Date: Fri 27-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-Highway-Cleaners-eyesore

Full Text:

ED INK: Making A Better First Impression

People dropping into Newtown from the Exit 10 ramps of I-84 are greeted by

signs erected by the Newtown Chamber of Commerce, which offer a cheery

"Welcome to Newtown." The tidy signs make a nice impression. They impart a

feeling of friendliness and care to strangers entering our town.

Until this week, however, that message has been quickly obscured by the

burned-out shell of the former Highway Cleaners right at the exit, across from

the Blue Colony Diner. The unsightly ruin belied the Chamber's upbeat message

with its own message of squalor and neglect -- not exactly an emblem we would

choose for our town.

This week the Highway Cleaners building was finally demolished by the owners

of the property, the Trudeau family. And Lexington Gardens has indicated that

it will help beautify the empty lot until something new is built there. These

simple improvements will go a long way toward enhancing Newtown's genuine

welcome to visitors.