[Vision2020] water sale bill

Mon Feb 9 21:52:24 PST 2009

Ellen,

You are right on many fronts. I don't remember which mall was build first because I was too young. Most of the shopping besides groceries in Moscow was done at one store (those that know my family can easily guess which one).

I agree that Moscow is oblivious as to what is in store for the economy. The credit crisis is going to seriously harm the UI, as will the lack of tax revenue. Couple this with lower incomes for school, reduction in retail and dining sales, and you will see lots of jobless and a depressed economy. Usually, Moscow does well in a recession because that is when people return to school. But the credit crunch and reduction of government backed loans will not be there to cushion this fall. 

I do think we should have the Hawkins Mall for several obvious reasons. First, is it will force the PEM to better behave. Second, it will create some jobs and industry. Third, and foremost, it will keep bringing shoppers to our side of the corridor. If we let the Malls be built in Pullman instead, that is where the shoppers will go. Let's build everything on the Moscow side of the corridor, even if it means it is still in Whitman County. 

I think there is plenty of water. And I think we should use the water we have to build industry and economic strength so that when we do run out of water, we have the money and resources to bring it in. If we are a tiny town with an outdated University, no industry, no useable resources, and a small amount of stinky bad tasting water, Moscow will disappear. 

Best Regards,

Donovan

--- On Mon, 2/9/09, Ellen Roskovich <gussie443 at hotmail.com> wrote:
From: Ellen Roskovich <gussie443 at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] water sale bill
To: donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com, rhayes at turbonet.com, chasuk at gmail.com
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
Date: Monday, February 9, 2009, 7:44 AM

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Donovan. . . . You are probably not old enough to remember, but the "Moscow Mall" was built prior to the Palouse Empire Mall.  The one big anchor was Sears and lots of little outlets that were later duplicated in the Palouse Mall.  There simply wasn't enough traffic to justify two Jay Jacobs, two Hallmark shops, two of the same shoe shops. . . . duplication, not choice was the order of the day.  And at the same time we had a lively downtown with really nice family owned shops with quality merchandise.  I remember going "downtown" to outfit my oldest daughter for back- to- school clothes and supplies. . . .but ten years later, when my youngest was ready to start school, one mall was turning into a ghost town, Main Street had more services than retail and all the back-to-school sales were at K-Mart and the Palouse Mall.trong>

So our "area" is set to get a bigger and badder-assed mall than the one we already can't afford to shop in now.  Great timing, guys.  First off, you didn't learn a thing from the past thirty years and, I hate to break the news to y'all, but we're in a recession.  There's absolutely no hope of Home Depot opening up and I wonder if Lowes isn't having second thoughts.  There will be no Circuit City because they've already thrown in the towel nationwide.  Across the country Macy's is cutting jobs. . . will Moscow be next?  

And once and for all, Donovan, is doesn't matter if our water "tastes bad" or leaves a brown ring in the toilet. . . . if it's the only water available to us, then we need to know that and protect it.  I can't believe that this issue hasn't been studied and revisited with some conclusion finally available to us.  Communities need guidelines and can't we utilize the brainpower within our community. . . namely the University of Idaho? 

Also, Donovan, for what it's worth (not much, I know, because I'm not an expert) I remember reading somewhere that our snowfall, rain, etc. contributes very little to recharging the aquifer.  So every year we loose huge amounts of water because we can't store it.  Perhaps this is part of the issue that needs to be addressed for the future. . . or maybe I'm finally a nutty old lady who can't remember anything. 

Ellen A. Roskovich

Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2009 00:31:11 -0800
From: donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com
To: rhayes at turbonet.com; chasuk at gmail.com
CC: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] water sale bill

I always thought they built the Moscow Mall just to make the Palouse Empire Mall look better. 
I think if you fired a cannon through the center of the Eastside Market Place the ball would kill more people after it crossed the street into the cemetery.

Best Regards,

Donovan

--- On Sun, 2/8/09, Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] water sale bill
To: "roger hayes" <rhayes at turbonet.com>
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
Date: Sunday, February 8, 2009, 3:22 PM

I live very near Safeway.  However, it generally fails me as a grocery
store, as it is too expensive for my income level.  So I travel the
extra distance to the
 much-less-expensive WinCo.

I would prefer to buy books locally -- and sometimes I do -- but I
usually buy from Amazon.  Why?  Convenience and affordability.

I love motion pictures.  They are one of the few treats I allow
myself.  But do I attend Moscow cinemas?  Of course not.  All Moscow
cinemas suck compared to the Village in Pullman.

Assuming that this mega-mall opens, I will likely shop there, as will
the majority of the citizens of Moscow, as they presently shop at
Wal-Mart, even if they are among the naysayers.

If this mega-mall opens, most of its employees will be from Moscow.  I
count that as a cash-injection for my community (although arguably
offset by the loss of tax revenue).  The water will come from our
shared aquifer.  I count that as a loss if we do nothing but bitch and
sulk, but as a gain if we shut up and sell them the water.

The first question is, why is the Palouse Empire
 Mall so pathetic?

Any "real" mall has a food court, which our pathetic mall lacks. 
Even
the CUB at WSU has a passable food court.  Please don't mention the
Sodexo abomination in the UI Commons.

Any "real" mall has a cineplex, which our pathetic mall lacks.

At least Eastside Marketplace is honest enough not to include the word
"mall" in its name.

The second, and last, question is, since the combined populations of
Moscow and Pullman don't seem adequate to support the Palouse Empire
Mall or Eastside Marketplace, why should this mega-mall succeed?

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