[Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
Bev Bafus
bevbafus at verizon.net
Wed Oct 24 20:11:48 PDT 2007
When you enter one side of town, and can see the fields on the other side,
you are still a very small town. Actually, from my house, I can see the
edge of town in all directions.
And yes, we live here because we know most people, we don't have rush hour,
and most folks are friendly.
A community must have sources of jobs other than retail and development.
You can't buy $300,000 houses on an average retail wage. Luckily, in
Moscow, we do have some companies that provide living wage jobs.
Bev
-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Sue Hovey
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 7:49 PM
To: Donovan Arnold; Tom Hansen; Bill London; lfalen; v2020
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
Actually, Donovan, one can find sugar free pickles lots of places and a
bath pillow--well I haven't looked for one but if I needed to, I'd go to Tri
State, buy some foam and make my own.
One other issue. Folks keep talking about bringing in jobs and making the
comparison to Seattle, Pittsburg, etc. What about those of us who choose to
live here because we can buy everything we really need here, we can get all
the way across town in about 3 minutes, we can know a very big percentage of
the population on a first name basis, we can enjoy a walk around town
without being bothered by freeways, super highways, and busy pedestrians
running to catch a bus or taxi. And gridlock here in downtown Moscow on a
really busy day lasts about 4 seconds. Call me a naysayer, but I like it
this way. And when I really want to go to a big city to shop I do it in
conjunction with a play in Spokane, a business trip to DC, or a vacation.
Or I shop over the Internet. I don't need more of anything much as long as
Bookpeople, Casa Lopez and the Red Door, VGH, Tri State, Browns Furniture,
Sisters, Wild Women Traders, and Rosauers stay in business. And if Walmart
closed its doors, I wouldn't miss it for a minute. I like the ambiance of
downtown especially on a Farmer's Market Morning. Am I missing anything---I
don't think so.
Sue H.
----- Original Message -----
From: Donovan Arnold
To: Tom Hansen ; Bill London ; lfalen ; v2020
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 6:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
I think you have to have the low tech and industrial jobs before we can
support the high tech jobs. High technology jobs usually depend on the
industrial jobs to produce the materials they manufacture. Moscow does not
have the means, the human resources or the industrial might, to support high
technological jobs. You can hardly find sugar free pickles or a bath pillow
in Moscow, much less a piece of gold shaped to the exact dimensions needed
for a conductor. I would venture to say higher technological companies like
having the resources and industry to supply them with their materials rather
waiting weeks for it cross mountains and rivers to Moscow, Idaho, and having
to pay for the transportation jobs.
Jobs that don't need industry and materials are usually outsourced
overseas.
I would suggest that Moscow take advantage of its valuable clays and
fertile soil if it wants to branch outside of education as its sole bread
winner.
Best,
Donovan
Tom Hansen <idahotom at hotmail.com> wrote:
In my opinion, it is really quite simple, Mr. Falen.
The retail stores will follow the high tech jobs into town alot
quicker than high tech jobs will follow retail stores.
As more and more high tech jobs are available here in Moscow, more and
more people will seek those high-tech (pronounced "high paying") jobs.
As more and more people fill those high tech, high paying jobs, the
more money there is flowing around the city of Moscow.
Also, as these jobs develop into careers, people holding those jobs
evolve from a person to a couple to a family.
As more and more money is distributed around the city of Moscow (by
these persons, couples, families), more and more retail outlets will
establish themselves in Moscow.
And just FYI, Mr. Falen: That, to me, is GROWTH.
If you think that by flooding the city of Moscow with retail store
after retail store after retail store, this will attract the high tech jobs,
you are only fooling yourself.
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> From: london at moscow.com
> To: lfalen at turbonet.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
> Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:36:59 -0700
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
>
> R-
> You missed the point.
> These high-tech jobs can go anywhere. All towns want them.
> The entrepreneurs can be choosy, and they are choosy. They want
towns with
> a high quality of life.
> If Moscow sacrifices its high quality of life for (what you describe
as)
> "almost anything that will provide jobs, increase the tax base and
improve
> the overall economy", then we lose what now attracts these high-tech
jobs.
> You just can not have it both ways.
> I want to live in a town that maintains its high quality of life and
> therefore is attractive to high-tech jobs -- not a town that has no
> standards but goes for any growth.
> BL
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "lfalen" <lfalen at turbonet.com>
> To: "Bill London" <london at moscow.com>; "v2020"
<vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 10:34 AM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
>
>
> >I can't argue with bringing in high-tech companies, I'm all for it.
I think
> >Moscow should try to attract all kinds of businesses. It is fine to
place
> >controls on those that would create undue pollution. Other than
that
> >promote almost anything that will provide jobs, increase the tax
base and
> >improve the overall economy.
> > Roger
> > -----Original message-----
> > From: "Bill London" london at moscow.com
> > Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:58:18 -0700
> > To: "v2020" vision2020 at moscow.com
> > Subject: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
> >
> >>
> >> Today's Tribune article about the MCA forum held last night is a
great
> >> summary of the choices facing Moscow voters in this council
election.
