I know we’re all anxious about grooming the Gallatin square. It’s human nature, I guess, to point out what others should be doing rather than minding our own biscuits, as Kacey Musgraves sings. Whoever coined, “Patience is a virtue” was certainly not of this spontaneous age.
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The “cupola building” commanding the northeast corner of the square appears in distress as much as ever. Appearance can be deceiving. Structurally, the building is more sound than its exterior veneer of ghastly expired paint, missing windows notwithstanding. The building holds promise. It’s not hard to visualize what a revitalized storefront might be. And, frankly, some immediate “window dressing” would go far in calming anxieties.
The first big step is to address the roof. So far, I’m told there are a couple of estimates that should help guide direction. We’re far from decisions. But with some follow-through, a new roof stabilizing the city’s storefront property should be reality before the snow flies.
Our city aldermen must take the lead on presenting a vision for the cupola building. That puts city administrator Tony Stonecypher in the cross hairs. First impressions of Tony are very favorable; Gallatin may come to learn how very fortunate we are to have his leadership and expertise. The thing is, though, there are lots of issues brewing right now for our aldermen, not the least being the proposed water treatment plant. So we must accept that the uptown project is not top priority.
There’s no reason to fret about what’s to happen uptown. We should remain confident that when the time comes to properly focus and organize, a plan will develop to revitalize the cupola building and adjacent storefront.
As for the open lot a few storefronts down the street, well, the grass is growing – which is far better than looking at rocks and dirt. Since this is private property, it is much harder to visualize its future. While on vacation earlier this summer, we saw some towns convert open lots into park space – low investment, easy to dismantle yet attractive.
During World War II, Gallatin erected a billboard to post the names of Daviess County men and women serving in the military. Perhaps something like that, appropriate to memorialize our veterans who gave their lives in service, could find at least a temporary home on this vacant lot on our square. But remember, this is private property.
If you are gung-ho to do something, you might take your pocketbook when you approach the lot owners. Then, I guess, the wagheads will be talking about what you should be doing. Or, although the odds seem stacked against this, perhaps someday someone will buy the space for a new commercial venture. Maybe someday (…but in my lifetime?)
Patience has its place, but so does the ol’ follow-through. Vibrant small towns embrace challenges and find ways to come together for improvements. Some towns are using art to unify efforts.
There is opportunity for business owners here to assist our aldermen in making the cupola building and adjacent storefront a real asset. It takes the same effort as recent Christmas Around the Square successes, and the gratitude for improving the town square will surely be even greater and more lasting. Opportunity knocks!
Have you noticed the new murals on buildings in neighboring Hamilton? Brightly covered quilts freshly painted on some brick facings declare Hamilton’s new identity. Pablo Picasso said the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. The quilt murals now on display there make it dramatically plain that Hamilton has changed. In Pablo’s terminology, driving through Hamilton now is like taking a shower!
Some old timers lament the transition from Hamilton of yesteryear to today’s emergence of Missouri Star Quilt Company. Yes, Hamilton is becoming a (one) company town. But what worked in yesteryear is ..er, yesteryear. Living in the past hardly does anything for the future. At least now when anyone drives by, Hamilton looks alive!
Drive through other small towns and rural places and you will find art and cultural expression in the most unlikely of places. Breckenridge comes to mind. It’s exaggeration, in my opinion, to say art and cultural experiences create sustainable economic opportunities; that’s not really what the work in fixing up buildings and painting murals is about. It’s really more about making the effort.
Thriving communities have an inner vibrancy, an ability to lift their eyes to the horizon, to hope, to dream …and then have the audacity to act upon those dreams. It’s more than a paint job. It’s much easier done when the wherewithal comes from within one company, such as what’s unfolding at Hamilton. It’s much harder to develop the teamwork necessary to experience success through a community association, such as what ebbs and flows at Jamesport.
You might be surprised at the variety of visions expressed for Gallatin over the years, and especially surprised by who privately has voiced some of them.
Before the Thompson Implement building changed into the home of medical and water district offices, one man envisioned a mall for the arts. His script included construction to link the implement dealership building to the shop building across its parking lot with a new building on the west side of the lot. The remodeled U-shaped mall would house a variety of arts and artifacts – not necessarily crafts, but works of art on a level equal to the commercial successes at Sante Fe, NM.
Furthermore, the man suggested the old highway department barn and grounds be converted to embrace an Old West theme. Regularly scheduled re-enactments and James Gang lore would be used to attract visitors for the commercial benefits of the arts vendors up the street.
Dreams.
Another dreamer once looked at Daviess County’s history and pointed toward Splawn Ridge, more specifically to the east of the Grand River off Highway 6. He suggested developing a pioneer setting, another “Missouri Town” of living history based on authentic local history. But, like so many dreams, no follow-through …and certainly no money. Still, we should salute the dream.
Perhaps a better example is Courter Theater. When Gallatin’s movie house closed down, some dreamed about reuse. Years later, a “one time” dinner theater success eventually led to a series of larger stage productions, to community ownership and continuing efforts not only for quality live entertainment but also educational workshops for aspiring youth.
Today, Gallatin Theater League epitomizes some of the best traits of community spirit – and dreams continue as expansion into the adjacent building takes shape. Dreams matter. Dreams can come true!
Perhaps you have ideas, dreams for Gallatin you privately nurture. It takes courage to express dreams out loud. Usually this means pushing your neighbors to step outside the lines and consider how this community can find unique ways to better express itself.
Nobody much likes being pushed out of the comfort zones we create for ourselves – not in work, not in church, and certainly not in community. The whole exercise is awkward. It’s not comfortable. So, we tend to let somebody else do it… and then complain.
It’s not yet quite the right time to get serious about Gallatin’s cupola building. No, wait.
It may be exactly the right time to get serious about the future of Gallatin’s cupola building. Planning takes time and effort. Creating, developing, eliminating, coordinating, expressing, exchanging, negotiating, revising and (hopefully) announcing a plan takes time. Even when you’ve got the luxury of making this effort a priority, it takes lots of time.
This is the right time for civic groups to re-examine just how civic minded they intend to be. This is the right time for social clubs to think ahead to what extent they want to help. This is precisely the right time to dream and discuss what might be. This is a prudent time for us to start the necessary talking.
It’s fine to focus on the end result, speculating on what the brick and mortar can become. But the reward is in the journey – an opportunity for us to renew our efforts to create a better, richer, and more rewarding future not just for tourists or guests that visit here but for ourselves.
The alternative?
Well, maybe we could emulate our state government and try to pay for things with a lottery. We could rig up our own lottery where the winner guesses the closest date to when the first loose brick falls and hits some unsuspecting pedestrian walking by. Then, if the lottery pulls in millions, we can spend the money on something other than its intended use.
Or if that’s too much, we can always pause from our better things to do to watch the grass grow …at least until the snow flies.