Tuesday, May 20, 2014

If You Swallow the Pie in the Sky, You'll Still Be Hungry

And verily the pie did shine down upon them...

Do YOU have an extra $500,000 to spare?

If so, then you’re infinitely more qualified to talk about doing “something” with the old Lincoln Theater than the people who are currently doing so.

I toss out the $500,000 figure because that seems like a reasonable baseline figure for what it would cost to actually be able to do anything with the Lincoln. That’s about $250,000 for purchasing it in the first place, then another $200,000 to convert it to digital. Then I round up with $50,000 to account for various upgrades and repairs that would be necessary to make it a little bit less of a rundown, dark, sticky pit.

Now, no one would be happier than I would to see something positive happen with the Lincoln. But the things being tossed out now just seem completely, painfully unrealistic.

Former Port Angeles resident Rick Shaw is one of these fantasy purveyors. He wants to show old movies (to get around the no compete clause) and Seahawks games on Sundays. Well, okay. But you still need to buy it, and convert it to digital. Which brings us right back to Mr. Half-a-Million. Then there’s licensing fees for the films, licensing fees for the games, advertising, utilities, staffing, etc. All of this is against the backdrop of trying to entice people to leave their homes and pay money to watch these things in a dingy, nasty old theater. Even with my dog crowding me on the couch, my house is a lot, lot more comfortable than the Lincoln Theater, and a lot of people I know have TVs even bigger than mine. So why are people going to pay to watch old movies (which they can do at home) or football games (which they can do at home)? I don’t know that they are. We know people are plenty pissed off about local politics; try getting them to come out to a meeting, though.
 
We're fighting a LOT of inertia in Port Angeles, people...
 
Now, maybe Mr. Shaw has money to burn to make the Lincoln into some sort of playland for himself. That I don’t know. But I do know that you generally aren’t making huge money working as a behavioral analyst – especially one who is early in his career (Shaw is only 41). Shaw and his wife also bought their house at a foreclosure sale – which again, doesn’t speak to someone with a lot of spare cash floating about. We’ll see, but I’m not holding my breath.

Rick Shaw: Secret Santa? Maybe, but...

Then there’s the pie-in-the-sky idea floated by Dan McGuire, who envisions a non-profit running it, pointing out “Creating a new nonprofit 501(c)3 is relatively easy and inexpensive.” He goes on to say, “The first order of business is to secure the property. If a bank would finance the purchase with a 20 percent down payment, we’re probably looking at something somewhere north of $50,000.” Then he throws in another $100,000 to “develop the facility as the board of directors (of the proposed non-profit) sees fit.” He sees that money coming from a loan or a grant. There’s a lot of “ifs” there, Dan.

And Dan…If you’re going to run it as a movie theater, there’s also the additional $200,000 to convert the theater to digital. If you’re going to run it as some sort of event center or concert venue, then you’ll have to tear out the wall between the two downstairs theaters, repair and restore that space, buy new theater seats, etc., etc. That would likely cost even more than $200,000. Just because the first step – Hey! We can form a non-profit really quickly! – is easy, doesn’t mean the rest of it will just fall into place. If you think raising money to make it all happen will be easy, too, well…I guess you’re not paying attention to the local arts scene. PALOA anyone? PAFAC anyone? The existing arts groups here struggle mightily – I don’t think adding yet another one to the mix will change that. It might even breed resentment from some of the other existing groups, already fighting for funds, grants, etc.

Again, I would be delighted to see a realistic plan for doing something worthwhile with the Lincoln put forward. But all I’ve seen thus far are some wildly unrealistic and half-formed ideas. I can’t get excited over that. It just seems like typical slapdash Port Angeles, too little, too late, with a pinch of “we’ll get a grant to pay for it” pixie dust sprinkled on top.

People, whether it’s politics or arts, no outside “angels” are going to come save us. And grasping at half-formed ideas without doing due diligence isn’t going to work, either. Sure, it’s “easy” to form a non-profit. Sure, it’s possible there might be a grant out there to help get “something” done. But how likely are those outcomes? Are they realistic? Is Port Angeles the type of community that could and would really support the ideas being proposed? If so, why haven’t they happened already? These are tough questions, but they have to be asked.
 
Yeah, yeah - I'll be ready to go to that
City Council meeting/fundraiser/school play/whatever
 in just a minute, baby...

52 comments:

  1. You've hit on one of the key problems here in Port Angeles, call it the savior syndrome. Someone from "out there" is going to come save us.

