Letter: Keep Richland parks full of natural beauty

Downtown Richland is the place to be. It has character. Time magazine once described Richland as “a flourishing atomic utopia.” It is going to change, as everything does. We who love it, can keep our hands on the wheel and steer, or let go and see what happens.

We love Howard Amon and John Dam Plaza. We love the trees the city has planted lining the streets. The Parkway and the Uptown are cool and funky and fun. But, the entrance to town, George Washington Way? What happened? Why a seven-lane treeless street with skinny sidewalks? Why “the pit?”

Adam Brault has a progressive idea that will help keep downtown alive and well. The consultant hired by the city clearly did not know his audience. We want to keep our parks full of natural beauty. Remember the amphitheater park that used to be where the Hampton Inn is now? Remember the ballfield that used to be where the beautiful community center is now? We do not want to lose any more park space.

With creativity, the eyesores can be developed to accommodate parking and nature. Let us not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Letter: Keep Richland parks full of natural beauty."