CONCLUSIONS

greenville 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: Conclusions Greenville needs an anchor to needs to try harder to come to the rescue and recruit large help stabilize its economy, just employers to the area. as Clarksdale has used the blues and Greenwood has used Viking. Washington County has ample hunting and fishing A Delta museum or another similar opportunities and could market itself as a sportsman’s paradise, attraction downtown or nearby might drawing more duck hunters and fishermen to generate money draw tourists. Tourists could then be for the local economy. guided or bused to other attractions such as blues clubs, Winterville Mounds and riverboat rides. The appearance of downtown needs to be improved. Challenge Greenville grants and tax rebates are already being

The city needs a stronger identity. It needs to find the one used to encourage revamping downtown store exteriors. thing that instantly makes people think “Greenville” and milk and promote it The city needs to pass the sportsplex tax. The facility would not only provide valuable recreation for young people,

Downtown Greenville needs to make better use of the but has the potential to draw families here for tournaments and Mississippi River and Lake Ferguson. Restaurants, meeting events that would put money into hotels and restaurants here. facilities, riverboats that offer rides to the public would all be better than casinos packed with slot machines. Some type of The city could offer guided tours of Nelson Street. It could attraction downtown that included a tower or walkway over the be policed, cleaned up, promoted. At the very least, tours could levee to the water could draw more people to Greenville and the be offered in conjunction with blues festivals. The big blues river. festival needs to be aggressively promoted and supported and

It will be difficult to lure new industry as long as there is at other festivals as well, creating synergy that could boost its are nearly all-black public schools and nearly all-white private image and draw people from surrounding counties for a day. It’s schools and public schools are perceived as troubled. The a natural place for a literary festival. community needs to come together to attack the problem.

An intriguing alternative might be a KIPP school such as thinking. But it must come in conjunction with concrete steps the one in Helena, Ark. KIPP schools have an excellent record to move the city forward. for taking poor, black kids and sending them off to college with used as a marketing tool for the city. The city could also look The city needs an attitude adjustment, more positive impressive academic records. A KIPP school would give black Despite Greenville’s former reputation as a progressive city, parents and students another option. But state law would likely there is still lingering distrust between the races in parts have to be changed to accomplish this. of the community. The two groups need to learn to work with each other better. It is difficult for divided cities and regions

Greenville and Washington County need more jobs at a time to prosper. In key cities in the Delta, black and white officials when finding new jobs is very tough. But Greenwood’s Viking and community leaders are working together better than ever has proven that the Delta workforce can be productive and before. Greenville and the rest of the Delta need to adopt that that locally-owned plants can prosper with the right formula. philosophy of unity if the area is to successfully recruit new Workforce training programs should be pursued. And the state residents and new businesses.