(Editor’s Note: Each week,The Herald poses a “Question of the Week” on their facebook page with many responding. Comments made on the posts, may or may not be factual in nature and are to be noted as that person’s comment only.)
Each week The Herald will ask a random question, both on the opinion page of the weekly paper and on The Eureka Herald Facebook © page. Responses should be mailed to PO Box 590, Eureka, KS 67045, e-mailed to news@eurekaherald. com with “Coffee Shop Talk” in the subject; dropped off at our office, 822 E. River, in Eureka or made on The Eureka Herald’s Facebook© page.
The “Question of the Week” for last week was: “Would a truck stop in the Eureka area be a benefit? Would you support it? Why or why not” Following are the responses: Benjamin Lewis* - “Yes” Michelle Watts* - “We have a lot of truck traffic through eureka and I think it would definitely benefit truckers or anyone traveling back and forth from work. From someone who has traveled that way to work I passed so many people along the side of the ride or the rest stop getting sleep. It would be safer and beneficial for Eureka. Bring in more jobs and new people. Could be helpful for our little town. I would work there!”
Christina Rosenbaum* “Yes, we need a truck stop here. My husband is a truck driver! We was just talking about this a few days ago!”
Merry Barrentine* “Yes.”
Jill Bailey* - “Definitely, I think its a great way to increase revenue for Eureka, create jobs. Let the truckers have somewhere safe to rest, eat. A truck stop is a great idea to jump start our community to be a thriving town again...”
Matthew Wilson* - “Absolutely. Many truck drivers earn an honorable and important living in Eureka and we should support them.”
Rita White* - “Yes we definitely need one The one we had years ago was always busy A place where truckers can eat ect” Debbie Hughes* - “Absolutely it would be great!”
Maria Watchous* - “The old truck stop had the best chicken fried steak ever!”
Debi Hurley* - “I feel it would be beneficial. With all the truck traffic we could benefit the sales in our town. And it would possibly have more available jobs.”
Sheila Aucoin Olsen* - “Yes, I meet more big trucks, semis, going to Eldorado than I do cars and trucks.”
Chris Hansel* - “Do we need that kind of attraction ?”
Kim Weatherbee Rogers* - “Yes, we need a place with a little home cooking restaurant, showers for the truckers.”
Sheena R. Hollis* - “I think it would be beneficial to have one. We get plenty of truck traffic through town. It would create jobs, generate revenue, and allow drivers who live locally a place to park rather than parking along side streets, in turn, protecting our roads from wear and tear.”
Debbie Reaves Leck* “That would be fantastic!”
Shannon Schlotterbeck* - “I’ve always thought there should be one out near the junction of 54/99. More jobs for people would be good, in addition to providing access for the truck traffic that goes through the area.”
Rachel Boyd* - “There is a lot of truck traffic that goes through on 54, with it being a major shipping highway. A truck stop may be nice to have.”
Freddy Stuber* - “Yes it would be a perfect place build it on the edge of town! Good revenue some jobs and maybe a restaurant! Yea it would be a good thing!”
Kathy Cummings* - “If they put the truck stop within city limits it would be a good thing for Eureka it would give truck drivers a place to stop and not make property owners mad, but if it is outside city limits you are going to lose revenue! If, where Johnson's used to be, that property owner could buy the lots to the west and open up that area for truck parking and build a new building, there would be lots of benefits for the town and truckers passing thru.”
Diane Grundy* - “Yes. Truck drivers are trying to make a living like the rest of us and it's hard to park a big rig in most places on 54. The gas prices might be higher but locals don't have to purchase their gas at the truck stop. The availability of jobs in the area would be beneficial.”
Tami J. Hart-Jackson* “Absolutely!”
Thelma Rotramel-Huffman* - “at 99 and 54 . Great place to have a truck stop.”
Irl Chastain* - “Yes” Tiffany Milner* - “Increased truck traffic would be nice for the new business who receives the income, and the few employees who can have a job. My questions: would the city tax from the business offset the increased maintenance costs for River due to the increased traffic? Most truck stops that are around there is usually a hotel that can house said truckers if they don’t want to overnight in their trucks. Would that benefit or cause the local hotel problems? Thankfully we have two locations in Eureka where diesels can fuel up, if needed. One of them being locally owned!* Kim Gorman* - “I’d rather see one at Rosalia. So I could stop 2P halfway home.”
Larry Hibbard* - “Be aware it will hurt local businesses and usually are built outside city limits which means that they will not pay city sales or property tax.”
Kevin Lyon* - “Larry Hibbard had one in the city limits.... Never seemed to work out. Sometimes change is good. Usually hard for small towns to see any good in it but maybe some one locally can build one in the city.”
Felicia Knapp* - “Yes a truck stop would benefit eureka. It would help being in more business to eureka and can use the money to help eureka look like a nicer place. Eureka would honestly benefit even better if they fixed up the bowling alley and made it a thing again. Most of my childhood memories were in that bowling alley and with all the kiddos in town they would love it.”
Donna Satterfield Drake* - “400 took a lot of the Truck traffic from Eureka” Patty Voth* - “Yes that would be nice but first you got to find somebody that will sell the land” If you have a recommendation for the “Question of the Week” please send it to Robin at news@eurekaherald. com, or stop by 822 E. River St., Ste 100.
