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<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wayne, You are very much mischaracterizing what I
write. I know for an absolute fact that Moscow has the ability to attract and
grow business. What I fear is that our current city government and our political
party by any other name will interfere to the point that they wont bother. If it
becomes to much of a hassle to do business here it will follow
the path of least resistance and do its thing a couple of miles to the east, in
Whitman county. Your examples are fine as far as they go, I could add at least a
dozen more without straining myself but it takes quite a few little enterprises
such as these to equal a more major commercial development such as a SWM or the
proposed Lowe's & its attendant stores. Development I would strongly prefer
to see in Latah county.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>G. Crabtree</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=deco@moscow.com href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">Art Deco</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision 2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 04, 2006 10:54
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Goodnight
Goody, Goodnight Ridge</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Gary, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Perhaps you are just a trifle pessimistic about Moscow's
ability to grow, to attract and/or to help
businesses succeed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>If it is permitted, let me write about two local success
stories.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=6><STRONG>Rudy's</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Dan and Gretchen Ruark had a vision about opening a
small cafe offering high quality super-delicious hamburgers, related items,
and fast, sincerely friendly service. They planned carefully. They
invested their time and money, not without risk in a location in a mall which
at that time was having occupancy problems. They worked hard, long
hours. They were not adverse to changing and experimenting with various
ideas to enhance the attractiveness of their products and
atmosphere.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I don't know for sure if they are making a decent income,
but they have what appears to be an enthusiastic, very satisfied customer
base. When we think of fast food to eat in or to go which is
substantial, nutritious, and does not taste like cardboard, we stop at
Rudy's. We have never been disappointed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I admire what they have done. I recommend Rudy's
constantly to others. They provide a positive, reasonably priced product
in a convenient and pleasant location. They are, to me, a sterling
example of what a locally owned business can and should be.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff size=6>VGH (Video Game
Headquarters)</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Todd and Tonia Green also had a vision. The result of
their vision was at first a small store in the PEM selling mostly game
hardware and software. They now are much, much more.
They sell a wide variety of the latest game hardware and software.
But now they also build computers and computer systems for businesses and home
users. They sell computer software and hardware components. They
service/repair a great variety of different computer hardware and components
at very reasonable prices.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>They started out in a small space and moved to a larger one
as their business grew. They have recently expanded again. I sit
at this moment using a computer which they custom built for me. It is an
especially complex computer. They built it for me at a price which
was competitive with that of those companies that build high quality
PCs. They service what they have sold me. I am very satisfied with
all the business that I have transacted with them.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Like Rudy's, VGH provides positive, reasonably priced
products and services in a convenient and pleasant location. They
are, to me, another sterling example of what a locally owned business can and
should be. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Many other examples could be added to this list:
Paradise Creek Cycle, Book People, Wild Women Traders, etc. Perhaps
other posters will tell about their favorite success stories.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>There have sadly been some failures also. Many of
these failures, in my opinion, could have been prevented with a little more
business acumen, better customer service, and better planning in sync with the
needs and temperament of the community.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I have been in the past critical of some of the
direction, the lack of certain direction, and the faintness of the
efforts of the LEDC. I think things are looking much better there
now. Phil Nesbit, our recently departed advocate, for
example, recently made some very useful suggestions for areas for the
LEDC to pursue. I think there is a new open-mindedness at the
LEDC and less of a What's-In-It-For-Me attitude.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>There is a whole set of questions about what kind of
businesses to attempt to attract to this area and questions about community
values. I sincerely hope that <STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff>we are
hostile</FONT></STRONG> to some kinds of businesses: private prisons,
rendering plants, large open pit mining operations, etc. There are still
many kinds of businesses that would be welcomed enthusiastically into the
community. Many businesses would love to locate here for the quality of
life we <STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000 size=6>now</FONT></STRONG> enjoy.
