Save 81 has been busy over the past month spreading the word about how important Interstate 81‘s existing route is. Our top opportunity to do so was at the Syracuse Common Council committee session on the I-81 project in mid-June. Joe Bright of Dunk & Bright Furniture delivered a fantastic presentation about how we need to maintain a high-speed option in Syracuse for the sake of all communities.
From Joe:
In 2016 we surveyed our customers and asked them, ‘Would you visit Dunk & Bright if a community grid option were implemented?’
Sixteen percent of them said, no, they would not shop at Dunk & Bright if there were a community grid in place. Losing 16 percent of our customers would be disastrous for Dunk & Bright, but the implications of that phenomena would be similar for any Southside business. A certain percentage of customers in northern neighborhoods would simply stop visiting Southside businesses. This is an unfortunate reality for a neighborhood that has historically struggled to attract healthy businesses.
Joe spoke more with WSYR about what would happen to Southside businesses and our communities if I-81 is replaced. Give a listen here.
We also have seen some great community involvement recently, grabbing headlines in our local media: