City officials say the 2014 first-quarter report from the Port Angeles Downtown Association, known as PADA, shows the organization isn't doing enough to fulfill its contract.
“City staff reviewed the [quarterly] report and determined 2014 first quarter performance to be in default and not in accordance with the PADA's funding agreement with the city of Port Angeles,” City Manager Dan McKeen wrote in a May 23 letter to PADA President Bob Lumens.
“At this time, you have 30 days from the date of this letter to correct and cure these non-performance concerns.”
“It doesn't come close to covering the items incorporated in the contract,” said Nathan West, the city's community and economic development director, referring to the one-page first-quarter report.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this description of things could have (and should have) been used YEARS AGO? What took SO LONG to rouse the City from their deep, deep sleep?
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the fact that the PAID head of the PADA, Barb Frederick, won't comment on this is very telling? As in, confirming that she is totally unqualified to do her job, or to deal with non-happy news?
Is it just me, or does anyone else doubt that PA Untied riding to the rescue is really going to change a damned thing in this dysfunctional dystopia? I mean, can the defenders of the status quo really be game-changers?
Or, put another way...
One last kick before leaving town?
ReplyDeleteWell, yes. I occasionally have a few minutes as we're wrapping things up here. And this one is SO obvious...The PADA not doing anything? I am shocked, simply shocked!
DeleteShouldn't this same criticism fit the Chamber of Commerce? They have spent millions of taxpayer dollars and have nothing to show for it. Nathan and Dan lack the guts to grab the bull by the horns and get something done. The PADA is the weakest functioning organization in town and easy to pillory in the press. Now take on the dysfunctional chamber and go ahead and call out the city council who have stood by for ten years and watched the chamber spend the people's money and demanded nothing in return.
ReplyDeleteYAY...CK is speaking!
ReplyDeleteThe PADA has been in non-compliance many times, for a lot of things. Hell, they let their corporation expire for a long spell, a couple of years ago. The budget they produce is a laugh riot of poorly added columns, and cryptic (dubious) "expenses". And, since the only thing that doesn't change there is the Executive Director -- but with all the influx/outflux of board members, what might be the problem?
Meanwhile Untied is just ghastly..who's going to grub this $$, and jerk off the cash bull (because no way is this a cash cow, the milk dried up years ago). Seems to me that it's a total circle-jerk with the same cast of suspects.
The City has enabled PADA for years. It is our City leadership, along with Nathan and a few City Managers that choose to ignore the pleas of many good people and continue to fund and support the Keystone Cops of the Downtown Assc. Anyone who owns a business downtown can tell you how worthless Barb Fredericks is as the E.D. Now that PA United is in the process of getting started and the political winds have changed ( in other words, everyone in the whole damn community know that PADA is a joke - except the core leadership people ), the City talks tough about PADA being in "default" of their contract. But for years the City simply funded PADA and looked the other way. And if you look at the people involved in forming PA United ( the usual old and tired people with old and tired ideas ) and you read in today's PDN article what they are anticipating in membership revenues ( just pure bullshit ) - one can say with some certainty that PA United is DOA. And then the City can fund another ineffective organization for years. Because we have little, if any, leadership on the on City Council, they will all behave as lemmings and fund PA United. There is no one, no Council member or City staff members with the ability to think strategically and say this isn't going to work. It's sad, really. Port Angeles needs to rethink the City Council structure because its not working. When three positions in the last election run unopposed ( if you don't count Peter Ripley as a viable candidate - make it four unopposed ) - what does that say about our community and the political process? What younger or successful person would want to waste their time and serve now with the wishy washy people who supposedly represent our interests? Very frustrating . . . . .
ReplyDeleteYES YES....the chamber should be gutted, and those who "run it" run out of town on rails. We need a functioning chamber. One without an egomaniac running things.
ReplyDeleteCK...even when you leave all us poor souls who are doomed to be left here, you can still unearth tidbits. Throw us a few crusts to gnaw upon. Please?
ReplyDeleteJust read the article on the Morse Creek "hydroelectric facility." The City Council was presented with three options for dealing with it. One of those options was to essentially do nothing with it. Apparently even that option would still cost the city $348,000.
ReplyDeleteOnly in Port Angeles does doing nothing cost so much.
So, why don't "all" you negative posters do something yourselves? Griping, without action, is worthless. At least CK is taking action by moving. If you can't (or won't) move, then run for office, attend meetings, join community service organizations, DO SOMETHING to make things better!
ReplyDeleteSometimes we all need a kick in the ass to get going, you know? This blog has been just that for me. I just got home from the realtor's office, where I put my house on the market. Like you, CK, I want out. It's long past time for that change.
ReplyDeleteThe city really really wants Port Angeles United to flourish so they don't have to do anything to improve the economic climate. They push this off on the chamber. the chamber is powerless to do anything with its present leadership. The chamber wants to take over all the business centric groups around so there is no group to criticize the chamber. PADA did not sign on to PAU fast enough to suit the city so they get lambasted in the daily fish wrap.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, business as usual.
PADA is going to be the sacrificial goat. It's the weakest sister (and, yes, I do mean the executive director). But, Untied isn't going to make any difference. You can't market a toothless, old, fat and saggy hooker for top dollar.
ReplyDeleteLets face it, we have nothing to offer.
We gave our fiber optic to the hubby of one of our town's chief ball-squeezers. That was just sold (as an exclusive contract) to WAVE (which is dismal in every way). So, no free trade, open competition, quality internet pipeline.
This town never could figure out that the only way to keep downtown healthy was to promote the town and get people walking there. They did the exact opposite of what they should have done: kick out the farmers market; kick out all faires and festivals (to the cold, dismal waterfront); not invest in any infrastructure to get people down town (make the Vern Burton, the pier, or the small transit center plaza the "gathering centers"); make it costly to do business downtown (add to that some old fart greedy building owners who think they should get Seattle rentals.
A dollar a square foot? Two dollars a square foot?)
Then, lets disband or discourage any NEW festivals from setting up; ridiculous fees/permits to do much of anything. Totally UNFRIENDLY business atmosphere. It's all about helping the wrong people, supporting things like the (obviously ill fated) Twilight Store, the Japanese owned mills, shoving butt-loads of cash to anyone who claimed to be a "job maker", while never looking at the situation realistically (or even have any performance clauses...just keep poking that cash down a rat hole).
Oh yeah, encourage the Lee Hotel, an anchor of the downtown, to become an SRO/low income hotel. Let the JC Penny's store become a government building. Have a "mall" built that becomes mostly inhabited by other government entities. And, whatever other bone-head moves to drive business out. Yeeesh!
It is all about not having a vision. It's about money grubbing, and putting all the $$ in structures that benefit no one (Incubator/skills center, transit hub, waterfront). It's all about sweet heart deals, and backroom agreements. It's all about having a city attorney who looks the other way with weasel words (and, probably, kickbacks).
It's regularly putting the cart a few miles before the horse, shooting the horse, and wondering why the cart isn't moving. Welcome to Port Angeles...a future ghost town.
"Let's face it, we have nothing to offer."
DeletePut that on a sign outside the city limits. It's grim, but honest, and would give a true flavor of what "Welcome to Port Angeles" really means.
Whatever the city does or doesn't do, it will be too little, too late.
ReplyDeleteWhatever hope there once might have been for Port Angeles is long, long gone. No more possibility of an uphill climb to glory of any sort - it's all downhill from here.