Voice of the People
Riverwalk Concerns

This past Sunday, Jan. 27, I was riding around Columbus, basically sight seeing, when I thought about my favorite subject again, The Riverwalk.

So I thought, maybe I'm being unfair to those who want it. Even though I grew up on the river as a child, maybe the time I was gone in the military something had changed.

Because they say it will bring business to downtown, even or new city planner said while being interviewed after only being in Columbus for about three days, that flooding wouldn't be a problem on the Riverwalk, man he must be an expert on flood control to have been able to determine that in only three days.

I decided to go down to the river at different locations where I think they plan on building it and see if maybe they have changed something on the old Tombigbee while I was in the Navy. But low and behold, On Sunday, three whole days after the rain came through, the water was still up at the edge of First Street at Riverside Park, the park had about four feet of water covering it entirely. Maybe even more, the water was only about three feet below the electrical meters on the poles on the lower section of the park. I did mention that river park was completely flooded, didn't I?

Well since I couldn't check out the river park end of the Proposed Riverwalk without doing the back stroke, I decided that maybe I could checkout the midpoint going both directions from the bypass bridge. I could, and the water was flowing over that area of the proposed Riverwalk as it was at riverpark with one exception, the current was a little swifter there.

But not to worry, I'm sure there will be hundreds of volunteers after every flood that are willing to shovel mud off the Riverwalk. But it really doesn't matter, because no more use than it will probably get after the novelty wears off, who'll notice if they don't.

Randy Wilson, Columbus