Umbrellas in downtown Wausau, WI. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – If you visit the 300-block of Downtown Wausau, you will notice the decorative umbrellas, yellow, orange, and bright pink, that hang over the road below.
They’re flighty and distinctive. Most people like them. They give the area a distinctive look.
I’ve had enough of them. They should be taken down.
Why? Because they are easily damaged in summer storms, and sometimes fall down to the street below.
While coming into work on Tuesday morning after storms the night before, one of the umbrellas that had been blown inside out, was in the road an up the block – a needless traffic hazard. There have been other times when one of the umbrellas had been blown down onto cars below. That’s not safe. And my interest in the cute umbrellas becomes zero if my car has to go into the shop to get scratches buffed out – and even less if I have to pay an insurance deductible or have paperwork processed at City Hall.
There was even one incident where the cable that holds up an entire string of umbrellas blew down, spilling dozens of umbrellas onto the cars below.
I understand that making downtown an appealing-looking place to shop and eat is important. I work down the street; I’m a regular customer of many of the businesses there. But the umbrellas can’t be the way. How about more planters or decorative flowers? They look beautiful, and they don’t cause any damage.
Chris Conley
Comments