[Vision2020] The Way It Was Meant to Be . . .

Sun Jul 1 23:04:16 PDT 2012

Yes, it is unfair for the government to needlessly block customer access to a business. Especially when the business is paying for that access. Do you honestly think the government knows what is better for a business than the owner of that business? That is a ludicrous claim, Council member Steed. 

This is just another example of why downtown and small businesses suffer, fail to develop, and turn over so frequently, there is no respect for them and their needs. Nobody even listens to them. It sure would be nice to have a pro-business city council again or at least one that acknowledges their concerns are legitimate. It seems the only time the city council is pro business is when it comes to Exxon Mobile wanting to violate nature and personal property. 

Your two statements are equally illogical;

"Is it unfair to have several hundred persons within 20' of a business that many may not have ever known was there?"

"A Transportation Commission survey of downtown customers a few years ago showed they did not mind parking more than a block from a business they wanted to access."

If they are downtown customers they already know the businesses that are downtown.

On a positive note, I am glad to see Mr. Steed, you have figured out how to use email. Welcome to the 21st century. 

Donovan J. Arnold

From: Walter M Steed <wmsteed at ci.moscow.id.us>
To: Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>; Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> 
Cc: Dan Carscallen <dcarscallen at ci.moscow.id.us>; Tim Brown <tbrown at ci.moscow.id.us>; Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>; Sue Scott <sscott at ci.moscow.id.us>; Nancy Chaney <nchaney at ci.moscow.id.us>; Wayne Krauss <wkrauss at ci.moscow.id.us>; Tom Lamar <tlamar at ci.moscow.id.us>; Kathleen Burns <kburns at ci.moscow.id.us> 
Sent: Sunday, July 1, 2012 8:07 PM
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] The Way It Was Meant to Be . . .

"it is unfair to the downtown businesses who pay rents and property taxes so they have use of that space for their customers. Businesses need to have customers able to drive up close and then walk into their businesses."

Is it unfair to have several hundred persons within 20' of a business that many may not have ever known was there?  This creates a law suit level problem for the store front business?  A Transportation Commission survey of downtown customers a few years ago showed they did not mind parking more than a block from a business they wanted to access. That is, customers did not feel it was as necessary to park in front of the business as the owners of the businesses themselves believe.

Walter Steed, Council Member 
City of Moscow

1345 Ridgeview Drive
Moscow  Idaho  83843
208/883-0123
From: Donovan Arnold [donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2012 5:05 PM
To: Tom Hansen; Walter M Steed
Cc: Dan Carscallen; Tim Brown; Moscow Vision 2020; Sue Scott; Nancy Chaney; Wayne Krauss; Tom Lamar; Kathleen Burns
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] The Way It Was Meant to Be . . .

This configuration is a better one. However, it is unfair to the downtown businesses who pay rents and property taxes so they have use of that space for their customers. Businesses need to have customers able to drive up close and then walk into their businesses. Not to mention ADA compliance. If the streets are blocked off, their customers cannot do this.

Image if you spent thousands of extra dollars every year to have a good location, good signage, enough parking, and maintained a good regular clientele to keep your doors open, and then the city came along, eliminated your parking and allowed other business to pitch a tent in front of your business. I would be furious. On top of this, if you publicly complain, your potential customers and some of your existing customers will dislike you for not being supportive of the community.

If the City wants to use this configuration it should either come up with a way to compensate or satisfy the needs and concerns of the existing businesses. Or if can brace for a lawsuit and future farmer's markets locations and setups to be decided by the courts, instead of the people of the City of Moscow and the surrounding communities. Which would be a great loss to everyone. 

So city leaders and concerned members of the  Moscow area community, please consider the needs and concerns of the downtown businesses,they are valid. Hodgkins and other downtown businesses didn't stay in business for so long by being knee-jerk reactionary hotheads and not knowing what was good or bad for their business. If the city is hurting their business, they probably are.

There is also probably a reason why this configuration, obviously seemingly better, was not used in the past. Could it have been that they wanted the downtown businesses to stay in business?

Donovan J. Arnold

From: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
To: Walter M Steed <wmsteed at ci.moscow.id.us> 
Cc: Dan Carscallen <dcarscallen at ci.moscow.id.us>; TimBrown <tbrown at ci.moscow.id.us>; Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>; Sue Scott <sscott at ci.moscow.id.us>; NancyChaney <nchaney at ci.moscow.id.us>; Wayne Krauss <wkrauss at ci.moscow.id.us>; Tom Lamar <tlamar at ci.moscow.id.us>; Kathleen Burns <kburns at ci.moscow.id.us> 
Sent: Sunday, July 1, 2012 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] The Way It Was Meant to Be . . .

Mr. Steed -

As willing as you are to openly discuss Mayor Chaney's perspective, concerning the location and operation of Moscow's Farmers' Market, what is your perspective?

Do you support adopting the current (albeit temporary) Farmers' Market concept of blocking off Main Street between Third and Fifth Streets, thus reducing/eliminating the intrusion of vehicular traffic . . . or not?

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"If not us, who?
If not now, when?"

- Unknown

On Jun 30, 2012, at 18:33, Walter M Steed <wmsteed at ci.moscow.id.us> wrote:

> Interesting... In light of the Mayor's perspective...
> 
> Walter Steed
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> 
> On Jun 30, 2012, at 6:09 PM, "deb" <debismith at moscow.com> wrote:
> 
>> NICE! And I love the new configuration---blocking off Main is great! And, since I was downtown anyhow, I dropped into a few stores I normally don't frequent; found a pair of socks at Hyperspud, a book at Bookpeople for my grandson, and a pair of pants at StormCellar....also discovered I'd sold a piece of art from my Howard Huges Video show from ArtWalk. Wonderful day!! Huzzah, Moscow, Heart of the Arts!
>> Debi R-S
>> 
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
>> To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>> Cc: "Dan Carscallen" <dcarscallen at ci.moscow.id.us>; "Tim Brown" <tbrown at ci.moscow.id.us>; "Walter Steed" <wmsteed at ci.moscow.id.us>; "Sue Scott" <sscott at ci.moscow.id.us>; "Nancy Chaney" <nchaney at ci.moscow.id.us>; "Wayne Krauss" <wkrauss at ci.moscow.id.us>; "Tom Lamar" <tlamar at ci.moscow.id.us>; "Kathleen Burns" <kburns at ci.moscow.id.us>
>> Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2012 7:54 PM
>> Subject: [Vision2020] The Way It Was Meant to Be . . .
>> 
>> 
>>> . . . Farmers Market (June 30, 2012)
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>>> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>>> 
>>> Tom Hansen
>>> Moscow, Idaho
>>> 
>>> "If not us, who?
>>> If not now, when?"
>>> 
>>> - Unknown
>>> 
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>>> =======================================================
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>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>> 

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