Downtowners' Meeting, April 25th: NOT!
OOPS! There's been a change, or a "misunderstanding," or something. Turns out April will have a standard Morning Mingle after all. Same time, same station: Landings, 8 a.m. on Wednesday April 25th. We'll try to get this new evening format started in May (hopefully), pending PADA Board approval.
Thanks to all of you who responded in support of a new format. We'll let you know as things progress.
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EVENTS THIS WEEKEND:
The Port Angeles Kayak Symposium, April 13th through 15th at City Pier and Hollywood Beach. For more information click here and here.
Check it out. And let's hope this brings a big influx of people into downtown Port Angeles this weekend.
Thanks to all of you who responded in support of a new format. We'll let you know as things progress.
***************************************************
EVENTS THIS WEEKEND:
The Port Angeles Kayak Symposium, April 13th through 15th at City Pier and Hollywood Beach. For more information click here and here.
Check it out. And let's hope this brings a big influx of people into downtown Port Angeles this weekend.
Labels: Downtowners, Hollywood Beach, PADA, Port Angeles, Port Angeles City Council, Port Angeles City Pier, Port Angeles Downtown Association, Port Angeles Kayak Symposium
posted by Tom Harper at 10:41 AM
17 Comments:
Has there been anything sent out from the PADA Board about a change in the meeting? I haven't seen anything... Isn't changing a general meeting time a function of the board? Has there been a request to the president and/or board to change?
The PADA Board hasn't sent anything out about this meeting, and they won't be. The Board agreed to it, but the idea was initiated by Catherine Harper and Paul Lamoureux. The Board agreed, because we're all trying to find ways to get a larger turnout for these monthly meetings.
On some level it must be working for the Downtown Association to keep having these meetings that nobody goes to.
So what happened? Is there anybody out there who is actually doing something, or who actually cares?
I hope this Kayak Symposium attracts a lot of people. But will any of them walk into the downtown area from the pier? How can we make this happen?
so if the board agreed, why the change?
It kind of comes down to a combination of misunderstandings and crossed signals. Paul Lamoreux summed it up with this e-mail he sent me (he said it was OK to print it on the blog):
"...THE "DOWNE-TOWNERS" (EVENT) WAS SCHEDULED AS A "GET-TOGETHER" (NOT A MEETING) OK'D BY A PADA "COMMITTEE" (THE ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE) ON APRIL 4TH, CHAIRED BY BOARD MEMBER MIKE LENOX. IT WAS TO BE A "SEMI-SOCIAL / INFORMATION "GET-TOGETHER" FOR PADA MEMBERS AND OTHER KNOWN FOLKS INTERESTED IN THE SUCCESS OF THE DOWNTOWN. THE "PROBLEM" AROSE WHEN A FORMAL REQUEST WAS NOT MADE TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL- BECAUSE THE PADA "PROTOCOL & EVENT PROCEDURE" WAS NOT UNDERSTOOD BY THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THAT COMMITTEE. ......(ANY EVENT INVOLVING - BY, OR FOR MEMBERS OF THE PADA HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE PADA BOARD BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION). DISCUSSION BY THE COMMITTEE AT THAT MEETING PERMITTED ME TO PURSUE A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE PRESENT "MORNING MINGLE" (MEETING) FORMAT - TO ENCOURAGE MORE PARTICIPATION BY AND FOR THE MEMBERSHIP. GETTING PRIOR APPROVAL BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTION WAS NOT KNOWN TO ME, AND NOT MENTIONED BY THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE AT THAT TIME......"
So we're still hoping for an informal setting for a future meeting -- whatever it takes to get a larger turnout -- after the formal approval process takes place.
I'm all for events being held at the City Pier, but very few people venture beyond the Pier into the down town area. Look what happened when the Farmer's Market was moved to another venue. A thriving scene was dispersed into another humdrum day in down town P.A. (which is clearly the way some merchants perfer it).
Events like the kayak symposium can't be held down town, but dispersing other viable events to the court house parking lot, the City Pier or elsewhere kills the scene down town.
Until certain merchants allow Laurel Street to be closed in order to host events there, don't expect people to wander from three or four blocks away to visit down town!
I think downtown merchants can do more to bring potential shoppers downtown. Whenever there's a large event at the pier, Vern Burton, Courthouse parking lot -- some of these people could be induced to come downtown afterward.
Last summer when the Farmers Market was using the Red Lion parking lot on Wednesday evenings, several downtown people were talking about putting up a sign at the Farmers Market, advertising that Downtown was open that night, "check us out," etc. It never got done; nobody ever got around to it. But I think it would have made a difference.
If there's an event nearby, it's not written in stone that everyone there is gonna jump in their cars and blitz home as soon as the event is over. Some signs, flyers, posters, a well-timed ad in the PDN -- I think these would get some of the people at nearby events to come and check out the downtown. It's worth a try.
...RIGHT ON, "NEIGHBOR" -Hopefully, with the upcoming "DOWNE-TOWNERS" (GET TOGETHERS" - WE WILL START SEEING SOME ENTHUSIASM, PARTICIPATION, AND "HAPPENINGS" just as spoken LIKE 'THAT'!!!... ;-)
That kayak symposium was great. Huge turnout all 3 days. I couldn't tell if the downtown was helped at all, but the beach and the pier were really happening.
...THERE YA' GO,(went) FOLKS... OPPORTUNITY KNOCKIN' AT Y'ER DOORSTEP - JUS'1 BLOCK AWAY...How many "DOWNE-TOWNERS" 'Welcomed' the Kayakers to "Down Town" P.A. for the weekend (before the weekend)!!!???
...Maybe "WE" need to try some "Out of the Block Marketing"? ...Kind' like "Outta' the Box Advertising!!..??.. ;-)..
ARRRGHHHHHH! I just spent 45 mins writing a reply, that has disappeared, is there an easier way for us neophytes to respond?
Anonymous: Ouch! That sucks. It's safer to type out a comment in a Word document and save it; then copy it to the blog. That way, if Blogger crashes (and they're having lots of problems lately) you still have the text.
Either a word processing document or your e-mail system, just someplace where you can type out the text ahead of time and save it.
...AAARRRGGGHHH...YEP, KNOW the feeling - happened to me before also...HATE THAT !!!... ;-(... - BUT - TRY AGAIN, ANYWAY... ;-) ...
One thing tho' lately - scroll way down to the bottom of the left side column - your response may have flipped over there right after ya' typed in the "Word Verification"...Go look down there...LEFT SIDE - VERY BOTTOM.
I'd like to know who is writing this blog and whether they are a downtown merchant?Is this blog sponsored or sanctioned by the PADA?
It's nice to have a forum for downtown events and concerns, but I'd feel better about it if I knew who was behind this blog. Come out from the shadows and reveal yourself/selves!
These secrets will never be revealed. I am The Shadow :)
This blog is written by me, Tom Harper. I don't own a business but I live downtown. I'm a member of the PADA but this blog is not affiliated with them in any way. I want the same things they want (or say they want): a prosperous, thriving, vibrant downtown Port Angeles. I'm interested in Port Angeles issues in general, but the prosperity of Downtown is my biggest concern since this is where I live.
I created this forum because there doesn't seem to be any place for people to express themselves. There seems to be a lot of frustration and resentment around here, and it just about takes an Act of Congress to get a letter printed in the PDN.
Things seem very polarized and factionalized around here, and each faction or group seems to think they're the only good guys and everybody else is a villain. I don't think it's actually like that -- the good guys vs. the bad guys -- but what do I know.
I have no personal agenda except wanting what's best for downtown Port Angeles and wanting to provide a place where people can express their views on local issues.
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