The sidewalk work going on downtown is supposed to be finished in front of The Reporter at the end of May and I’m starting to get very excited about our downtown changes. It’s going to look so good when it’s all done.
Other than the new streets and sidewalks there are a lot of other things we could do to make our downtown stand out. I’m picturing lots of possibilities in my head.
David Melton, chairman of Rockdale Earth Day, started a mural project and is in the process of raising funds to hire an artist to do the work. He showed me a photo of a mural of book spines on a shelf in another city painted on the side of a library. It was so unique, and we have a huge blank wall on the side of our Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library where a similar mural would look fantastic.
If you would like to donate to the mural project, the donation deadline has been set for July 1. Contact Melton at rockdaleearthday@yahoo.com. The artist, Sam Welty, has been scheduled to start work on the murals on August 21. Check out his collection of murals at www.samwelty.com.
Welty is quite famous in the world of murals and we are lucky to have him in Rockdale, and at a reduced rate since Rockdale Earth Day is a nonprofit. It is still an expensive project, so donations in any amount are appreciated.
I’m guessing the old Antique Queens building will go on the county auction block again one of these days. That eyesore and the garage next to it should be razed and a park put in its place. That would be a nice spot for Rockdale’s new 32-foot tall Christmas tree for all the holiday travelers to enjoy.
I can picture the tree with the Communities in Concert Band playing Christmas tunes right there on that corner. And with it being so close to Wolf Park there is no end to events that could be held there involving both parks.
Of course we wouldn’t want any of that to happen until Gene Stork and his Talk of the Town Salon and Quilt Shop finds a suitable new home.
And work has already begun on the inside of “The 1895”, which is what we are calling the old city hall building these days. A park right next to it would be very handy indeed.
The black “cattle pen” rails have been coming down on the north side of Cameron Avenue, and things already look better without them. Those were a bad idea from the get-go, but maybe it’s all the city or TxDOT could afford at the time. They were definitely the ugliest choice possible.
There are still a few eyesores that need work but as I mentioned a few weeks ago, the MDD has façade grants available. The process is easy and you can find all the details at www.rockdalemdd.org.
I don’t know any of the particulars but I have heard someone bought Henry’s Garage. I’ve always thought that would be a great building for a restaurant or something with outside seating under that big awning.
Another great building for a restaurant would be the building on the east end of the block The Reporter is in. With the lot next door there would be space for a great covered patio that would be shaded from the five o’clock sun. And possibly another good mural wall coming into town from the east side.
There are plans for the green-painted brick building across from Antique Queens for a sports bar to go in it. That would be a nice addition to downtown. It’s the building between Miles Styles and the old Hodge’s Man’s Shop. I may have just dated myself a little, but I was gone for a long time.
I think the revitalization of downtown will bring some much-needed energy and interest to these historic buildings. And I, for one, am getting very excited about it. —K.W.C.
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