    Betsy Wharton will save us! Max Mania will save us! The ziplines will save us! Cruise ships will save us! Developing the fabled Oak St. property will save us!

    Right now some are doubtlessly waiting for Sissi to come save us on the county level, even though she couldn't do so on a city level. None of these things are realistic, or holistic. They don't look at the whole picture of what is going on, and what is going WRONG in Port Angeles.

    Put another way, one puzzle piece doesn't tell you much about the puzzle. If the Lincoln failed, why? If other arts groups aren't thriving, why? If you put those two pieces of the puzzle together, along with some others dealing with our local economy and demographics, you might start to sketch out something.

    Too many people in Port Angeles aren't able to differentiate between good ideas and bad ones. This has created an environment in which bad ideas can thrive. We need to change this dynamic before anything (positive) of note will happen.

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    1. main reason: no cohesive vision. No visionary. No understanding of how arts work, interact, and can benefit a community. There are things this town NEEDS to turn around, and it might just start with a solid venue downtown (not located at the college, the crumbling high school auditorium, or the Elks or other private lodge. The community playhouse/whatever it is, doesn't rent out to private groups. There are NO OTHER options other than the Vern Burton. This limits what performers will play here. If we had some good performers to play in a good, solid (good sound system, stage) theater, we could draw tourists from Victoria and Seattle, because there are a lot of acts that are best viewed in an intimate, smaller theater -- live theater/performance/music is not dead, unlike films.

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    2. "main reason: no cohesive vision. No visionary. No understanding of how arts work, interact, and can benefit a community."

      It makes me so sad to see how out of touch the arts community is here with the needs of the rest of the community. Maybe too many well off retirees move here to be "artists" and don't really understand the community at all. This is a poor, struggling town. To a lot of people, all they know about art are those ugly Bob Stokes sculptures downtown, and they hate those. They don't support the arts at all, but artists need to do more to reach out to the community too.

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    3. Maureen, I don't think insulting the arts community as being rich retirees is the best way to motivate them - or anybody.

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    4. I guess I'm one of those rich old people Maureen is talking about, but even so, she's kind of right. Too many pockets of people that never touch in Port Angeles. The ironic thing though is that the arts scene and the political scene are both so unhealthy and scattered or shattered, but that's not exactly the kind of thing to bond over I guess. So, to the point, I don't see how the Lincoln is going to come back from the dead, considering the chaos all around.

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    5. The arts "scene" here, such as it is, needs to do a little soul searching, it's true, and perhaps get themselves weaned off of their adulation for Bob Stokes. I say this with no malice - Bob's a hustler. He works hard to get himself taken care of, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I don't know that he makes the best front man or ambassador for the arts community here. He seems to do well with the people at the city, but not so good with just regular folks.

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    6. The arts scene here is a joke. The people who accidentally wind up here and who aren't burn outs or senior citizens quickly leave. People like anami, people like Max Mania, like Greg Good. So we're left with 50 something actors playing the "young" leads in plays, 60 something dancers and musicians, and 70 something politicians "leading" us into a future that looks a lot like the past that produced them.

      Yeah, it would be nice to have saved the Lincoln before it closed and died for good. Like, hmm, Max tried to do, before getting pushed out of town by the old school idiots who destroyed our community in the first place.

      Oh yeah, these leaders of ours really care about this place. They care so damned much that soon there'll be no one left here other than those too old and infirm to leave.

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  2. Remember when Larry Williams wanted to spend $17 million dollars to build a parking garage downtown? He pushed for it, and got it onto the city's list of capital projects. It wasn't necessary; it wasn't realistic; it was totally out of tune with the needs and the character of downtown. But there it was, for years and years, on the city's "wish list," an object of derision and mockery for the city's more liberal citizens.

    These efforts with the Lincoln Theater remind me of that parking garage, except that now some of those more liberal citizens are now the ones being totally out of touch with the true nature of downtown. A dinner theater/tapas bar? That is not going to work, here, Period. The Lincoln Theater closed for a reason. It didn't happen in a void. Rather, it did happen in a void - and that void is downtown Port Angeles.

    Downtown has major problems. The Lincoln Theater is not the cause of those problems, nor is fixing it the cure. The Lincoln Theater is just a very visible symptom of a dying downtown in a town without vision, without leadership. Until there is a vision for the town, and leadership to enact that vision, it is irrelevant what happens with the Lincoln Theater.