[Note the subtext in the preceding sentence.] We need to identify and to
recruit/help build those businesses.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>There is another set of problems with Moscow community and
economic development: the policies, staffing, and the internal cultural
of the City of Moscow government that has developed over a long period of
years. I hope that the present city council has the insight and courage
to start to address those problems and to promote positive
change.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Hence Gary, I don't share your pessimism.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Desirable businesses seldom object to reasonable
regulation. When I was active in the field of economic development,
desirable businesses wanted to move to areas with strong,
effective planning and zoning because that in the long run is an
important factor in determining and maintaining a city's, county's, and
an areas quality of life. Besides prosperity, quality of life
considerations are important to many business owners. Desirable
relocating business are many times looking to escape from areas whose quality
of life has deteriorated due to anemic planning and zoning and ill-planned,
under-regulation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><BR>Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<BR><A
href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=jampot@adelphia.net href="mailto:jampot@adelphia.net">g. crabtree</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=jeanlivingston@turbonet.com
href="mailto:jeanlivingston@turbonet.com">Bruce and Jean Livingston</A> ; <A
title=donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com
href="mailto:donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com">Donovan Arnold</A> ; <A
title=vision2020@moscow.com href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision
2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 04, 2006 9:12 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Goodnight Goody, Goodnight
Ridge</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bruce, Regarding your "third category opponent"
argument. Just exactly how does a community attract business development? The
current city government couldn't attract iron filings if it were a lodestone
nor would it be inclined to from what I can see. I am most certainly not
an economic expert but I would think that what attracts development is a ready
market and a relatively clear path. How does jamming a stick in the eye of one
business, in the form of regulatory road blocks, make another want to try
its luck? It would seem to me that our current MCA laden leadership will
simply drive all future economic development across the border into Whitman
county and the city of Moscow will languish in exactly the same way that,
until recently, Pullman has. Until a more "laissez faire" policy becomes
the order of the day I fear Moscow's future prospects seem bleak. As a
planer or a consumer, sitting around wishing that a Target, a Best Buy, A
Costco, or whatever dream store you imagine should take the place of a Super
Wal-Mart will magically drop into your community, simply because
you badly want it to be so, will not result in your desired
outcome. Step out of the way and let 'er rip.The outcome can't be any worse
than having our community dry up and blow away from lack of
growth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gary</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=jeanlivingston@turbonet.com
href="mailto:jeanlivingston@turbonet.com">Bruce and Jean Livingston</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com
href="mailto:donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com">Donovan Arnold</A> ; <A
title=vision2020@moscow.com href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision
2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 04, 2006 6:24
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Goodnight
Goody, Goodnight Ridge</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>ssez</FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I imagine someone telling Dave he can't expand
Paradise Ridge CDs, and I don't like it. </FONT><FONT face=Arial>But
the obvious analogy to Wal-Mart that you are trying to make is not a clean
one, in my opinion, Donovan, though I do agree with some of what you
write. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>First, I wouldn't be the least bit concerned about
people telling me where they thought I should shop. I kept buying
grapes, even though the Farm Workers were trying to organize a
boycott. I listen to the reasons for not shopping at Wal-Mart, and I
agree with some of them, but I still shop at Wal-Mart on rare
occasions. I try to patronize other places, and I always try Tri-State
or Spence's, first, because I think it is important to patronize local
businesses to help assure that more money stays in the community. But
I admit it, my razor blades come from Wal-Mart when I don't have a Costco
run in the offing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>People may still shop at Wal-Mart, as they
could at any other store that is operating here. I don't begrudge
others the opportunity to shop at Wal-Mart, and I agree with the free market
advocates and the need for business opportunities in our community, and so I
agree with the right to expand when it comports with good planning and the
law. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>But if Dave were in the mood to expand Paradise Ridge,
by buying up one of his neighbors on Third Street in the heart of downtown,
where retail sales are the dominant and preferred activity according to our
zoning code and comprehensive plan, anybody arguing against that expansion
would have worthless arguments, and the expansion would be approved.
