Editor:

I am happy to be living in Evanston. I left Evanston in the fall of 1963. There was no work available at the time for my husband. I was raised on the lower Bear River, which is now the Woodruff Narrows Reservoir. I returned to Evanston in 2007 from Pinedale.

I do have some concerns about our town.

First, I believe the financial institutions have kept up with our population growth. Our town boasts eight financial places to deposit our hard-earned money.

The grocery stores have failed us. We now have two big box grocery stores. In 1957, when I graduated from Evanston High School, we had four grocery stores. Blythe and Fargo even delivered groceries to your door. Evanston Cash had a butcher shop that cut fresh meat every day.

If I could drive to Mountain View to Benedict’s grocery store, they have everything a person could wish for: a marvelous deli, a butcher shop with fresh meat, a bakery and a place to sit and eat a fresh cooked lunch. Also, it’s clean and has fresh produce and a variety of other staples.

Secondly, I would like to see some light manufacturing — our “Road to Nowhere” leads to 60 acres. We need toilet paper, LOL! This could be anchored. By the rodeo grounds.

My third concern is our ugly, boarded-up Front Street! We spend advertising money on welcoming everybody to Evanston, home of “Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun.” Those visitors are greeted with a disastrous Front Street.

The buildings that are not structurally sound should be torn down for parking spaces. The boarded-up businesses should at least be required to clean their windows and post a small “closed” sign — no more paper-covered windows or unwelcoming appearances.

In closing, I have a car but cannot drive on the freeway. If anyone would like to go for lunch and grocery shopping in Mountain View and drive my car for a short getaway — let’s go!

DeAnne Heward Marshall

Evanston