Comment, market study

Responses to items in Section 2.2 of the A. Muldrow Assoc. Marketing Study of 6/4/07

2.2.1, Challenges: The first sentence (town's lack of investment downtown) seems to totally mirror and summarize what I expressed in my statements of 7/27/07. Sentence two (difficult to do business with town) has been told to me by many acquaintances. I myself had one such specific experience about l998. Also, I note that lately several offices never answer calls in person and then don't return calls from messages left. In addition, the merry-go-round-like re-assignations of duties, and staff changes altogether, make accountability for things at the town a blur. Hmmmmm

The "enclave" image B.burg has comes partly from the financial unreachableness of housing here but partly from the often arrogantly derived slogans used by the town for itself. To me, the only acceptable way to be perceived is as one of the many towns in Virginia - yes - the world - as a matter of fact. Peddling anything beyond that seems discourteous and immature. It is appropriate to remember that residents and visitors have their own power of judgment that they can exercise in that regard.

I just noticed that even the professional marketing study is critical of the inconsistent shop hours mentioned in my own pieces of 7/07.

2.2.2 , Threats: Another interesting and essential item relates to my comments re. childrens' absence downtown: a respondent in the marketing study felt his or her teens cannot safely be allowed downtown together with the "college age *kids*." One incident illustrating the laxity with which police treat many student offenders is the broken, stolen Main St. lamppost a while back. Several students together were photographed carrying it away, laughing, one night and were not held accountable for the theft, replacement labor cost and damages of this vandalism. *We* paid for that. Yes, children are not safe with unchecked hooligans on the street.

E. Maria Roth
7/29/07