The sad state of the city of Butler started years ago when it had the chance to build a Route 8 bypass and eliminate the heavy truck traffic on Main Street but did not do so. Then the malls came, and in the early 1980s Pullman Stand-ard, Inc., closed and things began to go from bad to worse. In my opinion, the final nail in the coffin was the decision to build the new prison in the city — a move that required tearing down homes to provide space for parking and eliminating space that could have been available to new businesses. The Hot Dog Shoppe, a place I never missed going to when I went to town, closed, as did Robert's Bakery, where I went for a pecan roll. Meanwhile, the convention center, hotel and condos that were promised have not come about. If they ever do, I'm wondering where people using those facilities will park. Parking on parking-meter-free Main Street is "fun," especially with the big trucks. I have lost several side mirrors on my truck doing this, so I just feed the meters in nearby locations on what now are my rare visits to downtown Butler. Section 8 housing and the druggies are forcing anyone who can to flee to the suburbs. Go to Slippery Rock, Grove City, Franklin or Clarion. Drive down their main streets and check out the difference. Butler obviously is doing something wrong, or has done many things wrong in the past, and it now is catching up with the city.
