I have lived in the Augusta area for more than 47 years, and have seen many successes and failures. At my earliest age, I remember going downtown by bus as all the shopping was downtown. Downtown has changed drastically since those days, and redevelopment correctly is of utmost importance.

I was disappointed when the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame's gardens closed. I often wonder if it had been the U.S. Golf Hall of Fame, it might have survived. Now the city is considering a baseball stadium downtown in this location. I wonder if a feasibility study has been done on the highest and best use of the property vs. a feasibility study for a baseball stadium. I am a very big fan of Augusta GreenJackets owner Cal Ripken, and I am a fan of the work Mayor Deke Copenhaver has done for our city, but I think the downtown stadium is a bad idea.

Since I was young, my father said there was never enough parking downtown. This has never changed. Revenue is also important to Augusta, and a stadium would not generate anywhere close to the revenue if there were offices, retail establishments or residential uses of the property. A stadium will not add to the tax base.

We already have a nice stadium that is clean and always seems to handle the capacity. The current stadium will be a nice pillar to the Salvation Army's Kroc Center once it is developed.

I hope everyone involved takes all these points into careful consideration before any funding is set in place. Once that happens, there will be no turning back.

Billy Franke, Augusta

(The writer is vice president of sales and leasing for Sherman & Hemstreet Real Estate in Augusta.)