Interviews are Monday

Students from Ball State will return to Portland on Monday to continue interviews for the creation of the city’s new redevelopment plan.
In their first interview day Sept. 6, students asked 45 members of the community about their concerns with Portland’s downtown and what they would like to see improved. The students’ Monday interviews will focus on the city’s business owners and merchants, and will be conducted from 1 to 5 p.m.
At the redevelopment project’s kickoff Aug. 31, members of the community expressed concerns with flooding and how it might hinder redevelopment in the city’s downtown. However, Professor Michael Burayidi, who leads the project, said that was not the main concern raised by the 45 community members interviewed by the students Sept. 6.
“Their main concern was with the lack of diversity in what downtown offers for shopping and entertainment,” Burayidi said.
He also noted that shopping hours kept by downtown businesses was another concern expressed by a number of interviewees. 
Burayidi was quick to point out that the 45 interviews aren’t necessarily a representative sample of the views of the community.
Cara Macdonald, owner of Elsinore Books, had a few thoughts on what she thinks would be good in the new redevelopment plan. She would like to see additional trees and greenery around the city in order to improve the aesthetics of the downtown area. Attracting additional cafes, coffee shops and restaurants was another strategy she felt could help with foot traffic in the downtown area.
“It would be great if we could get some of the storefronts cleaned up,” Macdonald said.