Project Welcome Mat - Cooper Street’s unwelcoming signs eyed

By Keith Roberts
Citizen Patriot
Thursday, January 22, 2009

The sign for downtown Jackson at the Cooper Street exit on I-94 doesn’t say “State Prison, next right,” but in the eyes of some business leaders it might as well.

Wednesday at the Midtown Morning Breakfast, Scott Fleming, president and CEO of The Enterprise Group of Jackson, said the sign gives that impression because “Cooper Street,” which people outside of Jackson associate with the prison, is more prominently displayed on the sign than “Downtown.”

Fleming wants to change the sign and make a host of other improvements along the Cooper Street corridor as part of what he calls Project Welcome Mat.

Fleming said it’s baffling the community is willing to spend time, effort and money on development, but it doesn’t have a decent sign.

“We don’t welcome people into this community,” Fleming said. “I think that’s why we have trouble downtown.”

Several business people, including Wendy Clifton, co-owner of A Frame Above, agreed with Fleming about the sign.

“Can we say, ‘Not just a prison community’?” Clifton said.

Jim Vance of the Walton Agency suggested changing the name of Cooper Street to something with better connotations.

As part of Project Welcome Mat, Fleming wants to make the cell tower at the exit look like a clock tower and put an LCD sign on it to tell passers-by about downtown events.

He also told business people he would like to see landscaping and home improvements made along the corridor and welcomes their help.