That is where your analogy falls apart, unless you were contemplating
plunking the CD store in an area where it was not allowed -- in
which case I would likely not support that location despite my
affection for the business.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I think that what many fail to recognize is that there
are too kinds of Wal-Mart opponents out there in our community right
now: those who abhor Wal-Mart and would deny its entry anywhere,
and those who question the planning that went into this particular expansion
effort. I am on record as being in the latter category. If I can
find the reasons that I submitted to the P&Z public hearing, I will
forward them to the list. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Briefly, I believe that the proposed extensive
commercial motor business designation of the Thompson property is poor
planning. Such developments should have occurred between downtown and
the state line, as the comprehensive plan dictated, had not the lack of
vision by prior councils allowed most of that property along A street to
become apartments, contrary to the comprehensive plan. Such a plan
would still allow us to shop and draw us through downtown, making it more
likely that our lovely downtown is a convenient stop along the way.
There is still opportunity for expanded commercial development in the area
from behind the mall to the state line, as was proposed at the same
council meeting last June when the Thompson project first
surfaced. Equally and maybe more important given greater
availability, there is a much more obvious existing site than the Thompson
property for such extensive commercial developments at the north and south
ends of town along Highway 95, a far better traffic corridor. The
Thompson property ought, in my opinion, to be primarily residential (as it
was designated in the comp plan until a bad planning decision by the prior
council last June) and not destroy the ambience of the existing owners to
the east and across the street on Ridge. Finally, we ought to be
saving the west end of the Thompson property for future expansion of higher
paying businesses than a shopping center; we ought to allow Alturas that
room to expand, while fostering a pro-business attitude and
encouraging businesses that pay at least living wages to locate
here.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Now at the risk of being a little windy here, and if
you are not already snoozing, there is a third category of Wal-Mart
opponent, in my opinion and of which I am also a member, and it relates to
limited opportunities for shopping in Moscow, the almighty mantra of "market
choice." I mentioned this on the list a while back and it engendered
little discussion. I expected to hear a rebuttal from Jeff Harkins who
is the most fervent free marketer on the list and my compatriot on the
LEDC, and he said he was working on it, but I seem to have missed
it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The "more market choice" category that I just
mentioned might at first blush appear to support letting anyone expand
and enter, and see what happens, the classic laissez faire free market
approach. But what I am contemplating is something different.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>It seems to me that we are a very small community with
a relatively limited amount of disposable income to spend in (and therefore
support) the local stores of all types. Wal-Mart offers one kind of
shopping venue, and a Super Wal-Mart would admittedly offer more
(if perhaps of the same lower quality) and the most significant
addition might be food. There is already a Wal-Mart here. There
are four grocery stores, the Co-op on the high end, Winco on the low end
(offering similar pricing to Wal-Mart from what I understand) and Rosauer's
and Safeway in between. There will soon be a Super Wal-Mart a mere ten
miles away in Pullman. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The market choice that I am talking about is more
choices for us. Why a Wal-Mart which we already have? Why not
something else, so our consumer choices are enhanced more than by the
expansion of the existing low-end product line at Wal-Mart? Why not
have our city and economic development and business supporters work on
attracting an alternative to Wal-Mart, so that our limited choices are not
so likely to become primarily Wal-Mart? Why not work harder to attract
something more interesting and beneficial to consumer choice? Why let
Wal-Mart pre-empt the market and fill it up in the predatory fashion that it
appears to be following with two supercenters within 10 miles? Why are
we only talking about the choices that the entrepreneurs choose to
offer and not the choices that we consumers would like to see? We
could work toward educating other entrepreneurs and attracting them instead,
and if we put in place rules that applied to all and some chose to play
where Wal-Mart didn't, why wouldn't we be better off by having more varied
choices?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Perhaps most significant to my "more consumer choices"
angle, why let a 200,000 square foot store come in and soak up the available
dollars in this very small community and make it less likely for other more
varied folks to enter our market? Why isn't 100,000 square feet enough
in this little community? A size cap would allow us more
choices. I have a good friend on the Chamber Board (who
would probably prefer to remain nameless) and he likes to talk about how
students often have the most disposable dollars to spend, despite their low
income, and that we ought to be able to market Moscow and interest someone
other than Wal-Mart to enter our community. If we are to have big
boxes in our community, why not be pro-active and get us more real choice
for Moscow's consumers, rather than more of the Wal-Mart we already
have? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Several of my MCA Board buddies who oppose
