The Skywalk to…

For years, people in our town have sarcastically referred to it as “the skywalk to nowhere.”

You know the one.

The skywalk connecting The Music Man Square to the development across the street. The one that sat unfinished for years while plans for a hotel stalled after an investor situation fell through. And somehow, despite the circumstances being far more complicated than many people realize, the skywalk itself became the symbol people pointed to whenever they wanted to complain about our town.

But here’s the thing…

It’s not a skywalk to nowhere anymore.

There is literally a hotel being built beside it right now.

And honestly? Maybe it’s time we stop treating every delayed project like a failure and start recognizing what long-term investment actually looks like.

Because if the city had waited until today to build that skywalk, it likely would have cost double, maybe even triple, what it did years ago. Anyone who has paid attention to construction costs, labor, or materials lately understands that. What was once criticized as “too early” may actually end up being incredibly smart timing.

Not every project unfolds perfectly or immediately. Sometimes development takes longer than expected. Investors change. Plans shift. Markets change. That happens everywhere, not just here.

But eventually, if people keep pushing forward, progress happens.

And that’s exactly what we’re seeing now.

The part that confuses me most is hearing people continue to say, “We don’t need another hotel.”

According to who?

Because the people who actually work in the hotel industry here, the people who would literally be the competition, have repeatedly said we do need more hotel space. During tournaments, events, concerts, and community weekends, rooms fill up quickly and visitors are forced to stay in surrounding towns.

That means those communities get the restaurant traffic. They get the gas station stops. They get the shopping. They get the tax revenue.

And now, this new hotel won’t just bring additional rooms. It will also bring something our town has needed for a very long time: a conference center.

So many organizations and events have considered our community for conferences, tournaments, and gatherings, but we simply haven’t had the facilities to host them. That means missed opportunities – not just for hotels, but for local restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops, entertainment venues, and small businesses.

When people stay here, they spend money here.

That matters.

This project isn’t just about a skywalk. It isn’t just about a hotel.

It’s about growth. It’s about opportunity. It’s about believing our town is worth investing in.

Are there still issues our community needs to work on? Of course. Every town has challenges. Every city has projects that need attention. But if we only focus on what frustrates us, we’ll completely miss the good things happening right in front of us.

If you go looking for negativity, you’ll always find it.

But personally, I’d rather be excited about what’s being built than complain about what once sat unfinished.

Because the “skywalk to nowhere” is finally going somewhere.

And I think that’s worth celebrating.