Progress!

We think. To be honest, what has been happening in downtown Kent? It’s too cold and windy still to look up and see the … well, Phoenix, rise.

But the weather seems to finally be letting up (we saw a girl today in Uggs and a North Face but no scarf!), and soon enough there will be plenty of time to amble around downtown Kent to check out the new look.

Soon enough we won’t just wander by some construction tape flipping in the air as we walk, head down – sometimes backward if the wind is in our face – until we get to the bar to stare at 5-year-old graffiti on the table.

We’re excited to look at some new graffiti.

We hope the new stores will be welcomed wholeheartedly as the sun comes up and along come the students. Maybe there hasn’t been too much excitement heard among students as of yet about the Phoenix Project, but there also hasn’t been much reason to go downtown – especially while there was still ice on the sidewalks.

But we think everyone should start trekking down Main Street right now. Don’t wait for the project to be in its final stages, and don’t wait until it’s 75 degrees (don’t hold your breath on that at all for a couple

months, actually).

Head down right now and check out the new shops already there. Talk to the owners and see what they hope their stores will bring to the community. Snoop around for a bit, and most importantly – start imagining.

Sit on a bench in front of downtown Kent and imagine what you would like to see there. Think about what exactly you’ve always thought the area has been missing since you first started your time at Kent State.

Ever wanted an ice cream parlor? Boom – idea.

But eventually you’ve got to get off of that bench and do a little work (just a little, we promise). Although it’s a bit too late to start pitching ideas for the Phoenix Project, why not contact City Hall?

Students are as much a part of this city as any other resident. Go on Kent’s City Council Web site, www.kentohio.org/gov2/council.asp, and there’s even a picture of a Kent State sign. It’s like they’re begging for our input.

Downtown Kent is the only place for some students without a means of transportation to go have fun away from dorms and apartments. We have every right to go down and make a few suggestions.

With how much traffic the area gets from students alone, it’s a wonder the city hasn’t come to the university for suggestions sooner. If you put businesses in that students want, they will come and they will spend money.

So go down and make a few mental notes of what you’d like to see and talk about it with your friends. If you think you have a pretty good plan, what have you got to lose by suggesting it to city council?

Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll have one of those ice cream parlors named after you.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.