Enlighten us Snidely. What is a "Green Commerce Area?"
I googled Green Commerce Area and couldn't come up with anything. You makin' stuff up Snidely?
I think no matter what is posted, Snidely will respond with something or other about something or other needing to be green. (There's your spot light, now go away, "green" has nothing to do with this thread in particular).
Netmom, I made the comment "a lack of progress", not that the city is at a total loss. Just when things were tractoring towards the positive (pun intended), here we get slapped in the face with this "editorial". Good grief!! Hasn't Esposito learned his lesson - yet? Oh that's right, there's a new owner to the paper. Maybe we should just get rid of it completely by avoiding it!!
Our Mayor, City Council and Chamber of Commerce are trying to get the people of the city to work together and we get some smart azz who wants to blast his negative opinion to all in writing (therefore naming the thread "hand job").
I happen to LOVE the city that I live in. I agree that Jackson Square and Grove Center could use a make up party. The Alexander Inn could use a few new boards and windex. The mall could...well, we won't go there. I understand that he's upset, but all I hear is someone barking while standing on a soap box. THAT in itself did nothing more than make me mad. Maybe he should just move (and take the paper with him).
B.S., i don't remember your name being on the moderator list. You remind me of the pushy church ladies that would always try to position themselves high in the pecking order. Your posts are almost as interesting as that painting show, that used to be on Channel 2. Go Green!
Smoke, I agree about Grove Center and Jackson Square being ripe for a facelift, but the irony is that the very thing that Job decries (renovation of the Grove Theater) is actually a step toward improving the shopping center. After all, it creates one less place for vandals and miscreants to hang out, as well as creating a reason for more people to go to Grove Center, where they will hopefully patronize the businesses. That, in turn, makes the center more attractive for new businesses that might want to move in.
The addition of Razzleberry's and the coffee shop to Jackson Square have also provided a new spark there. Success breeds success.
I'll be glad to report on the Grove theater tomorrow, as I'm attending the orchestra concert tonight.
Careful in there Netmom. Sounds like you may need to wear a hardhat.
I'm aware of at least three different private "for profit" parties that have strong interests in the redevelopment of the Alexander. Each have a little different slant on its re-use but each want to restore at least the main building to its former grandur. Considering the condition of the building and the cost of restoration, each believe that the most that could be paid for the building is $350-450,000. The current owner is asking well over twice that amount. The Alexander sits on 3.13 acres. The tax appraisal is $353,700 with almost 40% of that being attributed to land value. Nothing positive is likely to happen to the Alexander until the current owner agrees to a realistic price for the property.
In the 1970s the Alexander was owned by Gene Joyce, Francis and Sarah DiCarlo, Paul Spray and Anna Nance (wife of Dr. Dana Nance). In October 1978 they sold the Alexander to HBJ (Tom Hill, Joan O'Steen and Merril Boatman). In June of 1987 HBJ quit claimed the Alexander to Oak Ridge Alexander Inn, Inc. with Boatman listed as the registered agent. That corporation was disolved on September 20, 199, although the tax records still show that entity as the property owner. In the past several years the State of Tennessee and the City of Oak Ridge have filed tax liens against Oak Ridge Alexander Inn Inc.
The Alexander is unfortunately not untypical when it comes to our historical retail areas like Jackson Square and Grove Center. Many if not most parts of these centers have been in the same ownership for decades. It is sad that many of these owners (some of whom are former community leaders) take little pride in the appearance and upkeep of their buildings.
Having lived in OR since '44 I have never been into "saving" decaying buildings etc. I have a vision of bulldozing Jackson Sq, the Alexander, and the apartments overlooking the tennis courts. Replacing Jackson Sq with a people park, building nice condos where the Alexander and the apartments stand and making it a pedestrian friendly area.
I realize this will never happen (unless I win the powerbal lottery) but it's my vision for OR. And yes, I would even pay Boatman (shame on him) his greenmail asking price.
Now I will hunkerdown and await the onslaught from the "keep the old buildings at any cost" folks. I guess I just don't understand their point.
The urge for historical preservation in OR is strong, given the remarkable history of the city and the fact that an unusually high proportion of its residents are retirees who were part of that history. Pair that with a signficant fraction younger families who grew up in OR and who like the small-town bucolic feel that they grew up with, and you have a recipe for historical preservation and stagnation.
The stable population and large fraction of residents on fixed incomes makes it difficult to (1) raise tax money for civic improvement and (2) to gin up a sufficient retail base to warrant new business investment of the sort that will propel genuine change.
Look around you at comparable sized small towns--Clinton, Kingston. OR was exceptional in the '50s and '60s with all the northeastern transplant professionals who had different expectations from the residents of the neighboring hamlets. My impression as an occasional returnee over the past 30 years is that OR is evolving toward the demography and retail enviroment of similar sized East Tennessee towns.
Whether you like it or not, there is no reason to believe it will change. If you like more urban amenities, you'll need to live in or travel to a more urban environment (e.g., Knoxpatch). Paving over Jackson Square or the Alexander isn't gonna change that.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife...index.html
This is the story of another historic American town that faced some similar problems and had an inn that was central to the story. I would hate to see the same fate happen to the Alexander Inn but recognize that it's difficult to strike a balance of historic preservation with improving the vitality of a town. If revenue growth is key to our survival, sacrifices will have to be made. Determining exactly what should be sacrificed, IMHO, is at the heart of our polarization.
But, one person with experience in renovation, financial backing, and a strong business plan can turn something like the Alexander into a success story.
This inn -- older than the Alexander -- was in similar condition 15 or so years ago, but a young businessman sailing past on Lake Michigan fell in love with it and brought it back to life.
It's located in a village of a few hundred people, in a difficult to access location (a couple of hours from the nearest interstate or commercial airport), but in a beautiful location on Lake Michigan. They're booked for the summer months in advance.
Oak Ridge doesn't have the same tourism draw, but the right management might be able to make it viable -- our best and only hope for preserving it.