must point out that the downtown renovation has proven to be a failure. Sure we have a new park, but both of the supposed "anchor tenants" have gone out of business and another was never able to open due to the morality pushing city council. With the current council and mayor, we will never have a "vibrant" downtown. Lawyers and antiques are not the cornerstone of commerce.

As a recent immigrant to Saint George, I must congratulate the many people who had a part in creating this gem. It will be enjoyed and admired by the children of the children enjoying it now.

Downtown was already both vibrant and successful before the St. George city "fathers" reversed their promise to host the St. George Musical Theater for seven years in the old Woodward School Gymnasium (which has now been summarily destroyed to make room for more parade ground grass). In addition to the employees, actors and vendors spending their money downtown during the day, a couple of hundred paying patrons bought tickets to see great live entertainment every night. That's probably 50,000 paying patrons each year that have now disappeared. Neither the city, downtown merchants nor the SGMT will make up that loss in our lifetimes. But look at the "bright" side: The mayor & city council, etc. got their names on yet another brass plaque--for spending public money that could have been spent better elsewhere. When the needs of the public are weighed against the "need" of public officials to "leave a legacy" for themselves, the needs of the public will lose out every time. How many businesses went south with their last major project? (Beautification of St. George Blvd.) No one knows for certain but city officials will deny that any failed because of their action. A new airport? Watch out!