Editor’s Note: “Inside City Hall” is a weekly column written by Herald government reporter Kevin Limiti about the goings on at Killeen City Hall. Email him tips and questions about City Hall at klimiti@kdhnews.com.
It has come to my attention that I may need to reiterate a position I took on downtown revitalization that was not clear.
I support downtown revitalization. Not only that, I believe there is a strong possibility — based on the population growth, the amount of investors and the genuine desire of public officials and important people who believe in it — that Killeen will experience some sort of renaissance in the near future.
But journalists are basically professional skeptics, so if it seems like I’m tempering people’s expectations then — yeah — I probably am.
I would love to be able to sit here and tell you that yes: Killeen is going to be the new Las Vegas in five years tops; that everybody is going to be going to bars and restaurants there and that hundreds — nay, thousands of people — will line the sidewalks willing to spend money and contribute to the oh so beloved sales tax dollar that the city of Killeen will use to improve the daily lives of its residents.
But my reporting guides me to scale back the excitement and introduce a little bit of grounded realism to the discourse.
Believe it or not, I read the comments we receive on social media about my column. It has made me come to the conclusion that I would much rather not read comments at all.
And I don’t listen to what people say about me, but sometimes I do internalize things when I believe a good point may have been made, or it exposes a truth that perhaps I wasn’t aware of.
It is due to this line of thinking that caused me to meet CJ Nickens, owner of the Mint and president of a downtown merchants association.
He called me after the article about Twice as Funny Comedy Lounge was published, detailing that the business — which received federal COVID relief dollars in the form of American Rescue Plan Act funds — was selling its property.
This article elicited a strong response from business owners downtown who, understandably, are very protective of what they are hoping to achieve in Killeen. After all, opening a business is a risk for anyone.
I went down to the Mint and was immediately impressed by the setup. Nickens gave me a tour, and I liked that he put on a diverse group of music shows.
He also said that Thursdays were Open Mic Night. As a musician myself, you may find me there one day banging out a tune on my 12-string guitar and singing an Irish folk song. If you do, make sure you take a photo and share it with friends.
But Nickens and I were in complete agreement about at least one point: downtown revitalization was possible, but it will take some time.
“Is it as booming as Austin?” he asked. “No, it’s gonna take time.”
But he also said there has been a marked increase in traffic lately.
However, the businesses in downtown Killeen are constantly dealing with what he said is the false perception of rampant homelessness and crime.
The uptick on weekend traffic, Nickens said, is noticeable enough that they are going to be requesting additional police in the future.
He said a lot of people are going to want to move to Killeen due to Austin being either too expensive or having too much of an artsy vibe.
“I believe the city is doing the right thing,” he said, explaining that it has supported the merchants association and held numerous events downtown.
Nickens spoke passionately about this subject. The interview took place in the back of the Mint, which resembled a beach because he had poured sand all over the back of the property.
He expressed that he wanted to see flea markets and farmers markets downtown in order to increase daytime traffic.
Right now, Nickens said, most people going downtown were going to government buildings, but when holding events such as a musicians swap meet in June, he hopes to change that.
But he said a minority of people at Killeen City Council meetings had the wrong impression of downtown.
“A lot of people have a lot of comments or opinions based on limited information of the subject matter,” Nickens said.
Certainly, there is a vocal minority of people who not only don’t believe a downtown revitalization will happen, but appear to actively hope that it doesn’t and that it’s a waste of time.
I understand that skepticism, but I’m not entirely ready to throw the entire project under the bus just because things aren’t happening as fast as we hoped.
I’m a huge fan of punk rock music. But I also grew up in Nassau County on Long Island.
To the west of me was New York City, which had a ton of punk shows.
To the east of me was Suffolk County, which also had a ton of punk shows. But there were none where I lived.
So what did I do?
I started to promote shows in my hometown. I made punk shows happen because I wanted them to exist.
That is the kind of D-I-Y effort that downtown business owners are making and which city officials are hoping to support and facilitate.
Creating something out of nothing is not an easy task. But it would also be needlessly cynical to dismiss their efforts for purely political reasons.
Personally, I can’t wait to see a local bar put on a punk rock show.
Could there be a Wee-Beasties show downtown soon? It’s an optimistic rumor that I hope I can start.
Kevin Limiti is the Herald’s city government reporter. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Brooklyn College in New York, where he is originally from. klimiti@kdhnews.com | 254-501-7460.
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