[Vision2020] Alturas Solution
B. J. Swanson
bjswan@moscow.com
Sun, 16 Nov 2003 22:23:18 -0800
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John, Mike, etal,
Being away for a few days made me realize that we are
probably not that far apart on our Alturas ideas. Mike, you
said your only issue with Alturas was public funding for
businesses that are not strictly research or technology
based. If all the fuss about Alturas is caused by general
businesses looking for quality space, then there must be a
need for a Business Park. I challenge you to develop a new
Business Park somewhere in Moscow. I promise not to
criticize when after 2-3 years of searching; you could find
no private developer. And in those 2-3 years of searching,
several quality businesses with high paying jobs and
benefits will move to Pullman or Lewiston where they can get
$.80 per square foot quality office space instead of
$1.25-$1.50 in Moscow. Mike, your meatpacking consultant
would be a fool not to relocate to Pullman, Lewiston,
Orofino or Post Falls, etc., and take advantage of publicly
funded infrastructure. The Port of Whitman, the Port of
Lewiston, etc., understand the advantage of publicly funded
infrastructure to get living wage jobs with benefits to
support quality of life in their communities. It may not be
right but it is the way things are. We can stick to our
ideals while money and jobs go elsewhere or we can compete
and maintain our quality of life.
I was part of the LEDC Committee that formed Alturas. It
took that committee 2-3 years of searching to realize that
our idealistic plan for a privately developed Alturas would
never happen. During that time, around 40 jobs went to the
Port of Whitman.
Lt. Governor Jim Risch is certainly not a pro-tax
politician, but he said, "infrastructure must come from the
public side or private development will not happen."
Obviously he knows that public investment must be made or
jobs will not happen and quality of life will decline. I
wonder if 70 years ago, people on private wells and septic
systems debated the need for publicly funded water and sewer
systems?
Are you up to the challenge? If you get stuck, I know of a
good Urban Renewal Agency...
B. J. Swanson
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<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle21><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'>John, Mike, etal,<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle21><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'><![if =
!supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle21><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'>Being away for a few days made me realize that we are
probably not that far apart on our Alturas ideas.<span =
style=3D"mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Mike, you said your only issue with Alturas was =
public
funding for businesses that are not strictly research or technology =
based.<span
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If all the fuss about Alturas =
is caused
by general businesses looking for quality space, then there must be a =
need for
a Business Park.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I =
challenge you
to develop a new Business Park somewhere in Moscow.<span =
style=3D"mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>I promise not to criticize when after 2-3 years of =
searching;
you could find no private developer.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes">
</span>And in those 2-3 years of searching, several quality businesses =
with
high paying jobs and benefits will move to Pullman or Lewiston where =
they can
get $.80 per square foot quality office space instead of $1.25-$1.50 in
Moscow.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mike, your =
meatpacking
consultant would be a fool not to relocate to Pullman, Lewiston, Orofino =
or
Post Falls, etc., and take advantage of publicly funded =
infrastructure.<span
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Port of Whitman, the Port =
of
Lewiston, etc., understand the advantage of publicly funded =
infrastructure to
get living wage jobs with benefits to support quality of life in their
communities.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It may not =
be right
but it is the way things are.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> =
</span>We
can stick to our ideals while money and jobs go elsewhere or we can =
compete and
maintain our quality of life.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> =
</span><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle21><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'><![if =
!supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle21><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'>I was part of the LEDC Committee that formed =
Alturas.<span
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It took that committee 2-3 =
years of
searching to realize that our idealistic plan for a privately developed =
Alturas
would never happen.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> =
</span>During that
time, around 40 jobs went to the Port of Whitman.<span =
style=3D"mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle21><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'><![if =
!supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle21><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'>Lt. Governor Jim Risch is certainly not a pro-tax
politician, but he said, “</span></font></span><span =
class=3DEmailStyle20><font
size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>infrastructure must come from the =
public side
or private development will not happen.”<span =
style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Obviously he knows that public investment must be made or jobs =
will not
happen and quality of life will decline.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun: =
yes">
</span></span></font></span><span class=3DEmailStyle21><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'>I wonder if 70 years ago, people on private wells and =
septic
systems debated the need for publicly funded water and sewer =
systems?</span></font></span><span
class=3DEmailStyle20><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p></o:=
p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle20><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'><![if =
!supportEmptyParas]> <![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle20><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'>Are you up to the challenge?<span =
style=3D"mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>If you get stuck, I know of a good Urban Renewal =
Agency………<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle20><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
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<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3DEmailStyle20><font size=3D2 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:black'>B. J. Swanson<o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
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