In last Sunday’s edition of the Jonesboro Sun, an editorial titled “New Courthouse Simply Bad Idea” was published.
The piece, as you may have guessed, reflects the writer’s opinion on why Mississippi County does not need a new courthouse and starts with the line, “Blytheville needs a new courthouse about as much as it needs another golf course.”
What an idiotic statement.
To compare Blytheville’s golf course situation to that of the courthouse has no basis in reality. The courthouse is a county-owned and operated building within Blytheville, the largest populace city in Mississippi County. The city of Blytheville owns Thunder Bayou Golf Links.
It’s apples and oranges.
The issue with the golf course is that it brings in much less than its operational expenses.
If the golf course were to close because of disrepair, it would not prevent justice from being served, residents from being able to pay their taxes at a location or any of the other numerous functions of a courthouse.
The writer addresses the recent damage from tiles that fell from the ceiling in the courtroom.
The individual jokes about the possibility of injury and while ceiling tile may not be the strongest substance in the world, I dare say that if one hit you in the head while you were serving on a jury, you would be displeased.
The writer seems to think that simply because the courthouse is old, we should give into nostalgia and continue to pour money into a failing structure. The writer talks about the work that was done in the courtroom as a “Band-Aid at best.” A Band-Aid is what any repairs to the building will be.
Unwisely, the county has allowed the building to fall into disarray, and while that deserves criticism, what we need now are solutions.
I suppose my biggest issue with The Sun writer’s editorial is that I don’t really understand why the individual wrote about it. The last time I checked, the Mississippi County courthouse won’t be in Jonesboro, and it won’t be in Craighead County. What are they so concerned about?
I’m not saying that they can’t write about it; I’ll never try to suggest anyone should silence themselves. I just don’t understand why Mississippi County’s courthouse situation is such a concern for them.
BLYTHEVILLE NEEDS A NEW COURTHOUSE. I don’t really know how to be more up front about the issue. The courthouse is in shambles and the solution is to build a new one.
We may have a beautiful and historical building but that does not mean that we need to keep utilizing it as a courthouse. We shouldn’t simply continue to use a building because it is old and pretty. A building needs to be functional and in good condition to justify its use. The courthouse is neither.
The courthouse’s infrastructure was built for early 20th Century technology, not current technology. It is time for a change in Mississippi County and I am much more concerned with the opinion of those who live in this community than those who live outside of it.
gwilliams@blythevillecourier.com