So, Scott Nagel, still pursuing his dream of "buying" the Lincoln Theater, says he has $175,000 on hand - and just needs to raise $60,000 more, by the nebulously defined "summer's end."
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce, which has $175,000 of the City's money in hand for "marketing" said City, now says it's not going to pursue the same funds from the City in the future. They now say they want out of the business of "marketing" the City, because it interferes with their "core mission."
Now, I have all sorts of questions about the "pledges" that Nagel says he's gotten - too many to go into here. The real question I have though, is for the current owner of the Lincoln. It's an old building, a decrepit piece of property in a dead downtown of a small, remote town. So, given all that, and given the odds against anyone but a pie-in-the-sky goof like Nagel wanting to buy such an albatross, why don't you drop the price a little?
Oh, that's right. It's because you're the greedy scumbag who ran it into the ground in the first place.
As for the Chamber...I find this announcement interesting. This sounds a little like someone who knows no one is going to ask them to dance, so they announce they've decided to skip the prom. In other words, after years and years of being the ultimate soft touch, I think word has finally filtered through to someone that the City is broke. Out of funds. Flat. No longer able to be a soft touch, no matter how much they'd like to be. (And believe me, they'd like to be.)
We're done squeezed dry!
So I think the common thread linking these two stories - Scott Nagel's endless, hopeless quest for funds, and the Chamber's odd "no thanks" - is the dire state of poverty in Port Angeles. There just aren't as many tax dollars coming in as their used to be. There aren't as many grants available as there used to be. Meanwhile, costs like pension benefits and the overall debt load of the City keep growing, growing, growing.
And maybe, just maybe, another thread linking them, is that a growing body of people within the Chamber are starting to realize the futility of "marketing" a town that currently has so little to offer. You know, like a town that can't even keep one, small movie theater going.
Veenama earns $89,000 a year?? For what? That's almost three times the "average" wage in Port Angeles and far higher than anyone in the private sector could make. And for what? What results did he achieve?
ReplyDeleteIf anyone wonders what's wrong with this county, and this country, that's it right there.
he earns it to be smug and condescending, why don't you know? Now that he need to work for the money, it's time to fold up the tent and move on. Meanwhile, what does the chamber think it's supposed to do? Have they read the charter of every chamber in the country? What idiots.
DeleteOh, and let's remember PA United. At the bottom of that article about the Chamber, you see a vague reference to the fact that the membership did not vote for the "task force structure" of organization that had been proposed. That the new position was going to be a "co-director" of both the Downtown Association, and the Chamber.
ReplyDeleteReally?
So, the elite do what they want, regardless of what the membership and/or people say.
And, bother to market Port Angeles? Who decided to stop doing this? I doubt it was the majority of the membership.
Not that I believe the Chanber was doing a good job of it, or that the City needs it. As has been said, there are already millions passing by. And, their passing by without patronizing Port Angeles speaks volumes.
Any generic truck stop on a freeway is busier than downtown Port Angeles. What does THAT say?
Hmmmm, seems I read somewhere that Port Angeles United was just another scam to devour the downtown assn to suck up grant money. Now that the chamber and the PAU/Downtown Assn have joined at the hip Cherie Kidd can throw all that lodging tax money into the downtown association and it winds up in the same coffers. Silly earthlings! IF we can get rid of the current "leadership" and get some new, young voices at council maybe we can pull out of the "circling the drain" mentality.
DeleteA constantly moving deadline is no deadline at all. The Lincoln's owner knows no one else is going to be interested in it, other than Nagel. Nagel knows that the owner knows this, but is still willing to play the game. End result - stasis. No actual funds, no real sale, and the farce continues on.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, downtown continues to decline, and now even the COC has given up on it. They say you have to really worry when the rats leave a sinking ship. Well, Russ is getting out by December...
Russ ain't goin nowhere. He may step down one notch in the heirarchy of the chamber but he is a true suckerfish and will remain attached somehow. As for Nagel and company, without the PDN running these continuously breathless stories "oh how great it would be if only" these two grifters would have already faded into background noise. Instead the PDN keeps thrusting them before us as if there is a new angle to an old tired story that was laughable the first time it appeared. Get a grip Scott, ain't gonna happen. PDN quit raping your readers.
