Garage Mural

I guess they will start to demo the garage soon? When was the last time that thing was really used anyway? It has always been empty since I came to Middletown.

I think it  shows North Broad from that point of the street north... or what it use to look like up until the 1950s or 40s... maybe even earlier. The houses are on the libary lense pictures of Middletown.

The problem with Middletown is it is dying and some of you are worried about a Mural which in the overall scheme of things is inconsequential to Middletown's survival.

What in the world does a discussion over a generic mural have to do with the city dying?

The big reason Middletown is dying comes down to an influx of poverty. That's it. There's no big secret as to what is wrong with the city.

Here's what happens when you have an influx of poverty:

1 - unkept properties
2 - littered streets (in all areas, b/c the poor always manage to drive everywhere)
3 - crime
4 - low test scores for K-12
5 - low test scores causes low ranked school district
6 - low rank school district means a drop in property values
7 - low value, almost no appreciation in home values means loss of higher income citizens (aside from all the other problems that follow poverty)
8 - stagnant real estate market, even fewer new home owners in mid price ranges

That's what is wrong with this city. It's not the discussion of a generic mural, it's the influx of poverty. The only way to put an end to it is to make sure city council fires whoever is in charge and makes sure they do not hire any future city managers that allow situations like the Section 8 fiasco to ever happen again.

Middletown will not turn around until Section 8 is wiped out to the bare minimum. It's going to take a while to rebuild this city, but it can be done. And while that happens, if some of us want to complain over a generic mural, then we will continue to do so. I wish a mural was all there was to complain about, but sadly it is not.

Rhodes - I don't think the problem is 100% section 8. Part of the problem is the "hood mentality" of many,many young people. These young people could care less about anything,they sell drugs on the corner,drive around in drug bought automobiles with the "thumping" of rap & hip hop crap (I refuse to call it music) They throw their trash in the streets,most can't even speak english because it's cool to talk like you have a 2nd grade education. Most of these kids come from tax paying property owning hard working parents. So it's not all section 8.

Hermes, it isn't like that in Lebanon or Springboro or West Chester or Liberty or Monroe or Montgomery or Anderson or Hyde Park. The influx of poor is dangerous in so many ways. Being an influence on tax paying citizen's children is going to happen. Yes, the poor have to live somewhere, but Middletown doesn't have to have an open door policy that encourages them to invade this city.

Rhodes wrote: Hermes, it isn't like that in Lebanon or Springboro or West Chester or Liberty or Monroe or Montgomery or Anderson or Hyde Park. The influx of poor is dangerous in so many ways. Being an influence on tax paying citizen's children is going to happen. Yes, the poor have to live somewhere, but Middletown doesn't have to have an open door policy that encourages them to invade this city.

 

Hermes wrote: Rhodes wrote: Hermes, it isn't like that in Lebanon or Springboro or West Chester or Liberty or Monroe or Montgomery or Anderson or Hyde Park. The influx of poor is dangerous in so many ways. Being an influence on tax paying citizen's children is going to happen. Yes, the poor have to live somewhere, but Middletown doesn't have to have an open door policy that encourages them to invade this city.     Pac & Rhodes - I agree that a reduction in section 8 is much needed,but my point was that not all the troubles that exist originate or flow from all the section 8 residents. Yes part is due to section 8 but a large part is due also to the mentality as I stated earlier. Middletown has definitly rolled out the red carpet for section 8 no doubt,I see it first hand and know it well.   But you can't compare Middeltown to Lebanon,Springboro,Monroe etc,etc. Middletown is or was an industrial town so to me there is no comparison with other areas.

I am the Project Manager/Estimator on the project.  We have been working to get all the EPA notifications in, working through all the burocracy that goes along with this type of project.  You should see the building start to come down about the first of next week, hopefully Monday.  We will start recking the Parking Garage first, working from East to West.  Once the parking lot is demolitished, we will start removing the pavement for the new parking lot work.  At that time we will relocate the temporary fencing around the Swallen's building and start the demolition.  Our completion date will be about September.

Absalootly amaising!