Wal-Mart and big boxes in general characterize this as the "pig in silk
pajamas" argument, because I do believe that large stores ought to be
allowed, but play nice and look nice, whereas these others oppose them on
general principles. I don't want large stores to just
make the "great big sucking noise" Ross Perot once described, though he was
talking about jobs going to Mexico and I am talking about more of our
dollars going to Bentonville Arkansas. If we are to have out-of-town
chains, I would much prefer to have a Costco that pays living wages
than a Wal-Mart that does not, even if lots of those dollars spent go to
Seattle. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Lest someone misconstrue this, I don't believe we can
choose one retailer over the other on the whim of the Council. We
need rules that are applied fairly to all retailers and then we need to
apply the rules fairly, but I do believe we can encourage better and more
varied consumer choices through thoughtful legislating and pro-active
and creative economic development efforts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Putting a halt to an ill-conceived project buys us the
time to do things better the next time, to have a good plan in
place, and to be ready for things instead of just reacting to the
next request on a developer's wish list.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Bruce Livingston</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=jampot@adelphia.net href="mailto:jampot@adelphia.net">g. crabtree</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=jeanlivingston@turbonet.com
href="mailto:jeanlivingston@turbonet.com">Bruce and Jean Livingston</A> ; <A
title=donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com
href="mailto:donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com">Donovan Arnold</A> ; <A
title=vision2020@moscow.com href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision
2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 04, 2006 9:12 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Goodnight Goody, Goodnight
Ridge</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Bruce, Regarding your "third category opponent"
argument. Just exactly how does a community attract business development? The
current city government couldn't attract iron filings if it were a lodestone
nor would it be inclined to from what I can see. I am most certainly not
an economic expert but I would think that what attracts development is a ready
market and a relatively clear path. How does jamming a stick in the eye of one
business, in the form of regulatory road blocks, make another want to try
its luck? It would seem to me that our current MCA laden leadership will
simply drive all future economic development across the border into Whitman
county and the city of Moscow will languish in exactly the same way that,
until recently, Pullman has. Until a more "laissez faire" policy becomes
the order of the day I fear Moscow's future prospects seem bleak. As a
planer or a consumer, sitting around wishing that a Target, a Best Buy, A
Costco, or whatever dream store you imagine should take the place of a Super
Wal-Mart will magically drop into your community, simply because
you badly want it to be so, will not result in your desired
outcome. Step out of the way and let 'er rip.The outcome can't be any worse
than having our community dry up and blow away from lack of
growth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gary</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=jeanlivingston@turbonet.com
href="mailto:jeanlivingston@turbonet.com">Bruce and Jean Livingston</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com
href="mailto:donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com">Donovan Arnold</A> ; <A
title=vision2020@moscow.com href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision
2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, March 04, 2006 6:24
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Goodnight
Goody, Goodnight Ridge</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>ssez</FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I imagine someone telling Dave he can't expand
Paradise Ridge CDs, and I don't like it. </FONT><FONT face=Arial>But
the obvious analogy to Wal-Mart that you are trying to make is not a clean
one, in my opinion, Donovan, though I do agree with some of what you
write. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>First, I wouldn't be the least bit concerned about
people telling me where they thought I should shop. I kept buying
grapes, even though the Farm Workers were trying to organize a
boycott. I listen to the reasons for not shopping at Wal-Mart, and I
agree with some of them, but I still shop at Wal-Mart on rare
occasions. I try to patronize other places, and I always try Tri-State
or Spence's, first, because I think it is important to patronize local
businesses to help assure that more money stays in the community. But
I admit it, my razor blades come from Wal-Mart when I don't have a Costco
run in the offing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>People may still shop at Wal-Mart, as they
could at any other store that is operating here. I don't begrudge
others the opportunity to shop at Wal-Mart, and I agree with the free market
advocates and the need for business opportunities in our community, and so I
agree with the right to expand when it comports with good planning and the
law. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>But if Dave were in the mood to expand Paradise Ridge,
by buying up one of his neighbors on Third Street in the heart of downtown,
where retail sales are the dominant and preferred activity according to our
zoning code and comprehensive plan, anybody arguing against that expansion
would have worthless arguments, and the expansion would be approved.
