Wkgn Main Street chief lasts two months

[WT Reader]

But if the Main Street program here with its dysfunctional board is adding no value to downtown Waukegan, then who really is?

Nobody? There are a few of the businesses that are trying to make their immediate areas look nice, and the owners do get together and try some different promotions, but they are not doing well at all in the recession and don't have a lot of money to do additional promotion. When Main Street sponsors events with these businesses, the businesses almost always pick up the most of the tab.

The city is broke, not that they were doing much downtown anyhow. They won't even be putting up holiday lights or a tree this year. Sue - when she was still employed at Main Street - was able to get someone to donate a large fir tree from their yard for the Benny Plaza, but beyond that no one wanted to coordinate how the tree would be transported or erected in the plaza. I do think they will manage to pull that off; by the time of the Holiday Fest there will likely be a tree in Benny Plaza.

I always thought that the city through the park district put up the lighted tree downtown every year at the holidays. I did not know it was Main Street. Maybe not even a tree down there this year and no street decorations? That is the one time of year downtown Waukegan looks really nice, though no one is down there enjoying it anyways as nothing is going on down there to shop at much.

The city has has the decorations, so why not put them up ? How much can a tree cost then to put some lights on it? Is the city really that broke ??