We guarantee that these Thoughts were originally Random at the time of their thinking.
We also guarantee a Big Board.
- Hey, who went to the Women’s ACC Basketball Tournament in Greensboro this week? Yeah, me neither.
- I had to chuckle when the local Republican legislators all praised the recently passed bill that freezes Dominion’s base electricity rates for five years without mentioning the fact that it also stripped the State Corporation commission’s power to ensure that Dominion didn’t make excessive profits over their guaranteed rate of return.
- I got word from a reader yesterday that Danville Utilities and Central Collections have scrapped their “not processing reconnections for non-pay disconnects before 1PM” policy. I spoke about that to the Danville Utility Commission at their last meeting and they seemed to not know about that policy. Speaking out helps, people. I’ll confirm that this policy has been changed on Monday.
- Remember that incident when somebody left children in a car and a bottle of beer on the top of their car while going in to pay their electric bill? Nothing came out of it.
- Remember the “Art On Main” street festival? Remember when Jeff Seiden & Jason Liepe started the Dan River Art Works in downtown Danville? Another art gallery came soon after that and the “arts for the rest of us” movement was flying high. Thud. We’ve still got great local “arts for the rest of us” people around (Spark Schmitt, Dawn Ventamiglia, HELLO!), but the movement needs a jumpstart.
- If you people ask nicely, I’ve got another LeonardWatch I need to write. (Hint: He’s totally wrong yet again.)
- Looking for something different as a change for walking place venue? You need to check out the Smith River Sports Complex. It’s located right off of the Martinsville bypass and less than 45 minutes from Danville.
- Yes, I’m working on a “Hey, that’s not Robbie Love!” article. No, you won’t be disappointed.
That’s my RandomThoughts! for today. We’ve got more coming up on SouthsideCentral!
The Dick and Willie Passage Rail Trail is really a great trail in Martinsville. It’s 4.5 miles with several entry points.
Yes…I recall the “arts movement” to remake downtown from 2009-10…there was the place on Main, the Union Street Theater, and the other art gallery near Abe Koplen’s. I will guarantee you that in 5 years (2020), we will look back on the “River District” and laugh as well. Just like we laugh at the old “Downtown Mall” revitalization. Or remember when the murals were going to draw tourists to downtown? Yes, that worked so well. And don’t forget when they used to have that “futuristic” model of Downtown that used to be in City Hall until they took it down. Or remember the touted “Long Mill” revitalization in the late 90s? Yeah, that didn’t happen either.
Some folks might say you are being negative. Others might say you are a realist. I select the latter of the two. The “river district” is all being done with tax money, and hardly any private funds. Notice the hold up on the old Dan River research building? More taxpayer money needed to proceed. The Downtowner was removed and now they are talking about building a parking deck with a price tag of more than $12,000,000. That works out to $20,000 per parking spot. So far no mention of where in the world the money will come from. The city (via the IDA) keeps buying up property, removing from the tax base. There is no future in it. Somebody somewhere, needs to realize that downtown is dead as a retail center. It will not be a Lazarus.
Good post. I laughed at the Lazarus line. There is nothing “negative” about looking at the land use in the City and saying that retail/restaurant growth should be directed towards the Mall/Coleman Marketplace. That’s obviously what the consumers/citizens prefer. Why is it negative to acknowledge the ACTUAL market choices of consumers rather than sappy nostalgia of a few for “downtown like it was or downtown like it is in Richmond or Raleigh”? Some point to other cities, but if you spend a weekend in Greensboro or Lynchburg or Roanoke you realize that they have much greater density in their downtown areas and much much higher incomes among their professional class which populates their downtowns. Some in Danville point to other cities and say, “Why can’t we be like them? Let’s spend city tax dollars to do it.” Problem is that Danville doesn’t have the wage/worker base to make it work. What someone should ask those puzzlewits is, “What’s wrong with a small city with low incomes trying to cater to its population base’s preferences for locating restaurants and retail rather than pointing at vastly different areas and stomping one’s feet like a spoiled brat demanding, ‘I want that!’?” There is nothing negative about acknowledging and embracing your own citizenry’s choices rather than lusting for another town’s living and land use patterns!
“All being done with tax money and hardly any private funds”….wrong, my friend. The last time I saw, the city had put in about $25 million over the past 5 years and the private sector had put in over $90 million. The living population down there has gone from 200 to 2,000. But don’t let facts stand in the way of your nice little story….cheers!
Can’t wait for the upcoming articles!