JONESBORO, Ark. – Four choices go before the Jonesboro City Council Tuesday in the long-held debate on how to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Freedom Trail – naming bike and pedestrian trails from the downtown area to Arkansas State University. Historical information would be placed along the trail.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Drive – renaming Commerce Drive.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard – renaming Aggie Road
- Do Nothing. This is what has been done about the matter so far.
The recommendations (the first three items on this list) come from an 11-member panel called the Unity Coalition Advisory Committee. They met four times, concluding in August.
The committee was formed by the council as it tabled making a decision on renaming Johnson Avenue. Noticeably absent from the recommendations, it seems Johnson will remain as-is.
The city council will meet at 5:30 PM Tuesday in the Jonesboro Municipal Center, 300 S. Church Street.
Other business:
- Alcohol permit for new club: Sunny’s on Main, 237 S Main Street.
- Two rezoning requests by Gary Harpole/Halsey Thrasher Harpole. One is 3.79 acres from multifamily residential to mixed use. The other is a parking lot at 516 Jefferson from commercial to residential.
- Purchasing rights for sidewalk construction on North Patrick
- Condemnation of properties at 1604 Angela Drive and 2008 Prescott Drive
- A resolution to begin using $604,085 in federal block grant funds on infrastructure, public facilities, homeownership assistance, homelessness activities, demolition, and other needs.
- The Sanitation Department needs to lease two new trucks due to equipment breaking down.
Dr. King was a good man. However, I am not alone when I ask…. are there not any other people in this world that also meets criteria for recognition??? Seems as though anytime something is going to be renamed the only name that meets the criteria is Dr. King. Are we so blinded by political correctness that his name is the only option? Or is this committee completely bias?