Allan Fedor wrote a commentary for the Mountain Xpress on what became the hottest campaign issue in the last Asheville City Council election. Several people want to put a park across from the Basilica St. Lawrence, where some torn-up buildings now (don’t) stand. The location is on prime real estate in the Central Business District, right across from the civic center. During campaign season, people put up yard signs showing the Garden of Eden Photoshopped in front of the basilica. Fedor said realistically the city could expect a new park to go the way of its other parks. He, and downtown residents and business people commenting after him, indicated it would become a place for vagrants (a.k.a. “travelers and mopes”) to do things dogs do in public. Thus, the park would present a high-maintenance ticket for the city’s budget – when a revenue-generating, job-creating, economy-bolstering business might set up shop. It was a fun read, and of course Fedor was called crazy for not getting suckered into the pipedream.
by Leslee Kulba
Wild West blogger