Canals, cemetaries, and convention centers, or: planes, trains, and automobiles. . .

AHA! The city of Jeffersonville has said that they can't really proceed with the canal project until they figure out if there really is, in fact, a Civil War-era cenetary underneath Colston Park, which is more or less in the path of the canal. I quoth from the Evening News (credit to David A. Mann):

"(Construction Solutions, LLC vice president Peggy)Duffy said the project could not proceed until the question of whether there is a Civil War-era cemetery beneath Colston Park, on Mulberry Street, is answered."

Well, let's see. . .on Mulberry Street, just south of Chestnut, next to the alley that goes to Colston Park, is a stone marker and a flagpole that tells the brief story of what was then Playsquare Park. It was established in the 1920's because the City Council at the time thought it would be better to hear the sounds of kids playing there than the sounds of soldiers at rest. (Not an exact quote). The last headstone was moved to Walnut Ridge Cemetary on Hamburg Pike. Back in the mid 1990's the park was renamed in honor of Raymond Colston, who was a past parks commissioner (truth be told I think he was the city's first.)

The park, and the adjacent baseball diamond, is located behind the old Rose Hill Elementary School. THat entire area is being eyeballed by the city as the site of a convention center. The convention center idea has been around a few months longer than the canal idea, and both have essentially been merged into one huge project. As I understand the project--the city's PowerPoint won't be up for a few more days--the canal would run along Mulberry on the east side of the convention center.

Anyways, back to what I was saying-->Ms. Duffy went on to say that if there WAS, in fact, a cemetary, their options would be 1)moving the cemetary; 2)moving the project away from the cemetary; or 3)incorporating the cemetary into the project itself. Now if Option 1 were chosen I would never recognize the city's existance ever again. I would stop reading the Evening News. I would drive the extra distance and go to work via New Albany instead of driving I-65 through Jeffersonville. I would petition Mapquest to remove it from their maps. If I ever needed to go to the hospital I would have the ambulance take me to Floyd Memorial--and I LOATHE FMH. Hell, I despise New Albany, but if they chose Option 1 I would embrace that miserable place.

I would certainly prefer Option 2. Heck, I'd prefer they not build a canal, but what do I know, right?

Now I have an idea about Option 3. Presently Jeffersonville has no veteran's memorial save the marker the Daughters of the American Revolution put in Warder Park eons ago. If they must insist on putting in the canal, why not turn Colston Park into a veteran's memorial park? (Uh-oh, that's not a bad idea!) In fact, I've had that idea for a few years now, and even have an idea of what the centerpiece memorial could look like. Maybe I ought to e-mail Mike Smith. . .

We'll see what happens. I hope this derails their whole operation, but if it doesn't and they decide to work this into the plan, they ought to call me. . .