g
Conclusions
reenville may have fallen on hard times, but there are things that could be done to stop the bleeding and nudge the city forward. Some of them are:
Greenville needs an anchor to help stabilize its economy, just
as Clarksdale has used the blues and Greenwood has used Viking. A Delta museum or another similar attraction downtown or nearby might draw tourists. Tourists could then be guided or bused to other attractions such as blues clubs, Winterville Mounds and riverboat rides. The city needs a stronger identity. It needs to find the one thing that instantly makes people think “Greenville” and milk and promote it Downtown Greenville needs to make better use of the Mississippi River and Lake Ferguson. Restaurants, meeting
facilities, riverboats that offer rides to the public would all be better than casinos packed with slot machines. Some type of attraction downtown that included a tower or walkway over the levee to the water could draw more people to Greenville and the river. It will be difficult to lure new industry as long as there is are nearly all-black public schools and nearly all-white private schools and public schools are perceived as troubled. The community needs to come together to attack the problem. An intriguing alternative might be a KIPP school such as
the one in Helena, Ark. KIPP schools have an excellent record for taking poor, black kids and sending them off to college with impressive academic records. A KIPP school would give black parents and students another option. But state law would likely have to be changed to accomplish this. Greenville and Washington County need more jobs at a time
when finding new jobs is very tough. But Greenwood’s Viking has proven that the Delta workforce can be productive and that locally-owned plants can prosper with the right formula. Workforce training programs should be pursued. And the state
needs to try harder to come to the rescue and recruit large employers to the area. Washington County has ample hunting and fishing opportunities and could market itself as a sportsman’s paradise,
drawing more duck hunters and fishermen to generate money for the local economy. The appearance of downtown needs to be improved.
Challenge Greenville grants and tax rebates are already being used to encourage revamping downtown store exteriors. The city needs to pass the sportsplex tax. The facility would not only provide valuable recreation for young people, but has the potential to draw families here for tournaments and events that would put money into hotels and restaurants here. The city could offer guided tours of Nelson Street. It could be policed, cleaned up, promoted. At the very least, tours could be offered in conjunction with blues festivals. The big blues festival needs to be aggressively promoted and supported and used as a marketing tool for the city. The city could also look at other festivals as well, creating synergy that could boost its image and draw people from surrounding counties for a day. It’s a natural place for a literary festival. The city needs an attitude adjustment, more positive thinking. But it must come in conjunction with concrete steps to move the city forward. Despite Greenville’s former reputation as a progressive city, there is still lingering distrust between the races in parts of the community. The two groups need to learn to work with
each other better. It is difficult for divided cities and regions to prosper. In key cities in the Delta, black and white officials and community leaders are working together better than ever before. Greenville and the rest of the Delta need to adopt that philosophy of unity if the area is to successfully recruit new residents and new businesses.
