Faithful readers of this column may think what they are about to read is a repeat from a year ago, or so.

They are partially correct.

It is a new column, but with an old theme.

A public meeting/open house last week Wednesday night finally brought up a subject I have written about several times in the past.

The meeting was held in the atrium at the Ag Center and had to do with the upcoming Main Street project in Blue Earth. As you are probably already well aware, the two downtown blocks of Main Street, from Fifth to Seventh streets, will be torn up next summer. Underground utilities will be replaced and the street surface and the sidewalks will be all new.

To accomplish that, the current streets and sidewalks will be ripped out, from store front on one side, to store front on the other.

It will be a heckuva mess.

Business owners in the affected area are deeply concerned about two things. Maintaining enough customers to keep their business going through the whole summer, and having enough parking spaces in front of their businesses when the project is over.

Can’t say as I blame them. The Faribault County Register office, as well as quite a few businesses that also have offices here, is one of the buildings located in the two-block construction area.

So, we have accessibility concerns like everyone else.

But as you have read in this space before, I have another concern.

I firmly believe that this is a chance to make a big impact on the future of downtown Blue Earth, and yes, it has to do with making the area ‘attractive.’

It is a process called ‘streetscaping’ and it involves having a creative design for what the downtown can look like. And, then making it happen.

One only has to go as far as St. Peter to see exactly what I am talking about. But, there are many, many other cities which have done similar downtown renovation projects. And, more are on the horizon, in places such as Luverne and Glenwood.

Towards the end of last Wednesday’s open house at the Ag Center, a group of folks were finally talking about all the possibilities.

It was exciting and encouraging.

Things such as bump outs on the end of the sidewalks, which would narrow the length of crosswalks needed, and would not take away any parking spaces. Yes, I mean things like adding places for benches and green spaces with flowers, bushes and trees. Maybe even grass.

But there were some others with even bigger ideas.

How about a strip down the center of Main Street like St. Peter has?

And here is a real ‘think outside the box’ idea. Why not block off Sixth Street where it crosses Main? That is the corner where Armon Decorating and Gazebo Park are located on one side, and Main Street Agency Insurance and an empty lot on the other. Main Street would still go through the intersection, but you would get to the businesses on Sixth by coming in from Nicollet on the west or Moore on the east.

Get the idea?

You could have additional parking spaces on Main Street where Sixth Street now butts up to it.

And, you could have straight-in parking on Sixth, like diagonal parking only without the angle.

These are only some of the ideas people came up with after the formal meeting was over on Wednesday.

I have said it before, and I will say it again.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something that will make downtown Blue Earth unique. By being ‘attractive,’ it will attract people to the downtown. To shop, to start a business. Maybe even to live. There are a lot of buildings with empty apartments upstairs, and folks might like to live in an attractive downtown area.

Instead of looking like a dying downtown, it can be transformed into a vibrant, lively place.

Of course, the time to make this happen is now.

Plans for the project will be drawn up this fall. Bids will be let in the spring. And the project itself will get underway early next summer. A year from now it will be too late the project will be done.

Hopefully those involved in the design will give consideration to doing more than just putting in concrete sidewalks and slapping down some pavement.

We can do so much more than thatand it would be a shame not to try.