Some of their opinions on what should be done differ.
Bob Bonneau, who, with his wife, Marian, owns Fish Bowl Pet Express, said he has “heard through the grapevine” that his property could be looked at if the city decides to build up the area, although he questioned the use of the Hawn as a hotel.
“If they make a hotel out of it, I’m just not certain who’s going to stay there,” he said. “If people are staying in town, they’re visiting Scott & White or they’re traveling through, and finding a hotel in the downtown district seems a little bit out of the way.”
He said the secret to drawing people to downtown might be found in the younger crowd.
“Condos would be great - something for college students or kids working at the hospitals,” he said. “If we had some condos, we could draw in some young people to restaurants and clubs.”
The Bonneaus have owned the pet store since the early 1990s.
Leland Kjelland, owner of Mid-City Pawn at 10 North Second St., said developing the Hawn in conjunction with the Arcadia Theater building could only help the downtown area.
“If they make it a boutique hotel or loft apartments, either way they want to tie into the Arcadia Theater, making the theater useful,” he said.
Kjelland said that with dining and dancing on the top floor of the hotel, as suggested by the plans, “older residents” would have a place to go for entertainment.
“We’ve already got the (Duck) Tavern down here,” he said of the downtown area. “That’s where the young crowd goes.”
With any possible projects likely many years away, he said he might be retired before it happens.
“But just the energy that’s going to be created during construction and remodeling can do nothing but help,” he said.
“Anytime you bring people into the area, regardless of what they’re doing, they are going to shop and spend money. In my case, I hope some of them borrow money.”
Kjelland has been in the pawn business in the city since 1964 and has owned his current shop for more than 11 years. He said if the city wants to change downtown for the better, they need to work fast.
“I just hope they don’t drag their feet too long making a decision,” he said. “If you wait too long, interest can wane.”
Judy Morales, director of the Temple HELP Center, said her operation could be affected by recommendations contained in the report. The center is located at 11 North Second St. in the old Sears Building.
She said she was confident the changes in town would be for the better and that the HELP Center will be taken care of.
“I think having a children’s museum in this area would be great,” she said. “Of course, that would mean we would have to move, but as long as we’re within our community and downtown and close to the needs of our customers, we’re willing to work with them (the city).”
She said the suggestions laid out for the various downtown areas would provide the way to make needed changes.
“I think it will fill in the gaps and provide economic development for our downtown area,” she said. “The last several years a lot of good changes have come about that have increased traffic flow of people who come to downtown.”
She said that so far the changes have been welcome ones.
“Downtown is beginning to become a place where people can feel safe and be proud of, and so this would be a welcome addition.”
She repeated what city officials have said since Temple bought the Hawn building for $340,000 in the spring of 2006 with the intention of securing the building, which had been vacant for more than 25 years.
“As it is now, it’s a health hazard and a safety hazard,” she said. “They’ve had people living in there in the condition it’s in and they’ve had to run people out.
“Something needs to be done and I think this is a good opportunity for it,” she added.