    Fixing the theater won't fix the city; but if we fix the city, then then the theater is more likely to fix itself - because there'll be a baseline economy and structure to support such things. We don't have that now.

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    1. To use another food analogy, the people currently discussing the Lincoln Theater want to eat their dessert first.

      They want their delicious and fun movies or theater or whatever arty thing it is they like best to come first, right now.

      But reality would tell us that that approach isn't sustainable. Unless we eat our veggies first, that dessert isn't going to keep us full for too long. We need to lay the groundwork, with a stronger economy, more creative and informed local political figures, better support for the arts overall, and on and on. When people are struggling to simply make a living, and when they are unaware of what a tapas even is, they're not going to be there to support you. When, as another poster points out, our politicians (and our schools) aren't supportive of the arts, that's undermining efforts to create more arts-based opportunities here.

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    2. Aaaahhh - the Larry Williams $17 million parking garage. As I recall, he insisted that the project would pencil-out. His vision included tennis courts on he roof, with 1000 parking spaces underneath. The multi-level structure would hug the bluff behind the old federal building and Lee Hotel.
      Hey --- this project could have at least provided plenty of parking for Lincoln Theater patrons, while allowing Farmers' Market activities to be held on the tennis courts! Maybe a better investment than the Gateway... but of course Larry wanted this in addition to the Gateway...

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    3. Larry Williams, despite his faults (such as being sexist, deeply greedy, and rabidly anti-environment) was at least clear about who he was and what he stood for.

      Part of my trouble with more recent council members is that I have no idea who they are, what they stand for, or what they passionately care about. Pat Downie? Dan DiGuilio? Lee Whetham? Who are these guys? What drives them? Even Cherie Kidd, other than wanting to NOT make waves and be popular, I have no idea if she actually CARES about anything, or just likes to have her picture taken.

      Sissi, I get - the naïve, idealistic environmentalist. Dan Gase, I get - yet another greedy, ambitious realtor. But overall we have too many cyphers on the council. It adds to the foggy, muddled nature of life here.

      None of which should be read as my saying I miss Larry Williams, by the way.

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    4. No one, save possibly Karen Rogers, misses Larry Williams.

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    5. That stupid, stupid article by one of PDN's "star" writers did more disservice to the discussion about the Lincoln, and created, yet again, more "negative" comments, than anything else. This is a prime example of how the PDN can thwart people coming together. There ARE people interested in re-cycling the Lincoln, but by Rick Shaw being "I'm going to come in and toss money around" it will (probably) deflate the momentum and energy begun. If you want to know more about him...He's a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and his website is www.behaviorissues.com. Doesn't seem to have a theater/performance background, except for hobby/wishful thinking.

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    6. oh my gawd.

      That website -- www.behaviorissues.com -- is straight outta 1999.

      Rick, if you're reading this, not to be overly harsh, but before you start dreaming about a revived local theater, for chissake focus on reviving your utterly bufugly website, you know what I mean. It's...beyond embarrassing, honestly, and is not a good reflection of your ability to re-imagine the Lincoln.

      Hope that helps. I hope you succeed (at both).

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  3. Other than the little bit we've read here and in the PDN, I'd be interested to know more about Rick Shaw. It seems a little far-fetched to think he'd come swooping in and make it all good with the Lincoln, but...Who knows?

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  4. Look at how difficult it's been - for YEARS - to get the city to put any money into the Fine Arts Center. Which, to remind you, is a CITY facility. But to get them to even put ten or twenty thousand dollars towards it has been a huge effort. In a city budget that is hovering around $120 million dollars, that's chump change. But it shows the city's lack of concern for the arts here. Does anyone think they'd really be on board with spending money on the Lincoln? Seems unlikely to me, so you better have your private dollars all lined up.

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    1. which is pure insanity. We cannot draw young, happening events, people, and businesses without art in the community. Our "Creative Vitality Index" is below Alabama. From the state's own arts department: "The Creative Vitality Index (CVI) is a way to measure the economic health of an area by integrating economic data streams from both the for-profit and the nonprofit entities, as well as jobs data from a selection of highly creative occupations, the system aggregates the data streams into a single index value that reflects the relative economic health of a geography’s creative economy. " King is 2.09, Clallam county is 0.60. It's been dropping since 2006. The NATIONAL BASELINE is 1.0 Communities with a high CVI are doing better economically than their counterparts. And, our city cuts funding. Morons.

