The WISS BUILDING in LeRoy

SOOOOOOOOOOO much has been said about keeping and/or not keeping this dilapidated brick Hotel -- eyesore at the corner of Main Street and Lake Street (Routes 5 and 19) that I, along with most everyone else in town, was tired of hearing about. Finally someone with a brain made a decision and had the dump torn down.

I was away on a month's vacation, leaving Le Roy at the end of the demolition and returned to find "IT" gone completely, bulldozed smooth bringing into a great view of our beautiful, historic Presbyterian Church into full view as we approach Main Street from the north, and more. It welcomes travelers to our Village with a more formal, eye-catching sight of our little, quaint village with the charming hospitality we deserve.

You know, if some of you were, in fact, native inhabitants of our town, the Wiss would be remembered as a vibrant, elegant feature on that now-vacant corner. It housed, not only a wonderfully ornate lobby, but, what would now be considered a three-star restaurant operated by chef Theo Bunko and his wife, Heidi.....who made pastries the likes of which one would have to travel to Austria to enjoy.....but, as all things neglected, we ended up with a smelly saloon and shabby rooms for rent (until they became uninhabitable).

And...now we see there's a fully grown, green lawn to hide what stood there.....plus (due to) the initiative of the people next door on Lake Street who "dressed up" and beautified the adjacent building on the Lake Street approach to Main (thank you), it is even more appealing a welcome. It is said that there are possibly thousands of cars, trucks and motorhomes that pass east and west, south and north that encountered the pitiful condition of the first building they saw on our Main Street corner.......that observation was seemingly the best truth presented for the argument for keeping the structure for renovation. But "they" were referring to what their plan would have (or might have) looked like if we allowed the shenanigan to proceed. Everyone has a right to their ideas, no matter good or bad, but it shouldn't be pushed onto folks who do not share the same vision. If only they cared about Le Roy more than themselves and their bank accounts.

Now that we're on the way to making "pretty," I heard through the grapevine (of which small communities are famous for) that the Le Roy Hose (Fire Co.) has offered a few solid park benches to grace the empty "park." That's a beginning. There are already three planters of flowers in bloom on the sidewalk on Main Street (again somebody had a nice idea and moved on it). So all we need now is for someone to offer to purchase some potted trees and maybe a nice sculpture to finish the project. There can even be a contest to "Name the Park".....how about that?

Anyone want to be memorialized at Lake and Main streets? Here's your chance. Bob Barker used to say: "Come on down!" It's someone's turn to come forward and continue to beautify the former (I like that term) Wiss Hotel space on OUR Main Street. How 'bout it someone?

And as for the Le Roy Swimming Pool......aren't we fortunate to have REAL community minded people with a vision for the happy fulfilling life in the Town and Village of Le Roy for her citizens? They had forward thinking, added to the guts to DO IT...repair and restore something good for US Le Royans!

Bravo to everyone who sees Le Roy as our town/village and for those who believe they are the singular movers and shakers........read the citizens' minds and listen to our voices with care, please. Make some sense so that we can all benefit from smart planning and forward thinking... FOREVER GONE & AMEN!