tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088603658552825500.post2193840223152518807..comments2023-11-05T05:53:29.465-05:00Comments on The Hickory Hound: Reader Concerns about Inspiring SpacesJames Thomas Shellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04359970774315269896noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088603658552825500.post-81792770899665599872014-06-12T12:54:17.432-04:002014-06-12T12:54:17.432-04:00The Retirement Village concept came from the Fores...The Retirement Village concept came from the Foresight group, a decade ago, which consisted of mostly the older business establishment and the elected officials of the area. Most of these were people in their 50s and older back then and are in their and are 60 and older today. Hmmm... what age group were they looking to market the community to?<br /><br />And that brings us to the crux of the issues that we face. I have stood in the face of an onslaught of propaganda over the past nearly seven years... People who have taken it personal that I called them out on the direction that they have chosen to take this community politically, socially, and economically. So much so that some of them have tried to harm my (and others) personal welfare.<br /><br />The natural forces of the world we live in are what I have discussed here on this site and how do we move this community forward.<br /><br />The other side thinks that you turn the community around with emotion. They seem to think if people just change their attitude that things will improve. They have taken a lot of my work and/or the natural reality of this cultural age we live in and created buzzwords to define it all and to try to corral that reality.<br /><br />They complain about anything and everything written about this community. If it isn't innocuous, buttery fluff, then they complain about the evil intentions of those who wrote it. Anything that points to the statistical reality of the area is a product of Satan himself.<br /><br />They have this paradox of Orwell going on where they talk about how hip Hickory is, and we've turned the corner, and our troubles are in the rear view mirror, out of one side of their mouths... And out of the other side, we hear about how we need to spend this $40 million now, because we have a crisis going on.<br /><br />Folks, here is the deal. I haven't, many of us haven't, been panicking about where we are. That Manic-Depressive mindset does us no favors. To turn this community around we are going to have to remain cool and calm and truly deal with where we are at today. We are going to have to be honest with ourselves and Stop the B.S.<br /><br />Much of what we have experienced has been created by ourselves and the actions (sometimes lack thereof) that have been taken. Much of what we will experience in the next few years are the result of actions taken a few years ago.<br /><br />We've had some positives thanks to Scott Millar. Mick, to the extent of the role he played, made some good moves with the redevelopment of Hollar, Lyerly, and Moretz; but those developments are a drop in the bucket against the tidal wave that hit us a decade ago. It is a great beginning though and should be acknowledged.<br /><br />But, since I have acknowledged this beginning and the positives, let's acknowledge the mistakes. The retirement thing and putting all your eggs in one basket. We need balance. We need buy low and sell high. We have seen three stakeholds in the Wingfoot District and we are apparently going to continue putting eggs in that basket.<br /><br />We have four distinct quadrants in this community and we have the center core. The Northwest quadrant is already viable. Millions have already been pumped into the Center Core, with no end in sight. It is time to invest in other areas of the community to get those stakeholds in the other areas of the city.<br /><br />Again, I am fighting the stacked deck, because Hickory Inc. will always place people in decision making and story telling positions that will provide the circular logic/answers that they desire. They decide upon the answer/solution and then they come up with the questions to come to the conclusion they desire. And that is what gets you trapped in a tangled web folks.James Thomas Shellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04359970774315269896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2088603658552825500.post-72674712140495339722014-06-12T09:56:04.998-04:002014-06-12T09:56:04.998-04:00There are two things in regard to Hickory's fu...There are two things in regard to Hickory's future revenues and taxes that haven't been discussed and should be if we are considering a large expansion of debt. <br /><br />First, our housing market is not booming and we may well see a decline in tax values of properties. This will mean a tax rate increase to keep revenues at current levels. Yes, we would pay the same amount, but we would look like a higher tax area relative to other areas. <br /><br />Secondly, I don't think Hickory has woken up to the threat to retail and what this means. Granite Falls, Morganton and other nearby towns have built WalMarts and more shops and restaurants. This means that these folks will make fewer trips here to shop and eat. <br /><br />The lovely, expanded Hwy 16 that is rightly praised for allowing us to get to the airport quicker is also quickly zooming shoppers to Charlotte. Many upper end shoppers have long been going there for the better quality and selection Charlotte retailers offer. Young people have lately joined them because there are better fashions and choices there. We have also driven a lot of them there for entertainment and nightclubs since Council apparently has a vendetta against this. So much for attracting the young. <br /><br />It's also no secret that online shopping continues to grow and take the brick and mortar market share. Even if we get some of the online tax receipts at some point, the paychecks and commercial property will decline and this is a significant source of tax receipts for the city and dollars for area residents. The jobs created by fulfillment centers and delivery drivers (or drones) will not compensate for it. <br /><br />The only projects we should do now are the ones that are directly tied to economic development, not just "if you build it they will come" ideas. <br />A speculative manufacturing building to give our economic development guys something tangible to sell is a prudent, calculated risk. A business park is also a risk I would take. It would be nice if we had private investors and developers to take the lead but since we don't, the City may have to take the lead. The rest is fluff that should wait until we get some momentum on direct economic growth. <br /><br />For about 7 years Hickory's leadership was clueless about the nature of the economic change that had happened,insisting that "things are picking up, Hickory is turning around". Then they drove off nightclubs and talked down entertainment. Then they pursued the asinine retirement village concept to lure "active seniors" here to consume medical services, cheap food and housing, then use the proximity to the mountains and beaches to spend their discretionary dollars somewhere else.<br /><br />Finally, a decade and a half after the globalization dynamic took hold we recognize the problem. Maybe in another decade and a half we will get a viable response.Harry Hippshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18373435658855296299noreply@blogger.com