My opinion on renovating the old Ferris Moving & Storage building into a boutique hotel.

Renovating the old Ferris Moving & Storage building into a “boutique hotel with restaurant” is a great idea and should be very successful!  I’m all for preserving our historic buildings and homes, tearing down those too dilapidated — to create more green and gathering places and parking spaces.      I love the emphasis on revitalizing and beautifying downtown Galesburg.  A vibrant downtown area will draw more residents and visitors to enjoy themselves, spending money at locally owned businesses.  As we recreate the downtown hub, we also have to solve the issue of creating more and better parking facilities.  “If you build it, they will come”, but they want parking close by.   With college students near, with renewed focus on exercise and conservation, and creating more bike lanes, there’s a need for new, locking bike stations, one in each block.  We need to include those in our new city plans, possibly cutting down on some vehicle parking and encouraging and accommodating more bikers!