DeleteI think it finally dawned on the Chamber that they were delivering a Muzak product in an internet world. I'd put Jake Oppelt's homemade youtube video up against anything the Chamber has done in the last decade. And way more to the point: the 2015 contract carries a requirement to measure and prove their effectiveness against clear targets. Nudge-nudge-wink-wink ain't gonna cut it no more. It takes a hell of a lot of bean-counting, on top of a big job. Word to the wise for anyone who's thinking of bidding for 2016.
ReplyDeleteHey, here's a crazy idea!
ReplyDeleteHow about the city works on making this town a livable, attractive, sustainable place FIRST, and then worry about marketing it to the world a little later? you know, they could even take that $175,000 and spend it on, oh, say, essential infrastructure and beautification, rather than ads of dubious effectiveness, plus the overhead costs of Russ and the Russ-to-be.
Gosh, ya think?
What is stunning is that millions are passing by every year, as it is, and downtown is a ghost town. Even with the arts festival going on, on a long holiday weekend, the place was empty, as we saw in those photos CK posted.
DeleteIf Port Angeles can't make something out of millions of people passing by every year, what is it going to take to make the place work?
Oh, that is right. Giving money to Scott Nagel and his wife. That's the answer.
Oh, CK. Are you forgetting that Port Angeles is the Best Town, Ever?
ReplyDeletePort Angeles has been stagnant for years, because Scott hasn't been able to provide the community with a "gathering place".
But now, PA CAN! ( Don't say anything negative, now) Because the merchants say so, everything and anything is possible! Because Port Angeles was able to come in second by voting for itself, there are no limits! Coming in second is fabulous! Not being able to vote yourself the VERY best isn't a negative. Because we really tried to vote for ourselves a lot, we're still amazing.
And because we're amazing, we need a "gathering place". Scott and his wife recognize this, and because they are amazing, too, they are facilitating Port Angeles' amazing-ness, and back at work, gathering other people's money to buy the Lincoln. And, Scott and his wife are dedicated to keep gathering other people's money to do everything it takes to renovate, maintain and operate "the community's gathering place".
It is sunny out. Everything is great and wonderful.
Port Angeles doesn't need to cater to the millions of people who drive by Port Angeles. Jim Moran and his other community leaders understand Port Angeles is wonderful just by itself. Building upon the success of the Revitalize campaign to get out the vote, they realize that Port Angeles needs nothing more. We're great and wonderful.
And, AMAZING.
If, and it's a big if, Scott Nagel really has $175,000 in pledges, that's NOT the same as having cash in hand. From my experience in these types of pledge situations, you can expect attrition/fatigue to carve off at least 10-15% if and when the time comes to literally cash those pledges in.
ReplyDeleteSo, even if that number is "true," it doesn't necessarily mean it's "accurate." I think Nagel and crew still have a LOT of work to do to come anywhere close to that asking price.
Hey Scott, show me an account dedicated to the Lincoln Theater with $175,000 and I will donate another thousand. However, if you cannot, you get this fucking scheme rolled up and outta here. Deal?
DeletePlace and Time. I'll bring my check book and you bring your balance book. Put up or shut the "F" up. You too PDN, you are another parasite on the host community. Grow a spine brewer.
The State legislators are in extended special session, trying to pull together a budget. The Feds are in similar place. Money?
ReplyDeleteThere's plenty of money. The rub is how to spend it. It took the legislature one weekend to put together a $16 BILLION tax relief package for Boeing. Funding schools, well that's a problem.
DeleteAnd, that's the PRICE to purchase. Where is he going to come up with the half million to renovate, bring it to code, and fix the fire egress issues, and/or the seismic problems with that building? Then, where does he intend to come up with working capital? Pipe dreams, wet dreams, impossible dreams.
ReplyDeleteBoeing rec'd sixteen BILLION in tax subsidy this year. They have not paid a corporate tax to the state in this century. Corporations are the parasites of America and now they are destroying the host.
ReplyDeleteThe Lincoln Theatre dream is dead. Any and every idiot in town ,myself included can see that this overpriced rundown firetrap is not going to be anything to this community but a money pit. Between the city, county and port government's greedy backslapping and secret handjobs to acquire even more money to supplement their budgets so they can appear to be doing something besides barely supporting themselves, they have no time or desire to entertain or investigate any realistic ideas or plans that could provide new revenue or draw any interest to the city or county. Its a every man for himself world out there and anyone new to the arena will get nothing but a blank stare while our elected officials ponder...Whats in it for me?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteCongrats to getting voted onto the Board, CK!
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