Allen - We have children living here who need these things long after you depart. Auburn is not Rocklin or Roseville, and even those places have improved their original areas without compromising much. You should go see a doctor for your depression...you aren't healthy :-(

Methamphetamines make a person go through weird, repetitive motions.... "tweaking", if you will.

How about the local businesses that depend on tourist money?

I agree with part of what Allen has said.

Historical sites don't really need promotion.

But, cities do need tax revenue in order to fulfill the minimum services that a modern society requires.

I'll also agree that Auburn shouldn't end up like Roseville or Rocklin, but we certainly don't want to end up fiscally challenged like Loomis or Colfax.

"History is not for sale."

Please quantify and qualify many $$ history is worth. History is re written every day, so whats in vogue today, may be out tomorrow and if I could borrow money based on the history of my property id be worth millions. If your message is an anti-tourism message, that is another issue, which it sounds like. Id rather live in a town that people recognize for its uniqueness, and not another blip on the road. Perhaps Allen you would find Iowa Hill more attractive, its out of the way and isolated.

Short of tearing down all of downtown and lower town, there isn't really much more that can happen to Auburn that will "wreck" it.

Just imagine what they were thinking when the interstate freeway was put through! I've often wondered what great houses and businesses were demolished when they put it in.

Auburn in a great town and short of a complete demo-job, this place is always going to be unique. Settle down Allen, it's going to be alright.

gregcalac, at least you use the proper terminology "lower" town. I remember when the freeway was built, I was 8 years old when it was finished. It was an interesting corridor as it had many stop signs that allowed crossing. I don't believe any of us would like the consequence of still using Lincoln Way as was the case prior to the 4 lanes that replaced it. The original 48 version didn't take out many landmarks, they were taken down as the 4 lanes evolved into a freeway.

fourgen,

Actually, when I first moved here I met people who referred to lower town as "lower Auburn", L.A. for short. I kept hearing that from a few guys I knew and finally had to ask them what they meant.

The one place I miss from the 1988 I-80 widening project is "Champs Restaurant". Good steak, no frills, my kinda place!

There are so many changes that have taken place over the years, but Auburn still has a great atmosphere. I know that many people want everything to remain the same, but that's not possible.

I have always been the type of person who is able to roll with the changes, and I think that gives me an advantage over those who get very uncomfortable about it. However, I also appreciate and wish to preserve historical buildings. But, there's a balance between the old and the new, and the trick is to find a teetering point that's acceptable to reasonable people.

When the Placer County Courthouse was renovated I applauded as loudly as anyone. Maybe louder! What a gem!

But the thing that makes this town great isn't the buildings or the history, it's the people who live here now that make it special. I'm the eternal optimist, though, and I could even sit down with a known whiner like Allen Cassidy and have an enjoyable conversation.

You see, as far as I'm concerned, and, as much as Allen thinks he's being "a voice of reason" in town, he's really not. He represents the voice of a few disgruntled souls with …

.....not much more to do than piss and................well, the complaining becomes a habit, a way of communicating that's more of a detraction than something that adds to any thoughtful discussion that possibly could accomplish something good.