For the benefit and perpetual advancement of better civil discourse I have archived past postings that dealt with my personal feelings involving hidden political arguing and scheming emanating from a small handful of individuals along with readily available information at City Hall. Disagreements are healthy as long as they remain within the confines of the subject matter itself and does not dive into personal attacks or fragment the reality of the discussion or subject matter at hand. If proper discourse and behavior cannot be obtained, then an ever present political detriment will remain for the residents of Menasha.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Promoting Menasha
Remember these ten things when trying to promote Menasha:
1) Do not entrust the promotion of Menasha to those who must first teardown other ideas for the incubation of their own.
2) If you find it difficult to advance or grow your promotional idea, ask help from those who can aid to nurture the idea, not the ones who just fund it.
3) Ignore those who merely critique and embrace those with etiquette.
4) Run from those who continually speak of their qualifications. The true people with innovative minds just do it, not announce it.
5) Remember that a great promotion can come to fruition with as little as a $50 investment.
6) Incorporate your surroundings into everything you do.
7) A first impression is worth more than a thousand pictures taken afterwards.
8) Any promotion can achieve the improbable, not the impossible.
9) A promotion is only as good as the people behind it. Choose your organizers wisely, power does not replace wisdom.
10) Color is everything.
Monday, January 9, 2012
It's What’s Inside That Counts
Some of the layouts that will be included in the new magazine
You guessed it, political mayhem
Plenty of wildlife in Menasha
Scary stuff too
Beautiful homes all around
Great content for all
Oh How Sweet It Is
After a tedious spell of outlay design configuring we have finally settled on a cover for the up coming magazine that will help promote Menasha.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
How to Jumpstart a Dying City
***Those with weak constitutions when dealing with reality are advised not to continue reading***
Menasha is slowly slipping into a comatose state that is testing the will and drive of not only the residents, but local businesses. Even though the search for a light at the end of the tunnel seems to be cloaked at the moment, all is not lost. In fact, our great city has some opportunities to turn the blighted economic status into a vibrant city once again. In order to accomplish this everyone must hold on tight and be willing to look at reality for a moment without diving off the deep end into a pool of negativity and accusations.
Menasha has much to offer, but there are items we do not have on our checklist that surrounding cities do. In order to grow Menasha, we need to overcome the deficiencies by properly utilizing our strengths…we need to stop attempting to grow outward and start concentrating on growing inward. Many may scoff in disbelief that such a concept would actually grow a city, some consider it more comical to suggest this can be accomplished without much of the taxpayers money. The first step in rehab is to admit the faults and focus on them like lasers, which is one way to get many people to wiggle uncomfortably in their seats. The taboo of mentioning reality must be eliminated if anyone is truly interested in curbing the decline that has overcome our city over the past decade.
Business loss - Unfortunately Menasha has seen an exodus of businesses over recent times with little interest in larger employers knocking on our door. Some departing has been delivered by plant closings while other are closely related to the lack of a customer base draw to the city.
Less traffic – Traffic flow has subsided primarily in and around our downtown. Less traffic flow equates to fewer customers which in turn leads to our downtown as a less desirable location compared to other communities.
Taxes – Government function is a necessity to any city, and Menasha is burdened with unique obligations that unfortunately lay at the feet of the taxpayers. The more businesses our city attracts will result in faster relief of the heavy tax levy…if our departments can keep a firm grip on cost control and spending.
Lodging – Menasha is at a slight disadvantage to surrounding areas and that is partly due to the massive void of lodging. Having overnight accommodations (hotels or campgrounds) is vital to many aspects of growth. Lodging facilities supply a revolving-door-supply of fresh potential customers to a community.
Conventions – The lack of convention facilities permanently places Menasha at a disadvantage to attract economic boosting gatherings.
Location – Menasha is located between two larger communities that have direct access to Hwy 41 traffic flows. Through shear placement of our city limits to higher traffic, we have resources that are currently underutilized…we need to unlock the potential we have.
Regulations – This may be the most important drawback Menasha has when attempting to breath life back into our city. Over regulating and excessive fee structures are not only a deterrent for new business enticement, but also to established business advancement and growth. Deregulation is essential to obtain the needed growth within our boarders.
