Here's what I think that is likely to look like:
Leftovers strike out; bill for Civic Field upgrades stands at $2.5 million
How's about you? Get your bat out and take a swing at it.
It ain't over until the fat laddie swings...
Sunday, April 16, 2017
When the Leftovers Are OVER
Per a request, here's a stand alone topic to discuss the fast and spurious Port Angeles Leftovers baseball team. If you've got background information you'd like to share, this is the place for it. Also, please feel free to share what you think the headlines will be when the Leftovers, as they almost surely will, ultimately fail and dry up and blow away.
Here's what I think that is likely to look like:
Leftovers strike out; bill for Civic Field upgrades stands at $2.5 million
How's about you? Get your bat out and take a swing at it.
Here's what I think that is likely to look like:
Leftovers strike out; bill for Civic Field upgrades stands at $2.5 million
How's about you? Get your bat out and take a swing at it.
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Blow away? Or get blown away?
ReplyDeleteHere is a clip from a recent article that may be describing Port Angeles in the near future. Imagine that warm evening at Civic Field with this:
" Nearly every day since March, John McDonald and his family have been forced indoors by a stench that invades their backyard for hours at a time.
At best, it smells like soggy cardboard. At worst, it’s a mix of rotten eggs, sewage and burnt rubber.
“You can’t stay in the backyard,” McDonald said. “It’s brutal.”
His wife, Sandy, hosted a poolside bachelorette party a couple of weeks ago, but her swimsuit-clad guests were forced inside when the stench crashed the event.
Their two young children can’t play outside for hours at a time when the smell is lurking. Sandy said they can’t even open their windows on a breezy summer day because the odor leaks into their home.
“It’s rancid,” she said. “No one wants to be here when it happens. It’s constant.”
The main source of the stench seems to be coming from two brown paper mills...
“And if it is our baseline smell that people are not fond of, then how do we reduce that to the point where people can tolerate it?”
Ah, yes. Is anybody at City Hall concerned? Even aware?
Here's a simple, Port Angeles-style solution: "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is gas mask night at Civic Field! Yes, just wear your favorite gas mask, and get fifty cents off the price of admission!"
DeleteThe article quoted is about odor from a chemical pulp mill in a Canadian town. If you are trying to liken it to Nippon, did you know that it is a mechanical, not chemical, pulp mill?
DeleteThere is no more Nippon Mill in Port Angeles. It stunk when it was here; the town will have a reprieve from the stink for awhile, while the new owners decide how and whether to retool to produce some other type of product.
DeleteI dare say it matters not a whit to most readers here whether the Nippon stink came from mechanical or chemical processes.
@ Anon 2:40 As Anon 11:27 says, Nippon may have been a "mechanical pulp mill", but the new owners have said they are converting it to a cardboard operation. Look up the odors associated with "krafting", which is what is involved with making cardboard.
DeletePoint is, will there be any input by anybody, of will this be yet another typical Port Angeles deal where we get to pay for everything a favored business wants? Like with Nippon, Grant Munro, Pen Ply, etc, etc, etc.
The rotten-cabbage stench in Port Townsend is going to come to PA. The smell will waft towards the buffs where the expensive homes are (Hello, Brad Collins). It's going to stink the whole place during the stagnant air days (often here, since the winds are blocked by the ridge).
DeleteWelcome to home prices dropping, and tourists avoiding us.
Meanwhile, the state will complete the bypass of the town, and no one will want to be here.
is it worth it for a few stupid jobs?
The new owners of the pulp mill are planning to make liner paper for boxes, not kraft paper for the boxes themselves. Huge difference. It is not at all practical to retool a mechanical process mill to a sulphate process (kraft) mill. If you are curious what a kraft mill smells like, simply go to Port Townsend.
DeleteWe'll see. The Port Townsend mill smells great, for miles around!
DeleteLiner paper for boxes? And we thought phone book paper was a niche market!
Hardly seems like a sustaining enterprise, all considered. Why does this sound less than plausible?
Yeah, who'd buy a run down, out of date mill? It's not like this company was buying anything of value, like a gold mine, or incredible water rights or something...
DeleteSay! Wait a minute...
