Third Street trees die for undetermined verdict

The walls at The Gazette are shaking this week as workers tear down portions of CenterPoint MarketPlace to extend Third Street to CenterPoint Drive.


I suppose the new road will give Gazette staffers faster access to Pfiffner Pioneer Park, in case one of us has a park craving we need to quickly satisfy, or in case somebody wants to take a break to chase away geese at the park as a volunteer opportunity. I heard the city has people sentenced to community service for that, though.

Otherwise, we’ll probably only notice the new extended road as something that required the removal of some big, beautiful trees on the street. Those trees were removed for the new road, much like Saruman’s forces ripped trees down to help build an Orc army in “Lord of the Rings.”

While the city’s intent isn’t quite as evil as those of people and creatures looking to take over the world, some residents might not agree, as the demolition of the mall has initiated controversy for many years.

I’m on the fence. For the most part, the mall seemed like a wasteland, with many of the stores going unused. Walking in the mall, even at its busiest times in recent years, was sometimes agonizing, simply because you felt bad for some of the store owners who weren’t getting the business they deserved.

The owners of the mall could have probably done more to promote it and make it a better shopping destination for people, but they shouldn’t be blamed entirely for the death of CenterPoint MarketPlace. Small malls throughout the country suffered the same fate, as big box stores and super malls became the preferred place for shoppers.

I remember coming to the mall with my mother when I was younger, and it was a much busier place. I didn’t have any money, so I used the experience to goof off with my sister. We’d hide in clothes racks, play tag and yell at each other from hundreds of feet away. Kids like us probably scared away some shoppers from the experience, so we’re probably to be blamed for the death of the mall just as much as anybody else can be blamed.

Malls were a hot trend, and every city had one. Now, many cities have vacant ones. We went to the mall in downtown Oshkosh frequently, too, and that one died long before CenterPoint MarketPlace. Maybe we should be thankful it survived as long as it did, then.

Extended Third Street without its nice big trees may or may not be a good thing. It’s still too early to tell. When Mid-State Technical College moves into some of the mall’s remnants, downtown Stevens Point will benefit from the influx of more people. And bringing more people to this great place is a good thing.

Years from now, hopefully we’ll all laugh at the thought such a move was once controversial. Or maybe we’ll cry thinking about those trees.

Progress can be fickle, depending largely on whether or not it actually occurs. The jury will need a lot of time before we’ll finally know.
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Originally published in The Portage County Gazette on Sept. 7, 2012.