[Vision2020] Hawkins Mega-Mall

[roger hayes]

Hawkins is pretty desperate to tap into the Moscow market or else they 
would be looking for a location closer to Pullman. The Whitman county 
commissioners would be happy to infuse their county with the tax 
dollars sucked out of Moscow citizens. I do not think the city of 
Pullman is very interested in running sewer and water all the way to 
the Idaho border.  Why would they want to encourage business 
development that would be detrimental to their local businesses and tax 
base?

That brings us to the question of why the Moscow city council seems 
interested in negotiating with Whitman county and Hawkins. Last week 
Hawkins proposed that Whitman county float a bond for around 10.5 
million dollars to lay infrastructure to their development. It doesn't 
look like that is going to happen. Probably the commissioners see that 
Whitman county voters are not dumb enough to fall for that. And as I 
said earlier, Pullman does not seem dumb enough to allow injury to 
their growing economy.  So now, who is dumb enough? Eyes turn to the 
Moscow city council.

There's gonna be some explaining to do if our city council falls for 
this scheme. I already can see the hoards of angry tax payers with 
pitchforks and torches surrounding the chamber council demanding an 
explanation.

Who will profit? Moscow? Hardly. Sprawl without even the benefit of 
taxes. No legal control over the development. Continued depletion of 
our water resources. Improvements to Moscow's water and sewer, police 
and fire departments will fall on already overburdened residential tax 
payers.

Who stands to profit? That some members of our council seem interested 
in this is very suspicious.

Roger Hayes
Moscow