Chamber of Commerce and PABA meetings both about Waterfront Plan
Nathan West, Port Angeles Community Development Director, will be the scheduled speaker at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon tomorrow and the Port Angeles Business Association's meeting Tuesday morning. He will be discussing the downtown waterfront project.
posted by Tom Harper at 8:18 PM
23 Comments:
I would REALLY like someone to show me that this "Waterfront Plan" has ANY demonstrable value.
Yes, the consultants will get their taxpayer money. Okay. But where are the economic studies that provide ANY shred of hope that Port Angeles will actually gain ANYTHING from this investment.
Anything? Please?
Port Angeles is just a tired old whore.
Think about it.
Two words: Ferris Wheel
Shouldn't they be more concerned with improving Civic Field?
No one would come to Port Angeles to ride a Ferris Wheel. Now a Tram Ride from Downtown to Hurricane Ridge...We would need an appointment system to control the crowds!
Hum, things suddenly look different here.
Anyway, we need a good fudge shop uptown somewhere so we don't have to find parking close to the fudge shop downtown for just a little treat.
it has no value except the city gets some grant money that they can push into the coffers. Greed is driving this. It is another white elephant for the city of Port Angeles. If they had any vision at all, they'd put in a roller coaster, or something that would DRAW people. But there's no vision. From the drawings the waterfront plan looks like something that would be put in a 3rd rate town.
Figures BBC is more concerned about his fudge.
Well, I can stay home and make my own fudge, at least I won't have to look for close parking downtown. :-)
@Anon 10:16 "If they had any vision at all, they'd put in a roller coaster, or something that would DRAW people."
I'm not disagreeing with you, but with the way gas prices are going, I think a lot of folks are going to be cutting down on their ftivolous driving. They are probably going to think twice, before driving the couple hundred miles round trip to Port Angeles, just to see the sights.
Okay, say I lived in Seattle or San Diego or someplace. Why would I want to travel all that distance to ride a ferris wheel or a roller coaster? Maybe if I lived in Quilcene or someplace... Guess it couldn't hurt. We could be the Silverwood of the Olympic Peninsula.
Speaking of Seattle, the single most word my Seattle friends use to describe this town is "dirty". Fixing up the first block tourists from Victoria see would go a long way towards fixing that image. So, yeah, this waterfront plan has some value. I would like to see a study that says it has enough value to overcome the price tag, or if it could have been scaled back and done cheaper. But the waterfront is a draw in most towns and here it's just... icky.
Tram to Hurricane Ridge? Hell yeah that'd be a draw! We're surrounded by majestic wilderness, enough to fill a weekend with action-packed adventure, or just a quiet weekend by a campfire. This is the stuff you see written up in backpacking, bicycling, running and extreme sports magazines.. and we can't even keep Olympic Mountaineering in business. That, my friends, is just plain sad.
Speaking of water, check out the Peninsula Daily Teabag online, today, Feb. 27 - with the breaking news headline at top about the Native American/Federal Government land swap - juxtaposed with the article below on the Japanese tsunami and the trash washing up. And gee, on such a landmark day for our area, we are treated to a photo of trash on the beach. And not a good one either! Great graphic, really sends a message. What a coincidence.
"And gee, on such a landmark day for our area, we are treated to a photo of trash on the beach."
I didn't read the article, but did it warn people to stay away from all Japanese trash washing up on West Coast beaches because it may be radioactive?? Remember those recent articles in the local paper?
Oh that's funny. I'd like to see a study involving petri dishes finding out which is dirtier, Port Angeles or Seattle. Or why clearcuts cause people with squishy poo to have heart palpitations.
Ferris Wheels - The PNW needs a nice, big "observation wheel". The view would be stunning and would inspire every rider to immediately go buy a tent and hiking boots at Swains.
We could probably build a 500' wheel for $100,000,000, being such industrious folks. 20,000 people a year would easily pay $20 to ride in it. That would make the payments. Or we could get a grant!
If only this town could figure out what it wanted to be. If we had a decent theater, we could build a town around performances (Ashland, Branson). If we had a big beautiful wood rollercoaster -- we could have all the roller coaster fans visit, as well, as make it an local "vacation" for families from Portland north. We need to develop some things which attract people to the area, not try and rely on the Olympic Park (and that's really only an attraction for single 20-30 somethings, not a demographic that wants to spend much money). We keep looking to the singles, when the $$ is in quality attractions for families, and people of all ages. But, to really turn over as a tourist town, we need to clean up, lower the gouging prices for motels and restaurants. The waterfront plan has no real "community" planning. It's going to end up like the Gateway. The town screwed itself when it let the Red Lion tear down all the buildings (from Kokopelli to the Pier) and put in a parking lot. Bad, bad planning. There is no "there there". If you want people to go to the waterfront, make it something that people want to go to, and can have some reason to stay there.
