Friday, January 7, 2011

Amen, Brother Gene

In Wednesday morning's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, right there beside a letter from a gentleman who was very upset that he was missing his daily dose of misinformation due to a radio station conspiracy, was a very good letter from Gene Pfeifer.

Gene Pfeifer, in case you're unaware, has donated land (think Pfiefer Loop) to help NLR to reach the BDB with the River Trail and to add park lands. He is a long-time cycling advocate who puts his money and his drive into the things that he cares about, and, as he pointed out at a NLR City Council meeting awhile back, it's good business for him. The value of his NorthShore Business Park has definitely been enhanced by the BDB. In a years-long story, Gene has kept pressure on Little Rock to meet a commitment to complete the River Trail system, and in his letter he continues to do so in a positive manner. The Clinton Park Bridge project is finally moving and Gene's letter serves as a reminder of how far we've come and how frustratingly little remains to close the loop on the River Trail. Keep singing, Gene, and those of us in the choir need to join in.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are lucky there hasn't been serious injury or worse on those "pathetic sections" on the Little Rock side. I would have hoped Mayor Stodala would have been a bit more of the competitive type who would have seen the efforts of Mayor Hayes as a challenge to do equally well. Alas that has not been the case. Maybe if Little Rock continues to lose thriving businesses to our northern friends he might see the wisdom in helping to improve the quality of life in central Arkansas. Maybe Judge Villlanes will run for mayor!

anoncow said...

I'm pretty sure Gene picked me up one day when I had just started cycling again after moving to Little Rock after college on my (flatted out) 10 speed Schwinn Sprint I got for a tenner at Salvation Army in Russellville. He's always seemed like a genuine champion of lifestyle activities in the Pulaski County area, and his emphasis on making the Clinton Foundation/City/County make the loop as complete as possible has always been appreciated in my book