That is where your analogy falls apart, unless you were contemplating
plunking the CD store in an area where it was not allowed -- in
which case I would likely not support that location despite my
affection for the business.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I think that what many fail to recognize is that there
are too kinds of Wal-Mart opponents out there in our community right
now: those who abhor Wal-Mart and would deny its entry anywhere,
and those who question the planning that went into this particular expansion
effort. I am on record as being in the latter category. If I can
find the reasons that I submitted to the P&Z public hearing, I will
forward them to the list. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Briefly, I believe that the proposed extensive
commercial motor business designation of the Thompson property is poor
planning. Such developments should have occurred between downtown and
the state line, as the comprehensive plan dictated, had not the lack of
vision by prior councils allowed most of that property along A street to
become apartments, contrary to the comprehensive plan. Such a plan
would still allow us to shop and draw us through downtown, making it more
likely that our lovely downtown is a convenient stop along the way.
There is still opportunity for expanded commercial development in the area
from behind the mall to the state line, as was proposed at the same
council meeting last June when the Thompson project first
surfaced. Equally and maybe more important given greater
availability, there is a much more obvious existing site than the Thompson
property for such extensive commercial developments at the north and south
ends of town along Highway 95, a far better traffic corridor. The
Thompson property ought, in my opinion, to be primarily residential (as it
was designated in the comp plan until a bad planning decision by the prior
council last June) and not destroy the ambience of the existing owners to
the east and across the street on Ridge. Finally, we ought to be
saving the west end of the Thompson property for future expansion of higher
paying businesses than a shopping center; we ought to allow Alturas that
room to expand, while fostering a pro-business attitude and
encouraging businesses that pay at least living wages to locate
here.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Now at the risk of being a little windy here, and if
you are not already snoozing, there is a third category of Wal-Mart
opponent, in my opinion and of which I am also a member, and it relates to
limited opportunities for shopping in Moscow, the almighty mantra of "market
choice." I mentioned this on the list a while back and it engendered
little discussion. I expected to hear a rebuttal from Jeff Harkins who
is the most fervent free marketer on the list and my compatriot on the
LEDC, and he said he was working on it, but I seem to have missed
it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The "more market choice" category that I just
mentioned might at first blush appear to support letting anyone expand
and enter, and see what happens, the classic laissez faire free market
approach. But what I am contemplating is something different.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>It seems to me that we are a very small community with
a relatively limited amount of disposable income to spend in (and therefore
support) the local stores of all types. Wal-Mart offers one kind of
shopping venue, and a Super Wal-Mart would admittedly offer more
(if perhaps of the same lower quality) and the most significant
addition might be food. There is already a Wal-Mart here. There
are four grocery stores, the Co-op on the high end, Winco on the low end
(offering similar pricing to Wal-Mart from what I understand) and Rosauer's
and Safeway in between. There will soon be a Super Wal-Mart a mere ten
miles away in Pullman. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The market choice that I am talking about is more
choices for us. Why a Wal-Mart which we already have? Why not
something else, so our consumer choices are enhanced more than by the
expansion of the existing low-end product line at Wal-Mart? Why not
have our city and economic development and business supporters work on
attracting an alternative to Wal-Mart, so that our limited choices are not
so likely to become primarily Wal-Mart? Why not work harder to attract
something more interesting and beneficial to consumer choice? Why let
Wal-Mart pre-empt the market and fill it up in the predatory fashion that it
appears to be following with two supercenters within 10 miles? Why are
we only talking about the choices that the entrepreneurs choose to
offer and not the choices that we consumers would like to see? We
could work toward educating other entrepreneurs and attracting them instead,
and if we put in place rules that applied to all and some chose to play
where Wal-Mart didn't, why wouldn't we be better off by having more varied
choices?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Perhaps most significant to my "more consumer choices"
