A Chill in the Air
I have to admit to getting a little agitated this evening, although those who were around me probably couldn't see the signs. Perhaps I'm overreacting a bit, but
Jim Keith, head honcho for the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Visitors Bureau, was kind enough to invite me to the Southeast Indiana Chamber of Commerce's meet-and-greet at New Albany's White House Center. Develop New Albany, its staff, board of directors, and its members went to great lengths to host the Chamber, offering food and beverages from local dining establishments and door prizes from local businesses. These opportunities ain't cheap and DNA didn't waste a bit of this opportunity to increase awareness of Downtown.
From all indications, the event was a great success and helped members of the Chamber to meet some of the local dignitaries, public officials, and business leaders. Jane Alcorn couldn't have been a more gracious hostess, by the way.
But the event was spoiled for me early on in the festivities. The president of DNA invited Mayor Garner to welcome the crowd, and he introduced his new economic development director, Paul Wheatley while sharing a little bit of the schedule for construction on Scribner Place. Hizzoner projects that building construction on the city's ambitious project will begin before the end of this calendar year. Mr. Wheatley seemed to be doing a fine job in answering questions about the city's portion of the SP development and was capably working the room. But it wasn't the city officials who stirred my passions.
Floyd County Council Chairman Ted Heavrin followed the mayor with a few apparently well-chosen words. Again, I may just be too sensitive, but I was startled and a bit offended at what he chose to tell the assembled throng.
Heavrin made allusion to the County Council's possible efforts to purchase a building to house some 20 employees now occupying the deteriorating space at the county poor farm. To say the least, the chairman cast the idea in the most negative of lights. I admit to being shocked at the dash of cold water Mr. Heavrin tossed on the proceedings when he expressed the opinion that the move just wouldn't work because of the "parking problem," which he obviously considers to be an insurmountable hurdle to using any downtown buildings to house county employees.
Fortunately, my reaction doesn't matter. I'm neither a member of the Chamber nor of Develop New Albany, at least for now, and I'm told that Mr. Heavrin's attendance was a truly positive development and that the mere fact that someone from the County Council was showing an interest in DNA and downtown businesses was some kind of watershed moment.
At the very least, Mr. H's remarks lacked grace. I would think that given the high-profile of the occasion and its relative rarity in these parts, the chairman of the County Council could have saved his disrespect for another occasion.
Now, I recognize that not everyone shares my opinions about the suitability and desirability of New Albany's core business district. Not everyone appreciates vintage houses, either. Where I may love the idea of plaster walls, Craftsman, Bungalow, or Victorian architecture, and hardwood floors in a compact urban setting, others may well prefer 4-inch carpets, sheetrock walls, and walk-in closets in the far suburbs.
Where I prefer to shop where inventories are crafted and personal service is the watchword, others may crave the anonymity of a big-box retailer that dictates what you will buy while subjecting you to 30-minute waits at the checkout counter.
I adore the idea of being able to bike to work or walk downtown for a meeting; others may prefer to commute miles in a gigantic SUV.
There's nothing wrong with a difference in tastes or of opinions.
But to dis' downtown with the canard that there is no parking reveals a deep misunderstanding of the beauties of urban living. Perhaps the most successful retail/small office/entertainment district in the region, nestled in a dense residential neighborhood, is the Bardstown Road area in Louisville. Where, may I inquire, do you park when you visit there?
Get out of your vehicle, Mr. Heavrin, and take a stroll around downtown. There is plenty of parking downtown for workers and visitors. We're well aware that you oppose the Stumler/Fendley proposal to relocate county employees to a downtown site. We know you prefer to purchase industrial property to house the 20 or so employees in need of relocation.
But, please, don't try to convince us that parking is the reason you oppose the use of a historic downtown building. And please, don't diminish the downtown in your public speeches, particularly when invited to attend a celebration with the tag line, "The Renaissance Begins."
I, myself, would prefer industry to occupy industrial space, not government. It's my thought that government offices ought to be centralized, preferably in the heart of the county seat. And the opportunity for the county to acquire a building like the Fair store building on Market Street is a winner. I hope that the county and its leaders have the vision, a few years down the road, to use the property in a targeted way and sell it to a "selected" buyer, not another absentee landlord or property speculator. We need our downtown to be utilized, not mothballed.
I don't know what the political opposition is, or its reasoning, but I hope readers will join me in endorsing the idea of the county moving some of its most stressed workers to a historic downtown site while exploring longer term solutions.
Maybe that will be the Fair store. I've toured the building and believe it's a winner for all concerned. But your council members need to know it if you support the idea. Give them a call or send them an e-mail.
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I'll admit to my ignorance, by the way, but does Mr. Heavrin represent anyone within the city boundaries? Or does his constituency consist only of suburban and rural voters? And if it's the latter, I would ask, does the chairman (or any council member) have a duty to represent citizens who don't have the opportunity to vote for him/her?
Jim Keith, head honcho for the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Visitors Bureau, was kind enough to invite me to the Southeast Indiana Chamber of Commerce's meet-and-greet at New Albany's White House Center. Develop New Albany, its staff, board of directors, and its members went to great lengths to host the Chamber, offering food and beverages from local dining establishments and door prizes from local businesses. These opportunities ain't cheap and DNA didn't waste a bit of this opportunity to increase awareness of Downtown.
