I think that creating an historic district for downtown would be very good for Augusta. As a former four-term Augusta city councilor, I think that it would help economic and residential development for the downtown as witnessed by the impressive investment of Richard and Tobias Parkhurst with their visionary painting of several wonderful buildings on Water Street.

I write from experience about the downtown as the former chairwoman of the Heart of Augusta Team and the work that was done to revitalize this area, and as the former chairwoman of the Augusta Conservation Commission, with my hard work to develop the Augusta Waterfront Park.

While being financially responsible must always be a strong consideration, nevertheless, it is imperative to invest in the people and the things that will move Augusta forward.

Mary D. Mayo-Wescott

Augusta