Shannon’s Soapbox: Dresden Residents Speak Out

A few weeks ago, business and community leaders in Dresden sought the public’s input on the one-way streets on Dresden Court Square, stating that the one-way made it harder for businesses because people had to go all the way around the court square to get from one business to another. Leaders also expressed how the greenery could be pushed back to make more room for parking.

In an effort for public input, these leaders expressed for our news outlet to gain insight from the public on this and we did, via a Facebook post where numerous residents expressed an issue, not with court square, but with Dresden lacking in entertainment for children.

The post garnered more than 70 comments from locals, and while a small few expressed agreement regarding the one-way around the court square and the foliage interfering with parking, more were concerned with the lack of activities for their children.

Many residents expressed the need for a pickleball court, a splash pad, updating the Wilson Park equipment, a pool, or other recreational activities for the children that live here.

Some residents even expressed that cities that provide more for their children to do have less instances of teens getting involved in troublesome activities. Data on this suggests that youths who participate in extracurricular activities are more likely than non-participants to have higher self-esteem, greater academic achievement and lower incidences of delinquency according to an article by National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Very little other data was found on the subject, however, other than cities installing curfews to prevent teen crime, however data on that subject showed that curfews do not work in preventing crime and might actually disproportionately affect black and Latino youth.

One resident commented that it was not the governments job to provide entertainment for the children living in the city and while that is true, it’s not the governments job to do so, many parents choose to take their children to other cities where entertainment is available and will spend their money in those cities which pulls money away from Dresden.

Cities nearby like Martin and Union City have splash pads, more parks, a movie theatre, and other recreational activities for children and teens to do that pull money from Dresden.

While residents spoke out expressing the need for more activities for their children, it will be up to city officials to listen to their residents, find funding or grants for such projects, and, of course, time to implement them.

For residents wishing to reach out to Dresden city officials and know the people who represent your city they are listed below with their public contact information:

Weakley County Mayor: Dale Hutcherson: 731-364-5413, countymayor@weakleycountytn.gov.

Dresden Mayor: Mark Maddox: 731 364 2270, mayor@cityofdresden.net

Dresden Board of Aldermen:

Gwin Anderson, Kenneth Moore, Lyndal Dilday, Jennifer Schlicht, Ralph Cobb and Curtis Doran: webmaster@cityofdresden.net