this is my column that ran in the paper on saturday.
Some wise old philosopher once said "if you're not busy being born, you're busy dying."
I'm not sure who said it, but I think it is true. The same could be said for Arkansas City.
Many people have already written the city's obituary and believe what they have written.
I see a different Arkansas City, and a lot of people are starting to also catch the vision.
I will be the first to admit that I wish we had more and better eating establishments, more entertainment options and more variety in shopping. Even so, you can see our city growing and things happening right before our eyes.
* Recently we have had a great Italian restaurant open, which is as good as any Italian joint you would find in a much larger city.
* Several fast food places are refurbishing, expanding and growing here in town. This year and next, we will have a new Pizza Hut, Braum's and Sonic. There are other places opening, as well.
* Walgreen's is on its way, and now we have the "big box" store being talked about north of town.
* And, did you see "African Footprint" last Tuesday? That was the type of show you would expect to see in New York or Chicago, not necessarily Arkansas City. I am not usually one for dancing and such, but I was mesmerized through the whole thing.
Those type shows don't go just anywhere.
* There is a hike-and-bike trail coming on the levee.
There are lots of good things happening here. Far from dying, I see Arkansas City as a city on the brink of greatness.
There are people moving into town for various reasons. Not by the busload, but they are coming.
Those of us who live here have the privilege and the responsibility to keep it under control and make it into what we want it to be.
There will be some growing pains; not the least of which will be the development of the "big box" store.
Just as Wal-Mart, and then the Super Wal-Mart caused heartburn in some circles, the "big box" will do the same.
We do need to be careful and choose the kind of progress we want, but we also need to realize that times change and that we can become a great city as we continue to be born.
* * *
The "big box" store is becoming a big story in Arkansas City as we thought it would.
There is some consternation and concern because it could hurt some local businesses. I am sure there will be more debate, but we do want the public to understand the real situation.
The developers have come up with a new idea called a "Tax Increment Finance District," which will allow them to help themselves build the facility. It's not really a new idea, but it is a new approach to development.
Tax Increment Finance Districts are used to improve blighted areas. Somehow they have managed to find a way for this farmland off Skyline Drive to be designated a "blighted area."
Basically, they would pay for infrastructure with the taxes on the property. As I understand it, this would include property taxes as well as a special one-cent sales tax that would be collected only in the development.
So they would still be paying taxes, but the tax money would go to pay for things like water and electricity or parking lots.
The city only has to "let it happen." The city - which means the citizens - will not be paying anything. The burden, and the risk, is totally on the developer, which is how it should be.
While the infrastructure is being paid for, the city would get taxes from some smaller businesses that could develop. The percentages of that will have to be negotiated. Eventually the city would get all the taxes from the property.
I am pretty sure it is a Lowe's. The developer has developed a lot of shopping centers and all of them included a Lowe's. That's no guarantee, but you can draw your own conclusion from that. The city isn't saying what it is because it is not a settled deal and there are legal issues there.
But it doesn't matter which home improvement store it is.
I thought it was interesting to see what market data this is being based on. Big companies don't build big stores where they are not pretty sure they will be able to make a lot of money.
According to an independent study done a few years ago, people in Arkansas City and Winfield spend $27 million annually on home improvement items in other areas such as Wichita, Derby or Ponca City. Most of the home or garden stores in those towns know my wife by her first name, so I am not too surprised.
In theory, a store like that could come in and do that much business and not cause any of the local businesses to lose money. Of course, that is just theory, but it does seem that with all that money leaving town, local merchants might not be hurt so badly.
Another thing that we have not really talked about in the paper is the rest of the development. This is not going to be "just" a big box store. The developers plan to bring in other businesses. There are all sorts of packages out there, and certain type stores follow big stores to locations.
In larger towns, for instance, you will see the same businesses near big box stores. That's no accident. There are certain businesses that follow Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart or any of those big stores.
There will likely be at least one restaurant. There are several needs for stores in the town.
Another study done just last year showed that 51 percent of the people in Arkansas City believe that there are not enough shopping opportunities here.
It will be interesting to see what develops, and what new businesses we get.
The town does seem to be moving north and that creates some interesting challenges for downtown, but that also creates opportunities.
It doesn't look like the city is blowing away to me.
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4 comments:
I am all for progress but I don't think that "big box" stores are progress. In fact, I think we are digressing. I would love to see Ark City become progressive in terms of rejecting these places and the sprawl that comes with them by focusing on local entrepreneurial development.
Let's face it as the world's energy costs increase it is impractical to think we can just keep sprawling out and wasting valuable resources by creating another giant energy sucking building.
In New York City, they have Home Depot's right in Manhattan in several story buildings. How progressive would it be to put a Lowe's in the Fifth Avenue Office building? You would not only be using existing space but you would also not create another energy hog of a building. Yes, it might take some adjustment in terms of people not being used to shopping that way but how freakin' cool would that be. It is totally novel and wouldn't make Ark City look just like every other town in the country.
I guess my point is that we don't have to reject these places completely but we should try and figure out how to use our existing resources instead of building an ugly, giant metal building.
It just makes me sad to see Ark City lose its charm and there are so many possibilities to grow and bring in new businesses without losing that small town charm.
Small town charm is rapidly evaporating from the landscape. It has been replaced by faux charm as in Yoder. We demand speed and efficiency - get in and get out. The people who have time to shop and visit in the stores are becoming fewer. One good thing that I have noticed since the big Walmart came in is the increased customer service efforts at places like Dillon's. That is most welcome and appreciated. Big box home store? I don't shop in those places unless forced to, but after receiving my tax bill Saturday, increase the tax base - you have my vote!
By the way - I hear that Radio Shack is about to close. Another empty storefront on Summit Street?
I had a cousin come back to A.C. a few years ago and he went to a high school football game and enven though we had changed coaches three or four time he had one very real comment, and that was I must have be frozen and just ubthawed becase things are just the same up the middle and a cloud of dust. We are dying a slow death here because of the unwillingness of some people to make the major change and stick to like the high school basketball coach Lolar a few years who could not even get support from the people who recruited him long enough to make a change in attitude of student atheletes.Shame on us we die for lack of support from any kind of life support there is out there. We will never be lively until we open up the doors and let the son's shine in (that means the youth) not the SUN. old men let the young man go he has the strength to see it through. Just set back a rock yourselves and remember your young day's..
This is not on the box issue, but I will start it here. The city manager deserves a raise??????????? Well, okay, but how about the city employees?????? The city's starting wages are so below the norm in this area that they have vacant positions all over the place, very few applicants for position openings, and this in turn is causing more work, overtime, etc for the existing employees. The city employee's are evaluated every year and their raise is based on 2 percent or less! Take 2 or 1 percent of a low paying job to begin with, and you get the idea. With the city employees being forced to also pay more and more on their insurance coverage, they are basically spending the money there and not realizing any for cost of living and gas pricing increases. But, I guess in big government, only the higher up positions matter to them, and as long as they get to live comfortably in a nice home in a nice neighborhood with plenty of food to eat, and to hell with the lowly sanitation, street, etc workers! The city is low on help, can't get new help, and will probabley start losing help, and then we will see how 'good' things go and how 'good' things look for Mr. Russel and his city when this happens. What goes around comes around, and our city is going to be in bad shape when you can't get or keep good help. I guess good help who are paid good wages isn't important in the long run though, as long as the city manager gets paid good and lives well. So, glad he is getting a big fat raise while all those below him who are the ACTUAL ONES doing all the work to make him look good, get ABSOLUTLY NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps you should go interview the ciy manager and ask him what HE thinks of all this?????????????
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