Hey there 7:32 where do you get this information? Nothing is on the web about this. Haven't seen it in the local "news" rag. Haven't heard a thing about it. Don't you think people need to KNOW this?
DeleteWhat is box liner paper?
The company is KNOWN for recycling cardboard -- why would it suddenly change the model?
If the plant is going to change the method of manufacturing (i.e. Kraft or anything else to change emissions), the owner would have to undergo a lengthy evaluation and permitting process. No such permit applications have been submitted.
DeleteHey 1:16, don't you read the Daily Spews? This info has been in there several times, including this morning. The fact remains that a mechanical process mill cannot produce cardboard. Maybe utilize recycled cardboard, but not produce it. I think box liner paper sounds quite viable in an Amazon economy. Far more so than, say, pickleball paddles.
Deleteding ding ding! All this company seems to do on "this side of the border" is recycle cardboard into CARDBOARD (and kraft paper).
DeleteTheir other mill is in New Mexico, in a town of almost NO ONE. Truck drivers complain about the stench.
Everything else they seem to do is collect cardboard and get it ready to send it to the "mill".
The question is -- what will it be, and why are WE speculating on it? Does the town have any say at all? Or do we just get ready to smell and complain?
Meanwhile, yeah, they haven't put in any applications YET. 18 months is far and long away.
Okay, Anon 7:36. This is from the Piece of crap "Daily" news" :
Delete" McKinley Paper Co., a U.S. subsidiary of Mexico-based Bio Pappel S.A.B. de C.V., signed a purchase agreement Thursday to buy Nippon Paper Industries USA’s struggling Ediz Hook factory, said Herb Baez, McKinley’s vice president of operations.
Baez said the mill, shut down since Jan. 21 because of poor market conditions, will continue to be closed for an indefinite period of time while McKinley officials decide what it will manufacture in Port Angeles.
Nippon’s Mill Manager Steve Johnson said in a prepared statement that McKinley Paper Co., Washington Mill, will produce recycled containerboard.
“I know there will be a big transformation at the mill when this is done,” he said Thursday in an interview."
So, the company buys a struggling mill that closed because of poor market conditions, it hasn't decided what it is going to produce, it has put off re-opening the mill for an "indefinite period of time", but they assure us it will be a "big transformation" when it does.
Confidence inspiring?
If the mill switches from mechanical to chemical pulping, it will leave ORCAA's jurisdiction and become regulated by Department of Ecology's Industrial Section. Speculators should watch for applications in Olympia.
DeleteI just want to say that the concern about the future operations at the former Nippon Mill are not just idle "speculation".
DeleteThe new owners may have bought the "struggling mill" as a speculative investment, but for us who bought into Port Angeles as a home, we live here. I really doubt any of the new owners of the mill live in Port Angeles. The whole issue is just numbers on a page or a screen to them. But for us, it is our daily lives, and the future of/for our children.
And our supposed leaders, whether they are on the city council, county commission, chamber, PADA or PABA, don't seem to do any leading that helps us. They prattle on for hours at their meetings, and only the few benefit. Not us.
"Speculators should watch for applications in Olympia?" Who are you? Do you have children? Do you care about the lives we are creating for them?
If McKinley Paper wanted a kraft mill, they would have bought an existing kraft mill. They're readily available.
DeleteVote with your feet. Countless generations have done so. No one guarantees your childrens' futures in the same place they were born.
DeleteAnother fine example of externalizing the cost of doing business. Get the fine townspeople to house your athletics so you don't have to pay their lodging expense. Get the city to refurbish the playing field so you don't have to go into your own pocket. Now he wants to be on the city council to see how much more he can get the city taxpayers to do for him. There is plenty of precedent. Grant Munro former city council member now timber baron gets the port to pay most of his cost of doing business. Karen Rogers was paid as a "consultant" while sitting as mayor of the city. I'm sure there are more, let's list them.
ReplyDeleteLefties bats exported to Communist China, City Council offers ballpark to Barnum & Bailey.
ReplyDeleteThis baseball "wooden bat" travel-ball stuff, costs the parents $$$. It costs the communities. It costs the customers. It's a FOR-PROFIT league. And, it uses up players -- with the "big city bright lights" promise of getting signed to a major league or drafted by a college.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Port Angeles has the fans to support such an endeavor. Why? Because PA is notoriously "if you aren't local, who cares?"
