Where are the decorations? 

My wife Debra and I own Hands Gallery in downtown San Luis Obispo. We have owned Hands since 1992, have worked hard to make it a success, try to keep it current and fresh, and make sure our store is  clean and presentable. Until a few years ago we felt we were doing our part to make downtown San Luis Obispo an attractive and interesting shopping experience and believed the Downtown Association was doing its part to do the same. I do not feel that way anymore. 

  I remember in years past during the holidays the trees lining Higuera Street were all lit up with lights. It looked festive and welcoming. Have you walked downtown at night this holiday season? It is dark and dismal and very un-festive. There are some exceptions but those havenothing to do with the city or the Downtown Association. The areas of downtown that are well lit are the areas the Copelands have developed.

This is not a letter to pat the Copelands on the back (although it may be deserved), it’s a letter to ask what the city of San Luis Obispo and the Downtown Association are doing to make the downtown a better place. What are they doing to keep it current and fresh? What are they doing to make it clean and presentable? I am sorry but I don’t see it. I see dirty sidewalks, specifically throw up and dog doo. I see dark and uninviting streets. Being a downtown business we are required to pay a special “fee”, above and beyond the sales taxes we pay; that fee goes to the Downtown Association. I would really like to know where that money goes and what they do with it.

Tres Feltman

San Luis Obispo