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    2. It's pretty sad that our local creative vitality index is lower than the blood alcohol content of some of our local drunk drivers...

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    3. CK
      How would you know?
      LOL!

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    4. Yup. This is what you get when the city decides that chasing money for grants is more important than really investing in the infrastructure.

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  5. Agreed. If you want to see some indication of whether there will be local support for utilizing this facility for anything, try funding it with a kickstarter campaign. If people have personally invested their hard earned money to make something work, then they will likely use it. If the campaign doesn't raise enough funds, well then there's your answer.

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    1. Well stated. If people are willing to put their money where their mouth is, great. But in Port Angeles, it's generally people wanting to put other people's money where their mouth is - so to speak.

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    2. I agree, but also think that since this project involves nothing but private parties (no one has yet suggested any public monies would be involved) it is highly inappropriate to have all this public criticism get so much play. If a private party wants to sink private money into the old building in order to try an idea they have, it is really none of our business.

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    3. Anonymous 10:54 AM - While I see your point, and don't necessarily disagree with you to a certain extent...I'm using the activity around the Lincoln Theater as a proxy for the many, many pipedreams that have been embraced in Port Angeles - only to see them (as pipedreams do) quickly go up in smoke. I also wanted contrast what I see as the futility of engaging in this versus the utility engaging more in the political process - a process in which we could clearly use some work, and in which (I think) there are more chances for some local successes.

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    4. It's the entire region that suffers from "let them do it" and sitting on their asses. The concept of some one swooping in is doomed to failure because the community has nothing invested, and will go there a couple of times, but lets face it, restaurants barely survive here.
      The city SHOULD invest, but they're too stupid to know what economic development really MEANS. They're still thinking factories and lumber mills. The real real estate professionals KNOW that the best place to invest in real estate is where there is a vibrancy created by visual artists, musicians, writers -- that make a place desirable to be. Our real estate phonies don't seem to get it, and the fact that Mr. Gase somehow is thinking he's going to get commission on $260k (and rubbing his fat hands together) while STILL a member of our city council just shows how idiotic the whole band of "leaders" here are.
      I'd like to see the Lincoln become a theater. I'd LOVE to see it a city property, or a joint project between the city and the community. OR, see the current owner not be a greedy boomer of an a-hole, and set up a foundation to allow use of the facility by a non-profit. But, greed is king out here in the sticks.

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  6. I think it is important to remember how the world has changed in the last 5 years alone.

    As CK points out, most anyone can get any movies they want, at home. They have big screen TVs, and can watch hours and hours of anything they want, from the comfort of their own couch.

    And, given the demographics, as we see here, the bulk of the population are not the wine/cheese and film Noir crowd. Government services for those in need make up a large section of the "job creators" here!

    Facing reality isn't always fun.

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    1. I think the first week the tapas bar was open, they'd be busy, because of all the people who thought there was a new "topless bar" in town.

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    2. Your comment is sadly hilarious. I can see a line of beady-eyed meth-heads lining up eagerly expecting to tap some ass.

      The bigger point is, sadly, true. Demographics are against the idea. If a Rose Theater could somehow be pulled off I would love and fully support it, though.

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    3. ta-ta's bar might do pretty well with all the churchy folk, if they could come in via the back exit

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    4. I've heard that the "adult shop" (no names, please!) was urged to leave downtown for it's new location, because said new location has a back door that certain prominent citizens can use to avoid being seen entering such a den of sin...That's what I've heard, anyway...

      Now, anyone seen entering the firewood and porn trailer probably should have their sanity questioned...

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  7. The Lincoln again...Sigh...I noted that the first reports of the first meeting about this said 75 people attended. Then, subsequent reports referencing that first meeting have since said that 40 people attended. Hmmm...

    Anyway, let's split the difference and say 50 people are attending these meetings. As someone pointed out here before, if every one of those 50 people all put up $10,000 each, then they'd have enough to buy the Lincoln, convert it to digital, and open the doors. Not enough for operating expenses, but enough to open the doors.

    Of course, none of those 50 people will be putting up $10,000. As another poster here earlier, these are people keen to spend someone else's money, not their own. And as a general rule, someone else's money is very difficult to get ahold of.

    Now, on the other hand, imagine of we got 50 people actively involved in running, say, three or four good candidates for City Council. That's doable, and possibly even a game-changer. But the Lincoln? I'm sorry to say that I think it's a non-starter. R.I.P.

