Thai Express isn't even that good. There are plenty of local joints owned by local people that don't pay into a large chain's pockets. Go to those places instead

A "homeless village" ie a collection of small homes for them to stay in, providing a roof and resources (mainly rehab since most homelessness in Springfield is drug related) would be a massive step towards improving the area.

As others have mentioned, some actual transportation infrastructure would be fantastic

Bonus "it would be nice" ideas:

renewables power company to compete with CU

Addition of more green spaces/plants/vertical gardens around town.

increased turn signal usage

Less meth and higher wages relative to the rest of the country would solve most problems.

Marital status and religion aren’t relevant. I do think college status is important.

This is your resume to the people, what’s your educational/trade school/employment/volunteer history?

Keeping traffic moving is the key point in this too. There's virtually zero idling at roundabouts as well, improving fuel economy and being better for the environment.

😂😂

Tax churches.

Yeah…I’ve seen that too. I hope it changes over time as well, but I’m not holding my breath. The stopping unnecessarily complete defeats the efficiency benefit. The driving the wrong part is, well…

I see. I dislike them because most drivers seem confused by them and don’t use them properly. Both here and in Oklahoma I’ve seen people drive the wrong way around them or stop unnecessarily. Hopefully that’s something that changes over time.

Statistically they are proven to improve traffic flow, reduce accidents, and significantly reduce injury from accidents. People say they don’t like them because they slow down traffic and are less safe. The data says otherwise.

If it makes you feel any better, that kitchen manager I referenced is in prison now. Not sure what it’s like there now, however Gene would set the tone… for what it’s worth.

When I swung by this afternoon the line was on the shoulder backed up past popeye's, past macadoodles, past the empty lot that is soon to be a culvers, and past the car wash. I get that this is all in fun but this is not a location move, this is an Arrival. And it will pass in a few weeks, WaB isn't that great.

Not even in the same category. Thai Xpress also tried to compete with HongKongInn, Chinese and Thai food are very different. If you don’t have nice things to say about other restaurants then I have no interest in eating at your restaurant.

Toxic Restaurants 101

I can't imagine being their neighbor and just trying to get home at night. Waiting an hour after work just to pull into my house would piss me all the way off.

That said, park at the school up the street and walk down. You'll get a better view and won't have to wait through the ridiculous car line.

Saw someone mention Community Gardens which would be cool, but I'd like to see more neighborhoods garden in their own backyards / balconies etc. It would be nice to be able to share fresh food with your neighbors and help take care of each other as opposed to markets.

I'd also argue we need more walk-ability. Sidewalks turning into dead ends, bus stops without benches or shelters etc. are all forms of hostile architecture that should be reformed. More Bike lanes too.

It would be nice to maybe get a group together and start "Free Stores" for our local houseless population, maybe something our local Food Not Bombs could take inspiration from "Operation Safe Winter" up in Colombia MO. A "Free Store" is gathering donations from the community and then setting up in a public area (like a park) and letting the houseless population get much needed things like clothes, tents, shoes, food, etc.

I know you said mention one thing but there's a lot of good ideas we could try and be a part of!

I would probably actually go out on the weekends

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I’m on board with all the cycling trail and green space improvements as well as unhoused support so I’ll add another: a larger and more functional convention center. Either add on to the current or build new. The amount of revenue that would bring to the area is potentially huge. It’s been on the last few Field Guide or Forward SGF plans I’ve seen but no real movement.

Second idea: if O’Reilly, Bass Pro, Prime, and Jack Henry among others continue to expect in-office workers then use your considerable financial influence to improve the area they live and work. Johnny Morris for example doesn’t seem to do any sort of investment that doesn’t also personally enrich him. Use Bentonville as a blueprint, Walmart knows it’s an uphill battle to get world-class talent to move to Arkansas so they invested heavily in schools, infrastructure, culture, and so on. Hell even that shit would enrich Morris, just less directly.

Genuinely asking, what advantages are there for roundabouts in your opinion? My experience with the newer ones here have made me want less of them lol.

I agree with this. I know MU Extension (specifically the woman who heads up 4H) has been asked by SPS to teach all kindergartners and 1st graders how to ride a bike. Her hope is that this will help raise a generation of cyclists that will help fuel our growth in that area.

Well, we have a Costco now, so what more could we ask for?!

IKEA? Micro Center? Decent pizza?

Can we suggest keeping something that we already have? I'm afraid that we're going to lose the Springfield Cardinals in a couple years.

A real push to light, specialized, manufacturing. Many cities compete to be a tech hub. So promote something we can be competitive with.

Also, all the other things people have said.

It makes me sad to see the old timey photos of downtown Springfield and the nice Trolley system that brought people there.