The above list may appear to be some large hurdles to overcome, but the reality is by addressing one out of the seven (Regulations) would provide the foundation for the rest to turn over a new leaf. By removing useless obstacles (and demanded hoop jumping) Menasha can trigger a chain reaction for growth…if only the senseless fear and craving for ultimate control can be overcome. In order to visualize a chain reaction to growth the overall concept must be dissected one step at a time.
1) Menasha needs to start turning coarse and make an investment in its own promotion...and that includes special events. The council needs to form a commission whose sole directive is to promote the city and establish (and run) a couple of large special events during the calendar year. With the commission being an extension of the city, all permit fees, park rental fees and all other associated fees would be negated, allowing the event to easily produce a profit which would supply the commission the needed revenue to actively promote Menasha. These funds would need to be securely locked away from political fingers to avoid a raping of the account. In 2004 Houston , MN England
2) Cutting or eliminating all fees associated with special events for a period of five years would spur interest in new, independent events to take a gander at Menasha. With little to no overhead that allows an event to become established means newer festivals have the opportunity to firm up their customer base and allow substantial growth. Certain requirements such as garbage detail and security would need to be accounted for by the event organizer…and held to.
3) The special events help to establish a consistent, ever growing customer base. Businesses do not want to locate to an area to assist in trying to attract customers…they are more apt to move into an area that currently can supply them with a customer base. Drawing crowds into our city with events is one of the few options Menasha is already poised to handle without having a major shakedown of the taxpayer’s pocketbook.
4) If done correctly, the consistent movement of “tourists” in and out of our city will be the muse that allures lodging facilities to consider erecting a building or two allowing the transient customer base close and easy access to overnight accommodations. Combining the effort of special events with the promotion of Menasha’s natural and splendorous waterways would garner the eyes of many. Menasha needs to constantly place itself two steps ahead of other communities instead of viewing the hindquarter of or neighbor’s activities and eventually attempting to mimic them.
5) Traffic would increase with potential customers, businesses would locate to Menasha to take advantage of the larger “tourist” customer base and in turn would be generating more tax dollars, relieving Menasha’s already stressed families. Eventually location would become irrelevant as Menasha grows into an epicenter of activity for the Fox Valley Wisconsin
Can the above be accomplished? Yes, as long as the correct individuals are seated on the council and they are not afraid to start a project with a $500 start up cost.
Will there be critics? Yes, people who have been programmed to believe that great success stories are only accomplished with massive taxpayer dollars will always ridicule concepts and ideas they cannot comprehend or makes them feel inferior. Unfortunately Menasha cannot afford the time needed to reassure wavering egos. This past council meeting has shown that the current direction is hitting home to many individuals in a negative way and there is apprehension to what lays around the corner. We need a positive vision for the residents to look at without wondering when city hall will strike at the pocketbook again. We can rebuild Menasha in a relatively short time compared to the epoch it took to disintegrate.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Neenah/Menasha Sewerage Commission Building Project...Steam Plant 2?
With such an important issue at hand, a one hour workshop before a scheduled council meeting seems to bind the hands of discussion to a determined timetable when a subject such as the Neenah/Menasha Sewerage Commission Building Project is at the table. Full disclosure and discussion are trumped by a stopwatch and many questions have been left to float in an abyss until a later date. Mayor Merkes was able to quantify some of the issues that disturb many of the council members and I do not want to cart off with his very valid points and comments, the following are a few brief uncertainties and matters of concern, out of many, that I feel need to be included in the discussion.
A) Sonoco uses a service that is provided by the Neenah/Menasha Sewerage Commission and as with any other utility service any customer would expect the billing to include a set amount for expected repairs, upgrades and replacements. It would be of concern if any customer that pays for a service to be approached by the provider requesting a sizable “donation” to the retrofitting of their facility because there was an absence of a pro-active mechanism to deal with a known and pending life expectancy of the equipment and machines used to provide the service.
B) As with all technology, when a device or production capabilities from the mid 1980’s is replaced or compared with modern technology from 2011 there should be an expected (and drastic) increase in productivity and a decrease in expenditures to operate the equipment resulting in a savings. With a 2 ½ decade difference in equipment there is a reasonable assumption that the equipment to be installed will require less manpower to operate than the replaced antiquated equipment. Areas yet to be discussed include how the new equipment will provide a positive efficiency in man hours to the overall operation of the system. There needs to be concern, if after the upgrade, the same numbers of employees are required to work relatively the same amount of hours as the old system. This revamping of the treatment plant should bring about great efficiency, requiring less man hours to operate allowing for a greater cost savings.
