October 04, 2006
Monday

I am proud of those of you who voted NO on the White Cliff renovation, rest assured you made the right choice. It is sad that the seniors and the arts community must wait a while longer before they possibly get a new facility, but it will be worth the wait. I hope this failure sent a strong message to those who wish to raise our taxes and renovate old buildings. Those that think renovating is a good solution, there are exceptions to the rule but for every successful one you can show me I can show you 3 that were, or are still a nightmare and a bad decision for various reasons.

Raise our taxes - why not provide better funding options? How about matching grants, there are so many Private, State and Federal grants available for such projects that there is no excuse to put the sole burden on city taxpayers or bonds. Those that proposed this project did not do their homework as claimed. If they did, they may have passed a proposal to build a new senior and arts center.

Next time I suggest your advisory board be made up more of diversified individuals rather than all supporters. It will most likely be a better proposal and have a better chance of passing than the lop-side failure of your current one.

Rick Watson
Ketchikan, AK - USA

Received October 04, 2006 - Published October 04, 2006

About: " I have been involved in several major renovations here in Ketchikan. The majority of which were renovated for cost savings reasons, but most turned out to be expensive nightmares, even many years later."

 

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