I thought the new Country Aire store (the former Gottschalks building) was supposed to be the big draw for the downtown area?
I mean, gosh, a full service deli and all. Wow!
Oh yes! I'll drive for hours to get to the new Country Aire. And downtown Port Angeles? Oh, it attracts only the best. Look at the folks that ran the Twilight stores. Quality people, for sure.
"The town screwed itself when it let the Red Lion tear down all the buildings (from Kokopelli to the Pier) and put in a parking lot."
At least it matches the rest of downtown.
Different strokes for different folks I guess. I used to travel through Port Angeles to go camping in the park, just like I pass through other towns to get to other parks. I'd get gas, hit a restaurant, stock up on food and supplies, maybe get a book or two. Spend a little tax money. I didn't go to Necessities or Temptations or anything, but I don't do that now that I live here.
I don't think we should rely on the parks, but I don't think forget them either. I don't think we should rely on any one thing. Port Angeles did that during the 1980's and paid for it during the 1990's. If Country Aire draws a few more locals downtown, great. If the park draws some 20-somethings to the area, great. If Twilight brings in teenage girls, great. Every little bit helps, and all the little bits add up.
"Different strokes for different folks I guess. I used to travel through Port Angeles to go camping in the park, just like I pass through other towns to get to other parks"
Yes, that is the way things used to be. But, things have changed since then.
Back in those days, gas was cheap enough. People had jobs, jobs that paid better wages. People could afford to travel around.
Perhaps I'm wrong, and the high price of gas won't make any difference to people. We'll see, I'm sure.
A good strong sign ordinance to eliminate the blight of garish signs all along 101 and Front Street would do more for enhancing Port Angeles than "improving" the sidewalks along Railroad Ave. Spend the millions of dollars on paying off the sign owners instead of on "waterfront improvements" and get rid of the signs for good. THAT would enhance Port Angeles.
As for Nathan West et al from the City claiming that thee is widespread support for spending all this money on the waterfront --- he is either kidding himself or lyinbg outright. The owner of a few businesses on RR Ave. might be all in favor of spending somebody else's money to enhance their street appeal, but that's the extent of it. The rest of the "support" is more like polite and stoic acquiescence from the usual small circle of well connected cronies.
What businesses on Railroad ave? Necessities and stuff-you-don't-need? Dairy Queen? What else is there? Most of the street is vacant property used for parking for the ferry. The rest of it? Nothing substantial,that is for certain. Who wants to go wander at that waterfront when we have miles and miles of waterfront, lake front, and river frontage to wander? The point is the vision is lacking, and the "community" is lacking. Why? Gee, maybe someone at the city should read Jane Jacobs (Life and Death of American Cities) Not enough people live down town, not enough people can be DRAWN to the area, the FEDERAL requirements for passports to go to Victoria has really HURT that part of the tourism. The lack of affordable motel space (Aggie's wasn't popular because it was pretty, it was popular because it was CHEAP) and the increased park fees have all contributed to the decline in tourism. That and, the fact that this was a place that attracted BOOMERS and those people are getting old and not traveling much. This town hasn't kept up with the needs of people who are likely to head out of their town to come here. Families with children have nearly ZERO attractions here (Marine Science place on the pier...okay good for 20 minutes, tops). Focusing on 20somethings....is foolish, but those are the proposals I keep seeing. AND IF you are going to focus on 20somethings, at least get in touch with what they are into!!! We're 3 hours from several Universities....but, what can we do to draw students here for a weekend? They go to the Gorge. They go to events in Seattle. How out of touch are we in this isolated dying town?
Some might think those critical of this Waterfront Plan, and the millions that will be spent on it, are just "negative". Others might call the questioning valid.
There are about 70 thousand people in the entire Clallam County, last I saw. Might be a few thousand less after the foreclosures and job losses here.
There is not enough of a population to support much of anything beyond needed food stores and a few gas stations. Every other type of store comes in, and closes after a year or two.
Building a waterfront promanade based upon promanades built big cities with big populations and lots of people in big cities nearby, does not automatically mean all those people will come to little remote Port Angeles.
Even though the consultants presented pretty pictures of people strolling about (with the real Port Angeles air brushed out of view!), doesn't mean that is what will actually happen.
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