But, the city and the council sure fell for this one -- hook, line, and sinker.
As usual.
Wonder if they keep insurance on these kids lest they suffer career-ending injuries on the cheap-thrills circuit.
DeleteCould the city be financially liable if an all-star second baseman, after scouting by the big league, breaks a leg on a high-spikes slide turning a 6-4-3 double-play at Civic Field? Naturally the taxpayers will be thrown under the bus again if there is no liability insurance involved.
do we have a sign that says SUCKER taped to our backs?
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteKitsap didn't care about this team. I promise Clallam will care less. One and done unless somebody needs a write off. *scratches my head* :D
ReplyDelete" It ain't over until the fat laddie swings... "
ReplyDeleteCK, if you came up with that, BRAVO! Very funny.
Port Angeles? No so much.
Well, thanks, but I think you my overstate the funniness of it. However, considering the arc of Chris Christie's political career, well, he may end up coaching the Leftovers yet. New Jersey's loss could be PA's gain...A fat, corrupt old white conservative guy ought to be right at home there.
DeleteRight again.
DeleteSwing and a Mistake: Lefties Leave Loserville
ReplyDeleteHow many of these loser projects does Port Angeles have to try, before it figures out it IS Loserville?
DeleteLook at the history. It speaks for itself. Look at the population growth (or lack of it). It speaks for itself. Look at the real estate market in Port Angeles. It speaks for itself. Look at the political world in Port Angeles. It speaks for itself.
The place was Loserville. The place is Loserville. And the place will continue to be Loserville.
Silly earthling, you miss the point. The major reason we qualify for all those grants is because we are in "loserville." If we were up to snuff like oh, say Port Townsend or Silverdale we may not qualify for all those grants making the leaders and their cronys rich.
DeleteToday's Gold Star goes to Anonymous 6:54 AM.
Delete(Even if they did spell cronies...Well...)
I respectfully disagree. Most state grants are open to anyone who commits to the project at hand, regardless of population or revenue levels. Maybe some private grants put on qualifiers, but that is usually in the form of being restricted to non-profits (and how many "non-profits" are profitable fronts these days?).
DeletePA only maintains its Loserville status because it is so focused on lining the pockets of the lumber barons (thanks for naming names, POC) via simple and unabashed bribery and corruption of its glorious leaders. That's the only industry they're adept at. PA isn't a real city, it's a nice little RICO enterprise. That's why we pound sand.
Bravo. Well said 6:57
DeleteI don't think all state and federal grants are equally available to all cities. (Yes, I know you said "most").
DeleteGrants have very specific criteria that has to be met, which defines who can even apply, and who is eligible. Clearly, legislators (especially in an election season) want to be seen helping the poor and disadvantaged. Anyone who has lived through the various Port Angeles scams such as the Gateway Transportation Center, the Graving Dock debacle, and more recently the Fairchild Airport collapse remembers well all the concerns and desires voiced by politicians to help poor Port Angeles.
As an example, a recent story in the POC makes reference to the Trump administration discontinuing grants to aid rural airports.
It isn't all a level playing field.
Having said that, yes, we all have also seen the institutionalized corruption that is Port Angeles.
A wooden bat along with the bone-chilling west wind should be fun for these ball players. At least at night they'll be able to relax in a stranger's home. Lol. :D
ReplyDeleteDo they have hot water yet in the showers at Civic Field?
DeleteCK - please start this as a new thread? Since folks get all super excited about these BEST PLACES polls, here's a site listing the worst places in Washington and Port Angeles can take pride in making #7! If they just keep on keeping on maybe they can make #1 next time!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.homesnacks.net/10-worst-places-live-washington-128356/
I hear you, I really do. But this is a poll from last year, and I think it was already covered here - or at least one much like it with Port Angeles ranking HIGH for being at THE BOTTOM.
DeleteI think the question can perhaps be boiled down to: Is it enough to be ever-so-slightly less awful than Aberdeen, but with more substance abuse?
