This letter was addressed to "Downtown Revitalization, P.O. Box 906, Columbia," and is reprinted with as little editing as possible.We'd like to hear your comments on the situation.

9/25/96

Dear friend,

I have just read your August "Columbia" which I picked up at one of the banks.

It seems you're working hard to make Columbia attractive to visitors, prospective new residents, & businesses.

I'm sort of half-way between a visitor & a resident, I work here.

I'm hoping you'll take this as constructive because it is meant only to be. I like Columbia, working here, I'm treated fairly.

However, my wife & I have chosen, after careful consideration, to live elsewhere & I'd like to tell you why.

We moved to Kentucky from another state & where we lived before there was a serious 'kid' problem. Kids would "hang out" in the business district, trash the town during the evening hours, & be a real nuisance to patrons at businesses in general.

I'm witnessing the same thing here in Columbia, numerous cars & trucks, full of young people hanging out int he shopping center next to MacDonalds & across the street at Wal-Mart. In the morning, when I come in to work, both these parking lots are littered with bags of discarded food remnants, bottles & cans from the nights festivities.

It may not be noticeable to some, but after our recent experience in another state we promised ourselves we would endeavor to live where a town controlled its young people, and we do.

Please don't take me wrong, I like Columbia, I'm treated well here, always. When I read Dr. Begley's comment "Columbia needs to be at its shining best . . . " I thought about the eyesore at those two parking lots every morning (please go in there each morning for about a week & see for yourself).

I'm sorry, but for us this was a real turnoff, it might be for others, it might not. I pass our feelings on, for what it's worth.

s/A friend