Quote:
Originally Posted by Major
It is harsh, but the reality is that Laconia is not attracting young families with upsides. It is attracting low-income Section 8 inhabitants and people who have gone through drug treatment. Sometimes the truth is difficult to accept. I work in Kendall Square and go to the Seaport quite often. I don't see a lot of Section 8 housing or rehab centers! In fact quite the opposite. I see a vision of providing an environment to attract the talent being generated by the local colleges to stay in Boston.
I've stated this before, but I feel safer in Boston than I do walking around downtown Laconia. On Monday, on my way to work, I went to CVS on Union Ave/Church Street to purchase a Father's Day card for my dad. As if on cue, two dirt bags riding BMX bikes are hanging around at the entrance, waiting for who knows what. They were obviously living out of the backpacks. They were obviously drug users. I'm sick of it.
Find ways to attract people the right people, and then we can have a discussion on the types of investments that should be made.
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You are never going to attract the "right people" without an investment and as with most city revitalization you need to start with the businesses and attractions first to make the city a destination before you can start to remove the section 8 types. That is the exact way it was done in areas in NY such as Harlem Upper Manhattan, and Bed Sty and other areas in Brooklyn that were much much worse than Laconia. May not be an exactly comparison but it gets the point across