angle, why let a 200,000 square foot store come in and soak up the available
dollars in this very small community and make it less likely for other more
varied folks to enter our market? Why isn't 100,000 square feet enough
in this little community? A size cap would allow us more
choices. I have a good friend on the Chamber Board (who
would probably prefer to remain nameless) and he likes to talk about how
students often have the most disposable dollars to spend, despite their low
income, and that we ought to be able to market Moscow and interest someone
other than Wal-Mart to enter our community. If we are to have big
boxes in our community, why not be pro-active and get us more real choice
for Moscow's consumers, rather than more of the Wal-Mart we already
have? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Several of my MCA Board buddies who oppose
Wal-Mart and big boxes in general characterize this as the "pig in silk
pajamas" argument, because I do believe that large stores ought to be
allowed, but play nice and look nice, whereas these others oppose them on
general principles. I don't want large stores to just
make the "great big sucking noise" Ross Perot once described, though he was
talking about jobs going to Mexico and I am talking about more of our
dollars going to Bentonville Arkansas. If we are to have out-of-town
chains, I would much prefer to have a Costco that pays living wages
than a Wal-Mart that does not, even if lots of those dollars spent go to
Seattle. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Lest someone misconstrue this, I don't believe we can
choose one retailer over the other on the whim of the Council. We
need rules that are applied fairly to all retailers and then we need to
apply the rules fairly, but I do believe we can encourage better and more
varied consumer choices through thoughtful legislating and pro-active
and creative economic development efforts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Putting a halt to an ill-conceived project buys us the
time to do things better the next time, to have a good plan in
place, and to be ready for things instead of just reacting to the
next request on a developer's wish list.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Bruce Livingston</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com
href="mailto:donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com">Donovan Arnold</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=jeanlivingston@turbonet.com
href="mailto:jeanlivingston@turbonet.com">Bruce and Jean Livingston</A> ;
<A title=vision2020@moscow.com href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision
2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, March 03, 2006 11:08
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Goodnight
Goody, Goodnight Ridge</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT><FONT
face=Arial></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT><FONT
face=Arial></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT><FONT
face=Arial></FONT><BR></DIV>"I am flabbergasted to hear Sam Goody compared
favorably by anyone to <BR>Paradise Ridge. I find that Paradise Ridge is
extremely competitive <BR>price-wise with Hasting's, not to mention Sam
Goody."-Bruce Livingston<BR><BR>Apparently, enough people are in agreement
with you, since SM is going out of business and Paradise Ridge is still
here. Isn't free enterprise great? <BR><BR>Now image Bruce, is someone
wanted to stop Paradise Ridge from expanding to provide you with better
products and service but others that did not shop there were disagreement
with you, opposed the expansion, and telling you to go to Sam Goody
instead.<BR><BR>_DJA<BR><BR><BR><B><I>Bruce and Jean Livingston
<jeanlivingston@turbonet.com></I></B> wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">I
am flabbergasted to hear Sam Goody compared favorably by anyone to
<BR>Paradise Ridge. I find that Paradise Ridge is extremely competitive
<BR>price-wise with Hasting's, not to mention Sam Goody. And the one
thing that <BR>you get from Paradise Ridge that you do not get anywhere
else, at least to <BR>the level that you receive from Dave at Paradise
Ridge, is SERVICE. If he <BR>doesn't have it, he finds it, and the
ordering process with Paradise Ridge <BR>is far easier than any other
store in town.<BR><BR>Bruce Livingston<BR><BR>----- Original Message
----- <BR>From: "Art Deco" <DECO @moscow.com=""><BR>To: "Vision 2020"
<VISION2020 @moscow.com=""><BR>Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 11:02
AM<BR>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Goodnight Goody, Goodnight
Ridge<BR><BR><BR>> Music Lovers, Economists, and Absolute
Monists,<BR>><BR>> The following words appeared in the letter
below written by Jay Feldman <BR>> and<BR>> posted by Tom
Hansen:<BR>><BR>> "Ross tells us there is just such a store in
Moscow, Paradise Ridge <BR>> Records,<BR>> but he is unwilling to
patronize it because its prices are higher than the<BR>> defunct
Goody."<BR>><BR>> I believe the assumption in this quote is wrong.
