Recently there were two letters suggesting we tear down the south or north side of the 100 block of Main Street to house the new casino.

Perhaps it has been awhile since Mr. Ullman has been in Ottumwa, but the south side block contains the Wapello County Building which houses the local veterans’ office, the public health nurse, the Department of Human Services and River Hills Community Health Center.

The parking lot that he mentioned as able to handle the parking for the casino has a total of only 92 spaces. This is certainly not enough to accommodate even the 300-400 workers for a casino.

Ms. Lehman stated she would like to see the north side of that block come down.

Positive changes are happening in downtown, and perhaps this is the perfect time to mention some of them. A recently restored building on the north side of that same 100 block received a state award for the Best Facade Renovation in the state; Bridge City Realty has just relocated in the same block as well as the First Step building which houses Child Support Recovery Services and Principal Financial. In addition, the 200 and 300 blocks are beginning to show multiple signs of positive change as well.

Four buildings on the south side of the 300 block have been purchased and are undergoing renovation. One just received a $70,000 Matching Challenge Grant to help with the restorations and will soon be home to 98.7/KMGO Radio and a second-story upscale apartment. In the same block, next summer you will see a new restaurant and at least two new second-story apartments being built. This is just a small sample of what is happening in our downtown.

There are many people working to restore and improve the historic downtown Ottumwa. Since its beginning just three years ago, over 10,000 volunteer hours have been donated to Main Street Ottumwa for just that purpose.

We strongly believe there are many ways to grow and strengthen Ottumwa. Not all of them are in downtown, but we cannot bulldoze our history, either. From the outside, you may not see change happening as fast as we would all like, but it is there and more is coming.

We believe that a casino is good for Ottumwa, and we believe it should be located in the heart of Ottumwa. Those who think we should “bulldoze the downtown” are invited to come to Main Street Ottumwa and see what is currently happening behind the scenes ... and what will soon be visible to everyone.

Cindy Woodbury

Executive Director

Main Street Ottumwa