Waycross, Ga.

It was with some amount of chagrin that I read a recent article written by Bill Stall of your staff, with regard to the town I have called home for 17 years--that of Waycross, Ga. (Opinion, March 6).

I admit that there is a large amount of truth in his story, but the general overview he painted was not all accurate, in particular, the dismal picture of downtown Waycross.

A nucleus of downtown merchants addressed their common concern as early as 1978, when a Development Authority was organized to find solutions to the classical exodus from the central business area due to the rising advent of the mall and/or strip centers.

The core area of Waycross is becoming more viable with every passing year. The guidance and structure offered by the Main Street program, based on four principles, “economic restructuring, promotion, organization, and over-all design,” has intelligently steered downtown back onto a well revitalized track.

Yes, there are some dingy buildings. I am aware of every one of them. However, I appreciate that they did not decay overnight, and I cannot make them “right” by the morning. On the other hand, with the entrepreneurship of local people, within the past five years, four Governors Honors Awards and accolades from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation have found their way into downtown Waycross.

There is far to go, but we’re on our way to a revitalized downtown--not only as a commercial hub in the community, but as a people place again.

I endorse Waycross as being one of the most pleasant places in the nation to retire to, or live actively in. We’re only an hour from the shore, we don’t have the Los Angeles freeways to be bothered with, we do have “plain folks and gentle people,” and, at night, the skies are still filled with the “purtiest doggoned” stars I’ve ever laid eyes on.

NANCY L. CAMPBELL

Executive Director, Downtown

Waycross Development Authority