C) Was there, or is there, a government regulation that prevented the NMSC from implementing a pro-active means of dealing with known factors such as complete equipment life expectancy? If the NMSC was prevented from taking a pro-active posture by government regulations then a late response to an impending situation is a bit more understandable. However, if no such obstacle stood in the way of developing a well thought out plan for such a large known depletion of mechanical life, then a scrutinizing eye must be focused on the reason for the lack of insight or planning. On average, if the equivalent buying power of the U.S. dollar every year was used, and an equivalent of $4 today was added for every month on each NMSC utility bill starting in the mid 1980’s ($1.90 in 1987 = $4 in 2011) and placed in a separate trust account drawing 1% to 2% interest, the need for any loan for this project would not exist. If this was an overlooked viable option in the past, is there a pro-active program being constructed for the subsequent 25 year equipment end-of-life replacement in 2037?
The committee’s soothing words about the project and its components has not quelled my overall apprehension with the course this issue has been taking. I thank Mayor Merkes for the trepidation he displayed during the workshop and I fully share in the unease. Our own steam plant is not the only regrettable mishap that has occurred in the Fox Valley Menasha
All municipalities were assured in the not too distant past that every component of the project was scoured over and all needed replacements were addressed. Thirteen months later the municipalities are informed that new components are now targeted for upgrades even though one year earlier they were not singled out as needing replacement. Tonight the City of Menasha
It boils down to two options:
1) Menasha uses the Clean Water Fund to obtain its share of the project cost at a 3% interest rate and allowing your utility bill to rise to an appropriate amount to cover the loan payments…but signs the Menasha taxpayer on the dotted line for ultimate responsibility for a direct loan.
2) Menasha allows the Sewerage Commission to pursue its own financing for the project on the bond market at a 4.5%+ interest rate and allowing the utility bill rise even higher to cover the loan payments…but excludes the Menasha taxpayer from ultimate responsibility on a direct loan.
If ever there was a subject to contact your Alderman to voice your opinion it would be the Menasha Sewerage Commission Building Project.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Field of Dreams
Due to the brief amount of time I have to write this I apologize ahead of time for any grammar errors and verbiage. The vacant plot of land across from the Post Office on Racine Street has attracted a flurry of enthusiastic opinions from all angles since Dr. Larson made another offer to purchase the land for $57,500 which is ½ of the asked listing price. His intent is to build a parking lot on ½ of the parcel while leaving the other green space. He has stated that acquiring the lot would be a benefit by allowing him to retain the current business that is leasing the upper level of his building located next to the Racine Street Bridge
There have been many arguments from various people stating the offer was too low (which I am in total agreement with) but there has also been an array of statements as to why Dr. Larson should not be allowed to purchase the property at all. They range from accusations that Dr. Larson is being a shrewd business man molded in the image of Donald Trump to the area of interest being a gateway to our downtown and something more than a parking lot needs to be placed on that property. My position is as long as the offer is substantially close if not equal to the asking price it should be accepted, resulting in tax revenue and reduction in city maintenance…as long as City Hall can come to an agreement of which of the three total square footage numbers given for the property is correct. Menasha should not be playing the future’s market with land…we have a bad track record of success. There are many arguments against the sale and I would like to address them one at a time.
1) The city spent $282,000 to acquire the property and we need to get a good return. With some of the comments referring to the city acting like a business on the issue of selling this parcel, the first reminder is no business would spend three times the actual value of any property to turn around and sell it knowing that the sale would only recoup one third of the investment. Relying on long term incremental income such as taxes to account for the remainder is very unwise as the future holds no guarantees. The taxpayers spent $282,000 to acquire this property and today it takes $1.19 to have the same purchase power as the 2004 dollar. It will take $335,580 today to pay back the taxpayers for the $282,000 investment when comparing dollars to dollars. With the current rate of inflation, next year if the parcel is not sold means an additional $9,060 (2.7% increase each year) will have to be added to the present $335,580 value to receive an equal dollar amount back for the investment the taxpayer made for the acquisition of the property. The steam plant, Lake Park Villas and a large chunk of our 11 TIFs are a testament as to how a long term, city anticipated incremental payment plans turn out…disastrous. The cold reality remains that the taxpayers, once again, will never see a full repayment of the investment their tax dollars paid for.