My experience has been<BR>> that Sam Goody had the highest CD prices
on the Palouse by a considerable<BR>> margin except for advertised
specials, some of the prices of these <BR>> specials<BR>> were
still higher than Paradise Ridge CDs' prices.<BR>><BR>> For
example, I recently bought Moonlight Serenade by Carly Simon (a<BR>>
collection of really old tunes for really old people like myself, done
<BR>> quite<BR>> tastefully). The album comes with a disc which is
a CD on one side and a<BR>> DVD on the other. It was priced at $19.98
at Sam Goody and $16.98<BR>> elsewhere. When I shopped at Paradise
Ridge CDs, I found their prices<BR>> competitive -- many were below
list. Discussions with others lead me to<BR>> believe that they found
prices highest by far at Sam Goody also.<BR>><BR>> Sam Goody at
the PEM is closing in part because of corporate problems, <BR>>
part<BR>> of which may be related to their pricing strategies. The
local Sam Goody<BR>> also had other problems, some not fit for
discussion on this list.<BR>><BR>><BR>> For those keeping
track:<BR>><BR>> There are seven, soon to be eight vacancies at
the PEM:<BR>><BR>> 1. Army Recruiters<BR>> 2. Marine
Recruiters<BR>> 3. Optometrist Office<BR>> 4. Chocolaut<BR>> 5.
Flower Shop<BR>> 6. Subway<BR>> 7. Market Place Gifts<BR>> 8.
Sam Goody<BR>><BR>> There are persistent rumors that one quite
large retailer is seriously<BR>> considering leaving.<BR>><BR>>
Questions:<BR>><BR>> 1. Where is the PEM in its life
cycle?<BR>> 2. Did the redecoration at the PEM with the oodles of
light fixtures <BR>> that<BR>> makes one think that they are in
the midst of an extensive, well organized<BR>> invasion of flying
saucers help or hinder the effort to attract more<BR>>
customers?<BR>> 3. Did the stinginess/anti-community attitude of the
PEM management in<BR>> eliminating the bus stop help or hinder the
volume of business?<BR>> 4. If the vacancies at the PEM are an
indication in some way of <BR>> problems<BR>> of some kind with
the local economy, how does this reflect on plans for <BR>>
the<BR>> big jesus shopping mall planned for just over the state
line?<BR>> 5. Does the PEM vacancy rate have anything to do with the
WalMart or <BR>> the<BR>> two proposed WalMart Super
Centers?<BR>> 6. What, if anything, could the PEM management do to
increase the <BR>> general<BR>> volume of
business?<BR>><BR>> Of course, question 3 above is quite biasly
stated; however, I think some<BR>> community reflection on these
questions would be helpful in examining and<BR>> shaping some
community values.<BR>><BR>><BR>> Quite sadly, a downtown store
which we patronized very happily, is soon to<BR>> go out of business.