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  8. No no, it was 200k to put in digital for THREE SCREENS. For one it can be under 70k. So, your numbers are way OFF. The building needs a few things -- fire exit for balcony area, ADA compliant bathrooms, to take away the partitions. Fix the fire exit.
    The price, hopefully, isn't firm. But, I think the fundraising, to get it up to speed --- would be considerably less than a half mil, probably closer to $350k.
    Old movies are all digital now. But they aren't really a draw. What town needs is a decent theater (multi purpose) for music, drama, comedy, dance, plays, whatever else. Downtown would be a boon --- if there were some sensible people booking it.
    But, it has to be a non-profit. Even the best run theaters need to have a group of people dedicated, and regular fundraisers.
    The theater, as it is, is dumb. To try and do a for-profit venture, is certain to fail. We need a center of the community, and a hall that can hold 500 people...that doesn't have basketball foul lines painted on the floors.

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    1. I'll stand by my number, and for the very reasons you cite. Yes, the $200,000 is for three screens/theaters. But, if you're only going to convert one, I assume (you've got me there) that means you'd be tearing out the wall separating the two downstairs theaters, and again, that runs the bill up for construction, restoration, etc. If you were to do that plus recreate a balcony with the upstairs theater, again - money.

      Now, someone conceivably could just convert one theater to digital, not tear down the wall, and just try to make a go of it with one smallish digital theater. But that would be very weird (leaving most of the building unused) and doesn't seem likely to happen.

      So I'll stick with the ballpark figure of $500,000 for now. Needless to say, others may disagree with that.

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    2. Balcony could be a later issue. Why does it need to be a MOVIE theater? You seem stuck on that idea. Why not live theater...life music, life performance? And, yeah, $500,000 would be a good deal for that, if it could help the downtown turn around from a ghost town.

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    3. What do you mean when you say "restoration" CK? The building isn't in bad shape, aside from a few health and safety issues, and the blasted crap wall in the center. This could be a 5-10 year project, to get it livable, to start with, and start getting various groups in it, and get it booked 3-4 "big" nights a month, it needs bathrooms (ample room if you take out some seating space on the main floor), it needs cleaning. It needs a good sound system, a stage, and curtains. The initial start would just be the cost (which is unbelievably high for such a white elephant, I hope that Sun Basin is listening) and the construction.
      The bigger question is ....can 100 people in this town work together to try, or will everyone just say "oh, it's a lost cause"?
      Smaller communities have done more with worse.
      Or, do we like town this way because....we like to complain?

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    4. I'm not stuck on it being anything - I'm just responding to what the people talking about it are saying they'd do with it. And I actually agree that $500,000 isn't a bad price for such an amenity - IF there's actually someone with that kind of money to do it, and do it right.

      And for the record, I don't think I've ever said "restoration." It's more of a reclamation and catching up with all the basic maintenance that's obviously been skipped over for years and years. The Lincoln Theater is a wreck. No, not the worst place on Earth, but still, it's been allowed to get very rundown. Reversing that will take a good chunk of money.

      Remember: Putting in bathrooms like you suggest takes out seats, Taking our seats reduces the amount of money an event can (potentially) make. And all that making the whole thing into a 5-10 year project does, in my opinion, is extend the period of time in which someone has to pay taxes, utilities, staff, construction and materials costs, etc., etc.

      Again, I'm NOT arguing against the idea of doing something with the Lincoln. I'm merely arguing FOR doing so from a realistic, informed perspective. What I'm hearing thus far is very far indeed from that. It's more along the lines of, "Hey, kids - let's put on a show!" That kind of shortsighted, naïve thinking is a big part of why Port Angeles as a whole is in the mess it is.

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    5. The old man owner of the Lincoln (aka Big Mr. Sun Basin) is, yet, another example of the greedy people who own the downtown like Monopoly spaces. There is no reason why he (and his family) couldn't be part of the project, and/or arrange a lease, blah blah blah. After all, when Mr. Big Sun Basin started out he DID make all sorts of deals (previous owner financed/lease options) as he, most likely, did with the LauridsonTrust (who owned the theater for years, and years). It was only a few years ago that HE purchased it (during our inflated values years) and now he's tacked on $100,000 to the price. For what? Because he's a greedy, sickly old man? Whatever. Boomers. Can't wait for them to depart.

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    6. CK, those of us who are trying to instill some sense of reality into local proceedings and processes appreciate your forum for doing that as well. We have opportunities here, yes, but we need to be careful about falling for every sweet talker who comes along offering to sell us magic beans.

