I was extremely delighted to find Mason City’s Downtown being mentioned in an article published by USA Today. It made the list of top 30! With that said, we shouldn’t rest on our laurels. This type of news should act as an incentive for each of us to continue working towards making our Downtown better as each year passes. I would love to find our city being named as number one in it’s population class in the Nation. Wouldn’t that give not only Mason City a boost but also the whole North Central Iowa area?
It’s interesting that I find this article today because as I was driving to work this morning, I was thinking about how but just a handful of selfless people can create incentive and role models in bettering our community. When I say selfless, I speak of people who just make the choice to do something good for their community without any monetary gain in mind. Every time I hear of someone making a donation for this or that and find that it was done just for a tax benefit, I bristle inside. We are very fortunate to have Jodi O’Brien on board with Main Street Mason City. She is filled with a nearly non-stop enthusiasm as well as the energy to get things done. Yet another person whom I’ve become more acquainted with is Robin Anderson at the Chamber of Commerce. She has an administrative ability second to none as well as vision. When in a position like hers, there is always the negative backlash from naysayers and drama makers. I admire her because she pushes forward with her visions of a better Mason City and North Iowa. Most people when under fire pull back and hunker down, well that’s indeed the time to become resolute and continue moving forward.
I had two people ask me today about second floor downtown apartments with character. That’s a sign of the return of those who know that living in the center has all the markings of comfort and convenience. One thing I am going to encourage the business owners to do and I am going to do as well, is to attempt to keep the original design and appeal in their upper floor apartments. Any time someone tries to “upgrade” a historic building without keeping the original components, it’s like placing a mini skirt one our 100 year old grandmothers. We love our grandmothers but I’m sure after thinking about it we wouldn’t want to let that happen. Let’s keep working at getting Mason City in the news in a positive way as much as we can.
Click on this link and read the article in USA Today… 30 great places for business travelers