(Trick question! Of course it's not enough - Mayor McDownie still probably holds out hope for a Trader Joe's...In other words, it's the no-chance-in-hell-of-happening fantasies that add the extra dollop of misery to Port Angeles. I doubt Aberdeen has such pretentions. Port Angeles, pathetically, inexplicably, does sometimes. Hence the dueling "arts centers" downtown, when the City has been perfectly happy to let their existing one rot...)
Of course, it adds to the absurd-ness of Port Angeles that the "Worst Places to live in Washington" analysis, "based on scientific data" was published around the same time the local boosters in Port Angeles were opening stuffing the ballot box of that "poll" of BEST places ever.
DeleteOne is the result of actual data to arrive at the conclusion that Port Angeles is among the top 10 worst places to live in Washington, the other the typical approach of Port Angeles to openly lie, deceive the general public, and manipulate the system to create a false image of success and prosperity.
Speaking of the dueling art centers, this nice lady left ten million dollars to go to building an arts center. Now the ones in charge of seeing her bequest through as intended have shuffled aside the arts center so they can also build a convention center and a Fiero Marine Center all in one place. I'm sure she is rolling in her grave seeing how these "leading citizens" carved up her bequest and put it out for the greedy bastards to nibble apart. The same judge leading this enterprise is the one who granted Adam Chamberlain his rights by forgiving his two prior felonies. Yesterday he was sentenced for his latest felony and received 250 hours of community service. Maybe they can arrange his community service to "clean up" the homeless campgrounds. Just like throwing B'rer Rabbit in the briar patch. That'll teach him.
ReplyDelete"Funny" how the powers-that-be are using the lady's desire and money to build an arts center for Port Angeles to try to accomplish other goals they have had for years, but have been otherwise unable to do by other means.
DeleteFor how many years have we heard about building a convention center at the Oak street property? All the twists and turns of that effort.
But, with the support of "arts", what otherwise couldn't be supported, suddenly is resurrected. Once again, people ask "Where are the studies to show a convention center in Port Angeles is viable?"
If any one of us went to a bank for money to fund such a project, we would be required to provide detailed documentation from verified professionals in the appropriate fields, to assure the financial success of the proposed venture.
In Port Angeles, we build fake beaches, spending millions, that sit virtually empty every day of the year. We spent millions building the Gateway Transportation Center, that sits empty most of the year. (If it were not for the Farmers Market, it would be empty virtually all the time.)
It just never changes.
Off topic, but local vigilante Adam Chamberlin, recently convicted of feloniously possessing an unpermitted short-barreled shotgun, was sentenced yesterday. I can tell from the online system that Melly gave him some jail time, but not how much. I hope someone will fill us in...
ReplyDeletehe got 30 days, community service work. No Jail.
DeleteIs all this malarkey in PA due to simple hillbilly incompetence, or some brilliant master plan to constantly distract, and keep potential prying eyes away from the real local corruption? I'd tip my hat for their creativity if it was the latter, but at the end of the day it seems far too brilliant of a conspiracy for anyone around here to muster up.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, who is the Steve Bannon of Port Angeles?
DeleteJim Hallett?
DeleteGrant Munro?
DeleteEdna?
DeleteOrville?
DeleteIt isn't one person. It is the result of grant culture, and the people who have to hunt for grants to pay for things now.
DeleteThe City and County fund all kinds of things because a grant will pay for it. Think of those fake beaches. Does anybody know of a documented reason they were important enough to spend millions on? Were they on any kind of priority list developed by the citizens? No, but staff at the city found some grant that they could apply for, to design and build them. Of course, being a "distressed" county, building fake beaches are important, right?
We see the same thing with the various non-profits in town, and the First Nations in the area. They have staff dedicated to finding, applying for and managing grants.
And, grants often provide funding for staff to manage the project. Oh?! Bingo.
So, this creates a circumstance where grants are a source for funding staff. A circumstance where staff has to find grants, to keep being employed. Where creating un-needed multi-million dollar projects, like fake beaches and out-dated mega CSO construction projects become very desirable, because they fund a lot of salaries.
The need of the project becomes incidental. The amount of money generated for salaries becomes the priority.
Randy Johnson
DeleteI just pictured Cherie as our Kelly Ann and urped up a little.
ReplyDelete