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  9. Ultimately, the Lincoln will just become a parking lot.

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    1. it's too small to be a parking lot. It will end up as another antiques collective!

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    2. Those "antique" stores are a blight, and a very bad sign. They say, "We're a community with no options left other than to try and sell our personal possessions." The City has been very remiss in letting them proliferate to the extent they have. Nathan West knows of ordinances other cities have used to limit how many you can have on one block, in one area, etc., but won't even bring them up for discussion.

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    3. But, you have seen that "poster" the Port Angeles Planning Dept. put together, that they bring to the Sat Farmers Market? All about how avante garde Port Angeles is, "livable", "sustainable" and more?!?!

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  10. Andrew May has dropped out of the race for the Charter Review Commission. Apparently, the PDN, suddenly and awkwardly trying to look professional, thought his column might provide opportunities for "conflicts of interest." So Andrew is keeping the column, and putting his aspirations to hold some sort of elected position back in the closet.

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    1. And May he, er, they stay there...One nut down, dozens to go.

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  11. Are there really enough adults in Port Angeles who would attend local theater events, enough to support a theater down town?

    Have been going through downtown a couple times in the last couple of sunny, warm days (although, the wind tunnel effect has been in full force!). Different times of the day. Hard to find a single person walking on any of the sidewalks.

    How do the shops stay open?

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    1. A lot of the shops don't have to make money - they're hobby businesses. Lauren who runs the bead shop, and who is leading the charge to "do something" with the Lincoln is one of those. Do you really think a hippy bead store in Port Angeles makes money? No. Her husband makes money. Yet she undoubtedly fancies herself a "businesswoman" who is qualified to speak about business issues.

      Classic Port Angeles. The clueless leading the clueless.

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  12. ...There probably aren't enough adults in Port Angeles to fully support a theater, but we hope to be a tourist town, right? We can garner some travelers from Victoria, Olympia, Portland, Seattle...if the show were right, and if advertised (and perhaps if some of the local lodging could offer some "staycation" deals).

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    1. I don't know that Port Angeles WILL be saved by tourism.

      Port Angeles has been here for around 150 years. It had opportunities, but it has squandered them, every time. Remember that huge mill that was built here in the 1920s? One of the largest ever built. The local brain trust couldn't see past "big money, now", and logged the hell out of the area as fast as they could. Millions of board feet ran through that mill.

      For about 10 years. They logged the area to the extent that the mill was no longer viable, and it was shut down.

      Port Angeles hasn't looked ahead for much of its' existence. Now, with little outside interest in it, Port Angeles looks to tourism.

      Oh, we have the world famous Olympic National Park. Certainly it must be a tourist draw. It has been there for almost 100 years, yet the streets in Port Angeles are empty most all the time.

      Port Angeles is a good 2 hour drive from the I-5 corridor, and a 3 hour ferry ride ( 1 1/2 hours on the ferry, plus having to be at the terminal an hour plus in advance) from Victoria. What ever shows the Lincoln might draw would have to be pretty good, consistently, to make the Lincoln economically viable.

      Is ANYTHING that good, in Port Angeles?

      Seeing the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center struggles every year to survive, what is so different that ensures the Lincoln would survive a better fate?

      And the local lodging? Have you read the reviews of people who have stayed in them? Sad!

      Which brings up another point. If the owners of the local lodging establishments won't invest in upgrades for their own businesses, what does that say in regards to their views of Port Angeles tourism, as professionals in the biz?



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  13. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

    Which is to say, the trolls.

    Troll #1: If you're going to constantly send in rants defending Karen Rogers, please at least spell her name correctly. It's "Rogers," NOT "Rodgers." You get it wrong every time. Every time.

    Troll #2: If you're going to constantly send in rants about people not posting under their "real" identity, your message might - I say MIGHT - be received better if you yourself weren't commenting anonymously.

    Troll #3: Thanks so much for your apparent concern about my mental health, but, just so you know, calling me names, insulting me and telling me that I'm mentally ill A) Says a lot more about you than it does about me, and B) Isn't the best approach to use if you truly want your comments posted here.

    Thanks ever so much. Carry on.

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    1. CK: Don't give the trolls any attention. None. That's my advice. Even notices like this are more than they deserve, and only encourage them.

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    2. On Scott T. Collins' site, he keeps referring to Sissi Brunch.

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