Some 65 civic leaders from Jackson, Miss., stepped off a bus today in front of the Shaw Center to start a two-day canvass trip of downtown Baton Rouge. Jackson is in the early stages of redeveloping its downtown area, which hasn’t seen much life in 30 years, and many downtown enthusiasts came to Baton Rouge to get inspiration on revitalization techniques and spurring economic development. The canvass group visited Little Rock, Ark., last summer and Columbus, Ga., in 2007. “I’m very envious of this restaurant experience, getting to see this view of the Mississippi River,” says Joy Foy of the Mississippi Development Authority after lunch at Tsunami. “Now tell me, where’s the shopping?”
This afternoon the group is touring downtown, starting at the LSU Museum of Art and the Shaw Center, where Mayor Pro Tem Mike Walker and downtown’s biggest cheerleader David Rhorer welcomed them. They’ll also tour the Baton Rouge River Center with general manager Todd Mitchell, the Old Governor’s Mansion with Carolyn Bennett of the Foundation of Historical Louisiana, the Kress building with the Cyntreniks group, the Louisiana State Museum with historian John Sykes, as well as Spanish Town and the casinos. Friday morning will be spent with a series of lectures by Mayor Kip Holden, Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, various state leaders, CATS and others. Holden and Rhorer have welcomed the Jackson visit, noting that Baton Rouge officials are now getting a chance to show off what has worked for the city, after years of local canvass trips to cities such as Austin, Texas, Portland, Ore., and Nashville, Tenn.—Rebecca Breeden
