Topic: Build it & they will come
started by: usmcr
Posted by usmcr on Apr. 24 2013,9:28 am
Lea collage, new hospital, new high school, new court house & now a new look downtown. all of these were billed as an attraction to new businesses & ultimately more population. i got news for you it did not happen! in fact our population has decreased starting in 1970 & the trend is continuing! what this equates to is simply less population & higher taxes as the goverment continues to spend more money! a good example of this is the city becoming involved with real estate. i refer to the ongoing sink hole of the bank building on broadway, 2 million bucks & counting with nothing to show for the effort! this is being billed as the cornerstone for downtown! another example is tiger hills! take off the rose colored glasses & really look at the downtown area. imho it is a disaster & no so called facelift is going to change the old buildings into new! how many businesses are going to pull out because of the higher taxes or rent? sterling drug to the north side, is this just the beginning?. to say the least the downtown is minimal at it's present state. stadium seating for the park, for what usage - 4th of july & then what? we even have a concrete road to no where, nw of loves truck stop. it is supposed to connect to I-90 with an interchange in the long range future! these are some random thoughts, perhaps someone could expand on them or offer thoughts pro or con. build it & they will come, well where are they?
Posted by SlapMyMonkey on Apr. 24 2013,9:38 am
reason why we need a like button 
Posted by This is my real name on Apr. 24 2013,9:39 am
Well, you see, you're just part of the problem. That's what happens when we're negative. The invisible boogeyman spies come here and read that or hear us complain in the coffee shop and they decide not to bring big industry here.It can't possibly be the fault of our elected and appointed leaders. It's negativity that's keeping Albert Lea down, and shame on anyone who who says otherwise.
Posted by pepi la pew on Apr. 24 2013,10:46 am
well THIS IS MY REAL NAME you must be blind, dumb and stupid! The only reason industry wont come here is OUR CITY FATHERS? They don't want big industry to come, because that brings crime & gangs here. The problem is we have both here now. And they don't to pay good wages, If they did most of the city fathers on the city council best buds that own buss. in town would have to start paying a good wage to there employees. and you know that will not happen.
Posted by twingroves on Apr. 24 2013,11:17 am
this is what happens when you got dumb ass people running the town the town is dying like it or not thats the way it is
Posted by Expatriate on Apr. 24 2013,4:10 pm
There are several Minnesota communities that have thriving downtown business districts.But once again we put the cart before the horse, a thriving downtown business needs cash carrying customers.
Posted by SlapMyMonkey on Apr. 25 2013,12:35 pm
the problem is not the City Fathers....it's the idiots that keep voting them in.
Posted by twingroves on Apr. 25 2013,1:57 pm
anybody with any smarts does not want the thankless job
Posted by Common Citizen on Apr. 26 2013,8:39 am
(Expatriate @ Apr. 24 2013,4:10 pm)
QUOTE
There are several Minnesota communities that have thriving downtown business districts.
But once again we put the cart before the horse, a thriving downtown business needs cash carrying customers.
But once again we put the cart before the horse, a thriving downtown business needs cash carrying customers.
This is true. Compare the demographics of Albert Lea with other towns and you will find they are older and have less money.
The community leaders keep throwing things at the community to keep hope alive.
Blue Zone...need I say more?
Posted by grassman on Apr. 26 2013,8:49 am
(Common Citizen @ Apr. 26 2013,8:39 am)
QUOTE
Blue Zone...need I say more?
Don't you mean the Blue Hair Zone.
Posted by bulldog on Apr. 26 2013,11:54 am
Dont worry mr. dorman will bring us out of the slump , he wil bring in lots of industries with his state capital connections
Posted by This is my real name on Apr. 26 2013,12:10 pm
(bulldog @ Apr. 26 2013,11:54 am)
QUOTE
Dont worry mr. dorman will bring us out of the slump , he wil bring in lots of industries with his state capital connections
And that is precisely who I meant by appointed leaders. He isn't elected so we can't vote him out, and our elected leaders aren't going to fire him.
It might not be intentional that they're keeping us down, but they're certainly not growing us. And whether or not they choose to accept the blame (instead of pushing it onto people who complain about them), they blame negativity, absolving themselves of their responsibility for their lack of results.
Our leadership is to blame for our lack of growth. Period.
Posted by Self-Banished on Apr. 26 2013,1:33 pm
As Lib would say,"elections have consequences"
Posted by Botto 82 on Apr. 26 2013,2:47 pm
I've heard it said that a good salesman could sell ice cubes to Eskimos. Clearly, nothing close to good salesmanship is happening here. It's almost as though someone engineered it that way.So how's that statue of Paul Sparks coming along..?
Posted by MADDOG on Apr. 26 2013,3:53 pm
(Botto 82 @ Apr. 26 2013,2:47 pm)
QUOTE
I've heard it said that a good salesman could sell ice cubes to Eskimos. Clearly, nothing close to good salesmanship is happening here. It's almost as though someone engineered it that way.
So how's that statue of Paul Sparks coming along..?
So how's that statue of Paul Sparks coming along..?
Maybe it's a case of bad ice.
Posted by usmcr on May 07 2013,10:25 pm
Broadwayscape is going to start! how many of the current business's will survive the disruption? how many will just up and leave considering the higher taxes or rent? stadium seating at the park, the only time i could envision it being utilized is on the 4th of july! how long would you sit on a concrete slab? a half way house will be opening on the corner of bdwy & main so that should give you a clue about what is going on down town! on the friday after the storm i decided i would take a book back to the library, yes it was closed. i wandered down to the city admin office to see why they could see their way to hire an assistant city manager while the could not fully fund the library. there was but one person in the office! no city administrator, no city clerk. the secretary said the administrator was at a training session. $100,000 & this guy isn"t trained? now he needs a assistant to help him do his job! build it & they will come, well i seriously doubt it!random thoughts - imho!