Could Port Angeles be “Best Town Ever?”
The website Outside Online is running its fifth annual “Best Town Ever” contest. Qualifications include good access to trails and public lands, thriving neighborhoods, and a good beer and restaurant scene.
Winners and runners-up from previous contests are excluded.
Winners and runners-up from previous contests are excluded.
posted by Tom Harper at 10:43 AM
12 Comments:
How ridiculous.
There are about 9,000 votes for Port Angeles. Out of a country of 300 million.
The votes for Port Angeles are less than half of the population of the town itself.
This is completely meaningless fluff.
The problem with the PDN and other pushing these silly so-called "contests" is that people come to Port Angeles thinking it really is better than most other places. They book 3 day hotel reservations.
Then, once they get here, they see there is nothing but a crappy town with nothing going on. They leave feeling like they have been lied to. Deceived. Because they have been lied to and deceived.
The booster crowd can convince themselves of all kinds of things. That Port Angeles isn't the dive it really is. But, drive downtown any time of the day. Sure. Lots of traffic. And, empty sidewalks.
Port Angeles has been here for 150 years. People act as if it is something new others need to find out about. Obviously, people know Port Angeles is nothing special.
Right.
A young woman gets up at the City Council meeting the other night to say she saw a person overdosing on heroin at an intersection in town. She helped save this poor persons life.
She goes on the ask the council if they know why heroin is so prevalent in Port Angeles schools, and being used by so many of the young people in Port Angeles. The woman lists all kinds of things about the area and policies and why the youth see no future, and concludes with: "Give us hope. Don't sell us out"
She was ignored by the entire City Council. In the audience were the Board of Directors for the Port Angeles Downtown Association. The President of the PADA. The President of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce. The head of Revitalize Port Angeles. Cherie Kidd, who is a member of so many groups in town, and is running for re-election, said nothing.
All of them ignored this woman's pleas for help and hope.
Does this really sound like "The Best Town Ever"?
Shame! Shame on those so-called civic leaders. Shame on every one of them.
If she's going around to city councils begging for hope she might want to try another town. We're fresh out here.
Dear Anon 8:54
These are our own children asking for our help.
These same civic leaders were so happy to spend so much time a short while ago to remind us "We're all Riders". When they were looking for $100 million.
Our town, represented by the leadership at the city council chambers last Tuesday night, turned their backs on our children, as they pleaded for us "Give us hope. Don't sell us out".
The police were right quick to give one of theirs a commendation for helping a resident considering suicide, just a week or so ago.
But a young woman comes across a resident overdosing in an intersection in town, and gets them help? She gets ignored.
She wasn't going around to city councils asking for help. She came to the Port Angeles city council, and asked for help. And was ignored.
As if the leadership in Port Angeles doesn't already have enough shame to be responsible for, we see yet another issue come to the pages of the PDN today.
Folks, we're facing the very real possibility of no water coming out of our faucets by the end of this summer, if not sooner.
The city has known that most of the last 15 years, water levels in the river needed for city water supplies have gotten extremely low. 9 years out of the last 15.
You would think that would be a real concern for staff, council and planners, right? That so many low years would warn of a possible problem looming, right?
But, no. At last council meeting, the discussion was about raising water rates so that the city could bring in more money. Money they wouldn't be getting when people have less water to bill for using.
People forget, or don't take into consideration, that these towns are on a geologically narrow strip of downward sloping land. To the south are the tops of the mountain range, and the north is the Strait, where all the water is flowing towards via gravity. That strip is about 15 miles wide. In terms of geology and water, it is not a great picture.
But, as we know, few people think about it, and fewer still understand what is at play. They just pay their bills (if they can afford them) and expect the water to keep coming out of the faucets when they turn them on.
There is no plan to ensure the public continues to have potable water, beyond "conservation", because virtually none of them can conceive that there could be changes resulting in the situation we find ourselves in, now. They obviously still don't "get it", as they still speak of rationing and conservation. Great ideas when you have storage reservoirs, and through rationing, one can stretch out the availability of a limited amount of water. But, once the water runs it course down the slopes and rivers to the Strait, there is no water to ration or conserve.
We'll be lining up at water trucks with our buckets, like you see in Africa. Because, we're the "Best Town, Ever"!
Everybody understands that the contest itself is a fart in a windstorm. But these ditzy little "best of" gimmicks are free advertising for our tourism, entertainment, and outdoor rec interests. If you're too busy saving the world to vote, well I understand.
It would be interesting to know how many acre feet of water is consumed a day by the city residents. I can tell the level of the Elwha river is low.
Yes, I was driving back from Sequim yesterday, and was amazed at how low the Dungeness is, too. I'm sure they won't speak much about that at the Irrigation Festival this weekend.
As per that PUD announcement saying they expect that water supply to be extremely low by spring and summer, will property owners have to disclose lack of water problems when they go to sell?
Anon 9:57. That was a very well-crafted rebuttal to my comment. If I may make a counter-rebuttal?
You misquoted me.
Your entire argument is based on changing the wording of the two sentences I wrote. In fact, you really aren't arguing against my statement at all.
Too bad. It's a nice argument. But it has nothing to do with what I said.
@Anon 10:02
What are you talking about?
"thriving neighborhoods" ?
Right. That sure describes Port Angeles! LOL!
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