To the Editor:
I found the letter from the winter resident in the Feb. 19 issue interesting. There’s a lot more she dislikes about Mesquite than she likes, but she states at the end of the letter that it’s not intended as criticism so I’ll take her word for it.
One of the things she mentioned was shopping. I thought I knew Mesquite pretty well but apparently there are only two women’s clothing venues. One is for 90 year olds, which seems rather odd and makes me wonder where the 88 and 89 year olds shop, and the other is Wal-Mart, a place she will not step into. She states both are crudely insufficient, but at least she didn’t criticize them.
She also mentioned the lack of available grocery shopping, stating Smith’s and Wal-Mart is all there is. She left out the Hispanic store on Riverside Drive with a butcher shop, homemade salsa’s, and a bakery with some delicious sweets, but maybe that’s another place she wouldn’t step into. So she has to make the arduous 40 minute trek to St George to shop at Costco and Harmon’s. I’ve been to Harmon’s on multiple occasions and I’m sorry but I feel that Smiths has a greater selection of meats and seafood along with a better produce section. Additionally their customer service is as good as it gets in the grocery business. As for Wal-Mart, I understand there are a lot of people that hold them in contempt, but they provide a wide variety of goods and service’s at a reasonable price to retiree’s on a fixed income, and to lower income service and labor families. Gee, I think those two demographics make up a significant % of Mesquite residents, but everyone is certainly welcome to shop wherever they want and if she can afford to fill up the tank and drive to St George to pay higher prices for similar goods and service’s she’s a fortunate individual.
She then compares us to and speaks glowingly of some place called Ukiah (must be Indian for Shangri-La). That piqued my interest so I researched that heavenly place. I did discover that despite their wonderful amenities they only have one McDonalds vs our two, and that likely explains why their population lags that of Mesquites.
Finally, she claims that St George has better restaurants than Mesquite but is concerned about the access to Popeye’s Chicken. Now I’m no one to second guess anyone’s interpretation of what constitutes fine dining, but now I’m wondering if it’s the Chik-fil-A that keeps her trekking back to St George.
I guess you can just put me down as someone who loves Mesquite. My wife and I are in that group of people that actually knew what was available prior to moving here, so although we do occasionally shop elsewhere, it’s not because we’re disappointed with what Mesquite has to offer. It is nice to hear divergent views and I respect everyone’s right to voice their opinion. She’s certainly not alone in wishing for a local representation of a favorite restaurant or retail outlet and I’m just glad she took the high road and decided not to criticize us.
Jimmy Wike
Mesquite
I enjoyed reading Jimmy Wike’s letter and applaud his comments. Although we are not full time residents of Mesquite, we have owned a home since 2003. When we come to Mesquite a view times each year our goal is not the leave it during our trip. We certainly don’t want to leave it to grocery shop or go to a restaurant in St. George when we can the same things in Mesquite while at the same time support our local community. We love coming to Mesquite and can’t wait for retirement when we can be there full time.
Janice Carter
Mesquite
I’m sorry but I think she did a wonderful job bringing up a much needed topic. She made many valid points and I think you sir are being somewhat rude implying she is some type of prude just because she has personal shopping preferences. I have lived in this town all my life… I am one of the rarest things to find here in this town because people my age (18-40) are forced to look elsewhere for work or shop. it’s high time we remind people in your group that Mesquite was founded by families. It was never meant to be a jewel of the desert resort town so please stop forcing that image down our throats. I’m all for keeping Mesquite a beautiful place to live and growth isn’t going to make this city dirty and vile. We all need to work together to keep the nice living environment and allow families to prosper. I for one refuse to leave this is my hometown and I and many more are beginning to voice our concerns. I truly believe a compromise can be made on both sides but its going to be a bumpy ride because it’s been one sided far too long. Thanks for sharing your thoughts though because it keeps the debate going so our city officials can get and idea of what the community feels.
Gee Lewis, you seem bitter and angry but I can’t tell why. What exactly do you think is being forced down your throat? What group does Mr. Wike belong to? You say you’re pro-growth but then you rail against the very things that have grown Mesquite over the last two decades. Is it golf, gambling and the retiring baby boomers that you’re so upset with? You seem to have an impression that families are somehow being asked to leave town. Perhaps you’re too young to remember but there are far more families living in the area today than there were thirty years ago and they continue to serve an absolutely vital role in the community so I’m confused. Perhaps if you shared some of your ideas about what needs to change around here I’d be able to understand.
cl_rand I’m just against putting all our eggs in one basket. Remember that economic mess we had a few years ago where the casinos were losing money and we even had to witness the Oasis close its doors? Even our golf courses suffered because they rely on the casinos to house the majority of their visitors. Did you not hear Wolf Creek was almost on the verge of closure? Or how bout the Oasis golf course closure? My point is Mesquite needs to diversify its economic portfolio so we won’t be in the same boat in the future. We have enough Casinos and Golf courses to keep you and others entertained so let’s bring in something else.
I’m all for that! Do you know of any business, big or small, that is currently attempting to locate in Mesquite but is being blocked from doing so? Neither do I. Do you know of anyone proposing another golf course or casino? Me either. So why all the us against them rhetoric?