Saving Church Street Means Killing Port Gibson

Submitted by George Hudson, Jr. To the Citizens and Residents of Port Gibson and Claiborne County: As a local business owner, I am compelled to write this letter addressing issues concerning Highway 61 and the proposed bypass. I have sat by for the last year and kept a fairly low profile concerning this issue, because of the effect it may or may not have on my customers. I was raised to be politically in the middle and to try to see both sides of the issue so that I may not offend a friend, customer or potential customer. During the past year everyone has been trying to save Church Street. I think that I would like to put forth my energy to save Port Gibson. I know by writing this that I definitely offend some people, while others could probably care less, and to those that I will offend, I am extending my apology from the beginning. That being said, I believe to allow MDOT to bypass the City of Port Gibson will virtually shut off downtown, and let the remaining businesses dwindle away. It will basically stop people from coming to or through Port Gibson unless they are going to come there anyway. There will be no more impulse stopping by one of our stores to pick up some last minute item or just to browse whatever selections a store may have. To keep a thriving town, we have to have local businesses. If the local businesses are not supported, then they will just dry up and cease to exist. We have to ask ourselves the question: “Why do we live in Port Gibson anyway?” If you want peace and quiet then move to the country. I am not saying that I want big rig trucks to rattle down the walls of our churches and homes along Church Street, but I have never seen a wall or steeple fall to the ground as long as I have lived here in Port Gibson. I think a lot of traffic problems can be solved by having stricter enforcement of the traffic laws on Church Street. About a year ago I went to City Hall and saw a presentation from MDOT on the proposed bypass versions and a virtual look at what Church Street would look like if they kept the flow of traffic coming through. If they repave all of Church Street and make the changes that they had on the diagrams, then Church Street would be a lot nicer than it is now. Everyone keeps saying that we love these 100-year-old trees, and I am wondering where they are. Most of the trees along Church Street are less than 50 years old, and even in your own yard, you sometimes have to trim your trees to keep them off of your house or outbuildings. This should not even be an issue. As a business owner and Port Gibson supporter, I am asking each of you to thoroughly think about this issue. There is not a church or local organization that ever asks me for a donation or for some help that I do not support in one way or another with food or money. I can only speak for myself by I believe that the other businesses in Port Gibson do everything that they can to support churches and organizations also. Where will you go if the downtown businesses dry up? Everyone better wake up and take a good hard look at where we are going as a town. Do we really want to start over and move everything out along a bypass? I don’t think that will happen. Just look at other towns such as Fayette, Leland, Rolling Fork and Yazoo City, just to name a few. Some towns spread out and a few new businesses for along the bypass, but most of the downtown and most businesses in these towns just dry up and the population eventually dries up also. Look at how many of our people have moved to Vicksburg. Again I am sorry for publicly speaking out on these matters, but I do not wish for some people who don’t live in Port Gibson, or maybe just moved here in the last few years, to speak for me. Those of you who have never been in business may not have a clue why I am speaking as I am, but those of you who do need to stand up and speak. I do think other businesses here believe just as I do on the bypass situation. Our current supervisors have voted to support Highway 61 staying on Church Street as well as a majority of the City Council. I have not seen any other people stand up and say that their wish is not to bypass Port Gibson, but I have had many to tell me that they support keeping Church Street as it is. Those of us who would not like to have our town bypassed have been sitting by the wayside and haven’t said a word. We must change that now. I have seen small protests on saving Church Street and those few have been on television trying to get the word out as though they are speaking for the whole town. If they are speaking for you, OK, but if they are not, then don’t let them tell the Mississippi Department of Transportation that Port Gibson wants to be bypassed. As a lifelong resident of Claiborne County and business owner in Port Gibson, I am asking you to think about your choices and how they will affect the town as well as other people. I don’t believe that the few remaining businesses we have here can survive it the town is bypassed. We can always expand on each end of the route, but if we are bypassed, there will be no turning. We have to try to reach a decision that will be best for all residents as well as businesses in our town.]]]]> ]]>