By Harry M. Covert
Few cities or towns remain quaint and cuddly. The 
As was coined some years ago, the business of Frederick is business. Oops. That’s a variation of what a fellow called Silent Cal said some years back. He wasn’t wrong then nor is the saying out of step today.
Driving up and down West Patrick Street is a pleasant experience even as roadway traffic picks up in both directions. How pleasant for residents to find nice buffets of numerous cuisine, shops for manicures and pedicures, automobile businesses and some excellent shopping areas for wants and needs.
Benefits of an active economy bolster everybody from customers to business. Unfortunately, there is a blight at the western end. The city has an energetic plan already under way to redevelop and renew Route 40 West. It should. This business corridor is vital to continued growth.
Already there is a successful department store adjacent to what was the Frederick Towne Mall, also adjacent to a home furnishings giant. The in-between though needs immediate help. Planners are on the job.
Interest from Walmart should have officials jumping up and down with joy. Some visionless citizens pooh-pooh the idea that the world’s largest business would not help. Think again. Bringing businesses and shoppers en masse could be nothing less than a major asset to the delightful downtown area and enhance the mall honoring Maryland’s composer extraordinaire.
If having one Walmart on the eastern end of the city/county where shoppers abound every day of the week, a second store would be exceptional too on the western end. There are lots of citizens in that section of the city. They won’t shop in high-end shops and would walk to their shopping haunts.
Revitalization obviously takes time. But a workforce is available. There’s no time like the present.
If steps aren’t under way, officials should be banging on doors of entrepreneurs, established commercial builders and public relations experts.
Never forget contributions to the city, and county, made by such entities as Fort Detrick, Hood College, Maryland School for the Deaf, Frederick Keys baseball at Harry Grove Stadium, the downtown Weinberg Center for the Arts and many others.
Days are gone when Frederick was a small town. It will never be that again. Besides, stop growing and demise is inevitable. Political change is coming. It never stops.
With proper planning the Golden Mile could become platinum for citizens, business and the city. There seem to be lots of tight-fisted opinions rampant to deny a resurrection of the Route 40 Corridor with help of a Walmart. Delays are dangerous.
Instead of increasing taxes (and threatening more levies) on homeowners, et al, more business brings more revenue for city coffers and more jobs.
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