2) A parking lot will not generate much tax revenue for the city. It is true that a parking lot will not generate as much tax revenue as a commercial building, however, it will generate more revenue for the city than it does as a vacant plot of land sitting in the hands of the city and not taxed at all. The unique aspect of the situation is the only devised plan that was ever conceived for the property in the past which was presented to this current council was outlined in Resolution R-39-04 dated December 20, 2004 where it states that the purposes for this land included a parking lot…and a diagram dated September 24, 2007 was given to the current council and it depicts a parking lot on ½ of the property and green space on the other half…same concept Dr. Larson wants utilize the land for. There appears to be a back-slide on that original plan by the city and on November 19, 2007 Resolution R-19-07 was passed that required other options to be explored for the property and directed the Plan Commission and Redevelopment Authority to study all uses for the property…the results from those studies, if they occurred, have not been presented to the current council. It appears as though the city is flying by the seat of its pants and does not have a goal or plan for this vacant property.
3) A parking lot will not have an aesthetic look to it. With the current requirements by the city when it pertains to parking lots this is not correct. The city adopted regulations that require new parking lots to incorporate green space to make the appearance of the area more aesthetic. This, at least in my opinion, is an invalid point.
4) If Dr. Larson agreed to develop his current property more so the city would collect a higher tax amount from it then the parking lot would be acceptable. Making a demand that someone needs to develop or increase the tax value of another owned property in order to purchase a separate piece of land in my opinion is counterproductive on enticing businesses to consider Menasha as a home and borders on extortion. Imagine owning a home within Menasha and deciding to invest money and purchase a vacant piece of property for sale by the city, but you were only allowed to complete the transaction if you doubled the current square footage of your existing home so the city could be guaranteed to collect more tax revenue from you.
5) It is a gateway to our downtown and a prime location. Business growth should be guided by what the free market can bare, not by an artificial determination governed by elected officials and municipal bureaucrats. When you force a wrong key into the ignition switch of a vehicle you can only do damage. If a future business wants to construct a building on the Racine Street lot between First Street and Broad Street it will have that desire whether there is a parking lot in the location or if it a vacant lot. The market dictates where businesses want to be located and current structures are not a barrier just as the homes that were present on Broad Street were not a deterrent for the Headwaters condominium project. Traffic flowing past that location has diminished overall 15% since 2000 traffic counts (DOT data) and has dropped over 13% alone since the acquisition of the property in 2004 compared to current traffic counts. Our “Gateway” is less productive since acquisition which makes it a less desirable location compared to other areas of increased traffic flow such as Appleton Road which has seen a 47% increase in traffic and Hwy 114 heading east which has seen a 46% increase in traffic (DOT data). Labeling an area a gateway should require the area it is a gateway to be well developed, however, there are many eye-sore structures within the downtown area that escape the attention of possible blighted areas. A “Gateway” label is of no importance when the traffic value has continually diminished over the years. As a comparison Sherwood has the same amount of traffic flowing through its downtown as Racine Street has on a daily basis.
Accepting a low offer would be foolhardy, but that does not cede the city having superior knowledge over the market for the best use of the vacant lot, it has been proven time and time again that the city’s realty skills and insight are frightful at best. If a fair market value offer is presented to the city for the purchase of the vacant property it should be accepted unless the intended use would do direct harm to the city, it should not be rejected due to a graduated long term monetary income deficiency the city feels they can increase if they sit and keep fingers and toes crossed in hopes someone at sometime may want to build a small commercial building in an area that has had decreasing traffic over the years.
We have had some great businesses invest in our downtown area such as Vertigo 1894, The WeatherVane and Theresa’s Treasures…we have also lost some great businesses such as Gilbert, Banta and more recently R.R. Donnelley and Inspiring Interiors. I also spoke with the new owner of Art Affair recently and was told that as of right now his two year business goal and plan is to relocate out of Menasha…we have other issues to attend to in our downtown, “gateways” and city that are more important than the vacant lot on Racine Street. Acquiring or purchasing perceived blighted property is not a substitute for an intelligent and comprehensive plan to address the true issues that are plaguing our city, and such acts and aspirations of attainment will not nudge Menasha into prosperity.
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