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March 26, 2002 EDITORIAL: If you haven't been to Main Street in Independence lately, you're missing a positive sign of life in that historical quarter. The city has gone to great lengths to make the downtown area more pedestrian-friendly without impeding the flow of traffic. The attractive and "retro" lamp posts will soon be adorned with hanging baskets of flowers and, eventually, banners. The flowers are being purchased by local businesses as part of their on-going civic promotion and development efforts. The biggest item on the list of downtown enhancements will be development of an amphitheater in Riverview Park. With cooperation of the downtown business community, the city government and the National Guard, Polk County will have another great outdoor venue for concerts and other events sometime in 2003. The new look to downtown Independence isn't arriving because the city government is doing it all. In fact, the city government is but one piece in a bigger picture that includes an involved citizenry, an active business community and a lot of people who simply recognize the qualities that make Independence the kind of community many thought no longer existed. |