It’s interesting how quickly downtown bump-outs went from a way to support downtown restaurants during COVID-19’s most restrictive time to now being reported as a permanent summertime feature for any business who wants it. It’s like agreeing to host a family reunion for your in-laws because your spouse’s favorite aunt is dying, to now realizing your-not-so favorite in-laws are coming to your house every year and you’re left wondering, how did that happen?

The bump-out structures, with few exceptions, aren’t attractive or enhancing anything about our historic downtown. At this point, it seems the city is purposely creating a blighted, more congested and frustrating downtown pedestrian experience so they can gain support for the California-style “Reimagine Downtown” urban renewal project, costing tens of millions of dollars to redo downtown streets and sidewalks. We don’t need to “Reimagine Downtown.” We just need to “Remember Downtown.” Remember 2019, 2018, 2017 ...

Ken Temple

Durango