> >> Vote for the future with MCA endorsed candidates and Moscow will
aim for
> >> both maintaining its uniqueness and attracting more
entrepreneurial
> >> businesses. My thanks to the MCA board for sponsoring this forum.
BL
> >>
> >> ----------------
> >> Is high-tech the key to Moscow's future?
> >> Forum sponsored by Moscow Civic Association brings together
business and
> >> community leaders
> >> By David Johnson
> >> October 23, 2007
> >>
> >>
> >> MOSCOW - The economic future of Moscow will depend more on
attracting and
> >> retaining high-tech companies than encouraging more housing and
retail
> >> business, members of a panel agreed Monday night.
> >>
> >> "In the basic form, economic development is jobs," said B.J.
Swanson,
> >> vice president of AmericanWest Bank here and chairwoman of the
board of
> >> directors for Gritman Medical Center. "But not just any job." She
said
> >> jobs should provide enough money to offer a reasonably
comfortable
> >> living.
> >>
> >> Robin Woods, president of Alturas Analytics located in Moscow,
said 100
> >> percent of her bio-tech business comes from outside Idaho, most
of it
> >> from the San Francisco Bay Area. Yet, she and her partners opted
to
> >> locate here because of the quality of life that's available
> >>
> >> "Probably it would have been better to locate in San Francisco or
> >> Seattle, but with Fed Ex and the fiber-optic that we have ... and
with
> >> the Internet, the world is flat and we can conduct our business
here,"
> >> Woods said.
> >>
> >> David Alexander, a UI graduate and CEO of Ivus Industries, a
small
> >> business he decided to locate here, said Moscow is an ideal
location for
> >> entrepreneurs to tap into a high-tech labor pool that spins off
both the
> >> University of Idaho and neighboring Washington State University
in
> >> Pullman.
> >>
> >> "What the business is, is a focus on extremely fast-charging
rechargeable
> >> products," Alexander said of his startup company. He said the
company,
> >> which has four employees, is currently developing a fast-charging
> >> flashlight.
> >>
> >> Judy Brown, an economist and director of the Idaho Center on
Budget and
> >> Tax Policy, said research shows if a community creates a good
living
> >> environment, jobs will come. "The key thing that attracts"
entrepreneurs
> >> and businesses to an area, Brown said, is quality of life, not
tax
> >> breaks.
> >>
> >> "Quality of life and the ability to work either from home or near
home,"
> >> she said, "are the two really key things in deciding where people
locate
> >> those kinds of businesses."
> >>
> >> The forum, sponsored by the Moscow Civic Association, comes two
weeks
> >> prior to a city council election here that many say hinges on
attitudes
> >> about economic growth. Bruce Livingston, president of the MCA,
said the
> >> forum was called in part to dispel the notion that the MCA is
> >> anti-economic growth. He said the MCA is "pro business, pro
growth and
> >> pro community."
> >>
> >> About 30 people, including several council candidates, attended
the forum
> >> at the 1912 Center.
> >>
> >> Swanson said Moscow needs to wean itself from a housing and
retail
> >> fixation about growth. "Our voracious appetite to approve
subdivision
> >> after subdivision, to build high-end homes, has run out of
high-end
> >> people to occupy them," Swanson said, adding that new retail
businesses
> >> seem to be only replacing old ones.
> >>
> >> "Over-built housing and replacement retail is not a good economic
model,"
> >> Swanson said.
> >>
> >> According to statistics presented at the forum, Moscow has a
population
> >> of about 22,350 and UI employs about 2,870 people. Gritman
employs 431,
> >> with the Moscow School District and Wal-Mart, by comparison,
employing
> >> 350 and 207 people, respectively.
> >>
> >> Swanson said it's time for the community to get back on the right
> >> economic track with the primary focus on good-paying jobs and a
secondary
> >> focus on housing and retail business. "And as always, focus on
anything
> >> that will help the University of Idaho. They've carried us for
years.
> >> It's time for us to get out and carry ourselves."
> >>
> >> All the panelists said Moscow city officials and members of the
city
> >> council have been extremely pro-business.
> >>
> >> "Our intent is to hire WSU and University of Idaho graduates,"
Woods said
> >> about her expanding business. She said that all but one of the 30
people
> >> working at Alturas Analytics are from the two universities. Woods
said
> >> it's important for Moscow to complete it's rewrite of the
comprehensive
> >> plan, and to keep tech businesses together to encourage more
business.
> >>
> >> "I think it's important to have kind of a think-tank atmosphere,"
she
> >> said, "kind of a campus atmosphere in your tech park. So I don't
think
> >> it's a good idea to scatter things here and there."
> >>
> >> Swanson pointed out Alturas Technology Park, located on the
southeastern
> >> edge of town, had modest beginnings, but now is home to around
150 jobs
> >> that have annual salaries of $50,000 and up. "And those jobs
really
> >> contribute back to the community," she said.
> >>
> >> ---
> >>
> >> Johnson may be contacted at deveryone at potlatch.com or (208)
883-0564.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
>
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