I had never heard of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative until a report ran this week on KSDK Newschannel 5.
Sponsored with a grant by the Walton Family Foundation to the Northeast-Midwest Institute, its members include St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, Miss., Davenport, Iowa, and St. Cloud, Minn.
According to director Colin Wellenkamp, the organization will “provide the only forum in the nation through which local leaders can advance the matters around river management for the entire 10-state length of the waterway.”
Some of the issues the initiative will address during its first-ever meeting this week in St. Louis are river-focused recreation, sustainable economies, and celebration of the Mississippi’s culture and history.
This is actually a good idea, especially for St. Louis. If there is any major city on a major river in America that has done little to capitalize on its location, it is our city.
When I was younger, the area’s civic leaders actually tried to make something of the riverfront. The Admiral, a U.S. Navy minesweeper, as well as the Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn riverboats were all Mississippi attractions. (Of course, there was also the riverfront McDonald’s.)
The river is wild, though, and it led to problems during flooding and droughts (including now). Downtown St. Louis also lost its sheen for many reasons, but I’ll never understand why we just gave up on the riverfront.
Mayor A.J. Cervantes might have been a bit wacky for his day, but he had a replica of the Santa Maria (one of Christopher Columbus’ ships) on the St. Louis riverfront.
It’s time to take a hard look at the riverfront and be open to adventurous ideas like those of past generations. What has the city got to lose? There's little going on down on the riverfront, so anything is really better than nothing.
Here is an agenda for this week’s inaugural meeting.
Commentary by Alvin Reid