From all indications, the event was a great success and helped members of the Chamber to meet some of the local dignitaries, public officials, and business leaders. Jane Alcorn couldn't have been a more gracious hostess, by the way.
But the event was spoiled for me early on in the festivities. The president of DNA invited Mayor Garner to welcome the crowd, and he introduced his new economic development director, Paul Wheatley while sharing a little bit of the schedule for construction on Scribner Place. Hizzoner projects that building construction on the city's ambitious project will begin before the end of this calendar year. Mr. Wheatley seemed to be doing a fine job in answering questions about the city's portion of the SP development and was capably working the room. But it wasn't the city officials who stirred my passions.
Floyd County Council Chairman Ted Heavrin followed the mayor with a few apparently well-chosen words. Again, I may just be too sensitive, but I was startled and a bit offended at what he chose to tell the assembled throng.
Heavrin made allusion to the County Council's possible efforts to purchase a building to house some 20 employees now occupying the deteriorating space at the county poor farm. To say the least, the chairman cast the idea in the most negative of lights. I admit to being shocked at the dash of cold water Mr. Heavrin tossed on the proceedings when he expressed the opinion that the move just wouldn't work because of the "parking problem," which he obviously considers to be an insurmountable hurdle to using any downtown buildings to house county employees.
Fortunately, my reaction doesn't matter. I'm neither a member of the Chamber nor of Develop New Albany, at least for now, and I'm told that Mr. Heavrin's attendance was a truly positive development and that the mere fact that someone from the County Council was showing an interest in DNA and downtown businesses was some kind of watershed moment.
At the very least, Mr. H's remarks lacked grace. I would think that given the high-profile of the occasion and its relative rarity in these parts, the chairman of the County Council could have saved his disrespect for another occasion.
Now, I recognize that not everyone shares my opinions about the suitability and desirability of New Albany's core business district. Not everyone appreciates vintage houses, either. Where I may love the idea of plaster walls, Craftsman, Bungalow, or Victorian architecture, and hardwood floors in a compact urban setting, others may well prefer 4-inch carpets, sheetrock walls, and walk-in closets in the far suburbs.
Where I prefer to shop where inventories are crafted and personal service is the watchword, others may crave the anonymity of a big-box retailer that dictates what you will buy while subjecting you to 30-minute waits at the checkout counter.
I adore the idea of being able to bike to work or walk downtown for a meeting; others may prefer to commute miles in a gigantic SUV.
There's nothing wrong with a difference in tastes or of opinions.
But to dis' downtown with the canard that there is no parking reveals a deep misunderstanding of the beauties of urban living. Perhaps the most successful retail/small office/entertainment district in the region, nestled in a dense residential neighborhood, is the Bardstown Road area in Louisville. Where, may I inquire, do you park when you visit there?
Get out of your vehicle, Mr. Heavrin, and take a stroll around downtown. There is plenty of parking downtown for workers and visitors. We're well aware that you oppose the Stumler/Fendley proposal to relocate county employees to a downtown site. We know you prefer to purchase industrial property to house the 20 or so employees in need of relocation.
But, please, don't try to convince us that parking is the reason you oppose the use of a historic downtown building. And please, don't diminish the downtown in your public speeches, particularly when invited to attend a celebration with the tag line, "The Renaissance Begins."
I, myself, would prefer industry to occupy industrial space, not government. It's my thought that government offices ought to be centralized, preferably in the heart of the county seat. And the opportunity for the county to acquire a building like the Fair store building on Market Street is a winner. I hope that the county and its leaders have the vision, a few years down the road, to use the property in a targeted way and sell it to a "selected" buyer, not another absentee landlord or property speculator. We need our downtown to be utilized, not mothballed.
I don't know what the political opposition is, or its reasoning, but I hope readers will join me in endorsing the idea of the county moving some of its most stressed workers to a historic downtown site while exploring longer term solutions.
Maybe that will be the Fair store. I've toured the building and believe it's a winner for all concerned. But your council members need to know it if you support the idea. Give them a call or send them an e-mail.
----------------------------------------
I'll admit to my ignorance, by the way, but does Mr. Heavrin represent anyone within the city boundaries? Or does his constituency consist only of suburban and rural voters? And if it's the latter, I would ask, does the chairman (or any council member) have a duty to represent citizens who don't have the opportunity to vote for him/her?
posted by All4Word at 10:00 PM
1 Comments:
I've never been shy about admitting my ignorance.
Indeed, it turns out that Mr. Heavrin represents the precise area of town he was so dismissive of as a site for temporary county offices.
I'm further told that 2006 is the year that Mr. Heavrin's 1st District seat comes up before the citizenry for a vote.
I vote in the 2nd District, represented by Lana Aebersold.
I agree with Brandon that Mr. Heavrin is entitled to clarify his comments and I did seek to engage him in conversation during last evening's event, but without success.
I'm not much for cocktail party atmospheres and never learned the skills necessary to intrude myself into a conversation. It's not something I like to see and it's not something I like to do - interrupt. I felt uncomfortable enough just hovering around the man hoping to discover whether I had misunderstood his comments.
Maybe I've ticked off one of his political friends? In any event, I don't think Mr. Heavrin had any interest in talking with me after I identified myself. And after reviewing the public record and consulting with a few old pros, I doubt Mr. Heavrin and I would have a great deal in common when it comes to our visions for this city.
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