Editor, Ceres Courier,

I think the effort by some good and well-meaning Ceres citizens to beautify the old water tower between Fifth and Sixth streets in the Ceres downtown is just wishful thinking. This old obsolete water tower is urban blight at its best even with a new coat of paint.

It is the city of Ceres' total responsibility to deal with this matter. That is, to dispose and remove such an eyesore.

This old water tower has gone the way of such other such towers all over the state, it has outlived its usefulness, so now what do you do to remove such blight?

The example of how one such tower was removed was in downtown Modesto, where an old water tower was taken down in only two days and there was just enough of urban park land surrounding that former water tower area to build a 54-unit senior citizen housing complex. That was successful planning by professionals who knew what they needed to do.

I do not care what color the old Ceres water tower is painted - it still is just an urban blight issue. I wish to offer that it hinders current downtown redevelopment efforts in the city.

The city is just only passing the buck by letting a well-meaning group of local citizens who think they can do something nice with it. I wish them the best, but the old tower will still be a definition of urban ugly. But, I will say that that " beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Daniel Marsh,
Ceres

LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the editor will be considered for publication but must be signed and include an address and phone number. Letters should be 250 words or less and be void of libel. Send to The Ceres Courier, 138 S. Center Street, Turlock CA 95380 or emailed to jeffb@cerescourier.com.