Although they carried a really excellent line of<BR>> products, gave
excellent customer service, were very product <BR>>
knowledgeable,<BR>> and had an extremely liberal return policy, they
are being squeezed by the<BR>> internet. This is what happens: People
come in and look at the<BR>> merchandise, get detailed information,
ask technical questions, examine<BR>> closely /try on the products,
then they order the products over the<BR>> internet.<BR>><BR>>
For many items we buy locally, we do just the opposite. We research
using<BR>> the internet, then buy or special order the products
locally. Local<BR>> merchants contribute and support many diverse
community activities --<BR>> internet etailers do not. Etailers
generally do not collect Idaho sales <BR>> tax<BR>>
either.<BR>><BR>> Are any list members are concerned about the
health of several local<BR>> business who face heavy competition from
the internet?<BR>><BR>><BR>> Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<BR>>
deco@moscow.com<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> ----- Original Message
----- <BR>> From: "Tom Hansen" <THANSEN @moscow.com=""><BR>> To:
"Moscow Vision 2020" <VISION2020 @moscow.com=""><BR>> Sent: Friday,
March 03, 2006 6:57 AM<BR>> Subject: [Vision2020] Goodnight Goody,
Goodnight Ridge<BR>><BR>><BR>>> >From today's (March 3,
2006) UI Argonaut with a special thanks to Jay<BR>>>
Feldman.<BR>>><BR>>>
----------------------------------------------------------------<BR>>><BR>>>
Goodnight Goody, goodnight Ridge<BR>>><BR>>> Dear
Editor,<BR>>><BR>>> Am I the only one that noticed the irony
in the placement of the column<BR>>> "Death of a pop supercenter"
next to the anti-Superwalmart editorial?<BR>>> The writer, Jon
Ross, laments that Sam Goody is going out of business<BR>>>
nationwide (including Moscow) while he dreams of an indie-esque record
<BR>>> store<BR>>> in Moscow to replace it. Oddly though,
Ross tells us there is just such a<BR>>> store in Moscow, Paradise
Ridge Records, but he is unwilling to patronize <BR>>>
it<BR>>> because its prices are higher than the defunct
Goody.<BR>>><BR>>> Well, as consumers, we can't have it both
ways. We can't have quality<BR>>> independent stores that pay more
into the local tax base, offer <BR>>> personalized<BR>>>
service, a greater selection, a professional staff that is paid a
living<BR>>> wage, along with, as the writer expects, "cheap
music." Yet, we expect to<BR>>> because Wal-Mart has responded to
our deep desire for the lowest price by<BR>>> setting us on a race
to the bottom where every store must match its <BR>>>
prices<BR>>> regardless of what that store might offer its patrons
and its community.<BR>>><BR>>> Unfortunately, in America,
price has become the sole factor in deciding<BR>>> which stores we
frequent. As the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart can<BR>>>
offer the lowest prices possible but at a high cost to communities
like<BR>>> Moscow. Shoppers have come to assume the Wal-Mart price
is the proper <BR>>> market<BR>>> price and the Wal-Mart
price thus is the price we should expect to pay.<BR>>> Because of
such a mentality, shoppers - including Ross, at his own <BR>>>
admission<BR>>> - will not pay more than this false standard. As a
result, when forced to<BR>>> compete with a Super Wal-Mart, small
independent stores, like many in<BR>>> Moscow, go out of business
and small towns are left with the impersonal,<BR>>> poor
selection, tax-base draining, Super Wal-Marts, just the position
<BR>>> Ross<BR>>> laments.<BR>>><BR>>> Certainly
paying a bit extra is difficult for many, and luckily we have
<BR>>> the<BR>>> independent chain WinCo to provide us with
groceries that beat any Super<BR>>> Wal-Mart's prices and an
existing Wal-Mart for those who wish to shop <BR>>>
there.<BR>>> What we don't need is a Wal-Mart Supercenter that
will reinforce this<BR>>> "lowest price at any cost"
mentality.<BR>>><BR>>> Ross laments not having a quality,
all-music store in Moscow, when in <BR>>> fact<BR>>> we do
have one. Ross needs to do what so many of us need to do, overcome
<BR>>> our<BR>>> addiction to low price and support the
local businesses whose tax <BR>>> revenues<BR>>> support
us.<BR>>><BR>>> Jay P. Feldman<BR>>> Department of
philosophy<BR>>><BR>>>
---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>>><BR>>>
Seeya round town, Moscow.<BR>>><BR>>> Tom Hansen<BR>>>
Moscow, Idaho<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>>
**************************************************************<BR>>><BR>>>
"A bad cause will ever be supported by bad means and bad
men."<BR>>><BR>>> - Thomas Paine (English Writer,
1737-1809)<BR>>><BR>>>
**************************************************************<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>>>
_____________________________________________________<BR>>> List
services made available by First Step Internet,<BR>>> serving the
communities of the Palouse since 1994.<BR>>>
http://www.fsr.net<BR>>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>>>
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