To the UAPB fans and homecoming attendees in town this weekend, welcome back!
It’s been awhile, given that last year was a nightmare of pandemic proportions and there was not even a fall football season, much less a homecoming.
Things are not back to normal this year, but life is going on in a way that suggests that it will be awhile before we wake up and have covid clearly in the rear-view mirror.
For those who haven’t been here in awhile, things may look a little different.
You can drive down Main Street, for one. Just a few years ago, buildings were routinely falling into the street, making it unsafe, and the street had to be closed. Those were dark days, indeed.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
As you drive up and down Main Street, take note of the “streetscape” work that turned a drab downtown thoroughfare into something special, complete with plants and sidewalks and pretty streetlights.
And on Main Street itself, there’s a new library that’s just bristling with offerings, and down the street, the Arts and Science Center has two new art spaces itself, including a new theater for special productions.
You’ll also notice a few buildings that have been fixed up. That’s a situation of “if we build it, we hope they will come.” And they seem to be coming. There’s already some interest in a couple of the spaces from restaurateurs wanting to locate there. So stay tuned on that one; perhaps next year, you’ll need a reservation to get into one of them.
Right off Main Street and down the way a few blocks is the new aquatics center. Yes, Pine Bluff has an indoor pool, complete with a place for youngsters and classes and a first-place-winning swim team.
There are also more than a few eyesores that are gone. Their absence is not the kind of thing that grabs the attention, but their presence certainly was — and in a bad way. There’s more work to do on that.
Some of you may have stayed in the old Plaza Hotel. If you stayed there toward the end of its life, that would be reason to apologize to you. It’s boarded up now, in such a way that the boards are on the exterior in hopes of holding it together until the city can figure out what to do with it. But that’s in the works, too, and a feasibility study should help with that decision.
At the Pine Bluff Convention Center, which hopes to be reconnected to a Plaza Hotel replacement someday, there’s a concert tonight after all the football activities have finished up. You may remember such concerts several years ago during homecoming. Convention center officials hope the one tonight is a return to that tradition.
And doubtless, you are aware there’s a casino in town, with its own restaurants and excitement. That business, which in its current form is a year old in a few days, contributes a lot of tax dollars to Pine Bluff and Jefferson County, so if you go there, we hope you win big, but if you lose, consider it for a good cause.
So, yes, Pine Bluff has been busy in your absence. It’s definitely got a ways to go, but a city that says it doesn’t have a ways to go isn’t looking around at what needs to be done.
Oh, and there’s a football game today, and about that, we say Go Golden Lions! But we also know that homecoming is a lot more than a sporting event. To that, we say we are glad you are in town, and we hope you have fun and are pleased with your time here. And see you next year. No doubt, there will be other developments to brag about by then.