July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Change needed for downtown (5/6/03)
Editor's mailbag
By To the editor:-
As I write this letter we are in the process of electing a new mayor for Portland. And four downtown businesses are in the process of closing. Yes, four more empty storefronts will soon litter our streets, giving proof that downtown Portland has been neglected by our city leaders.
Many local voters are concerned about future plans for the Weiler Building. Personally I fear that building is already gone because our local government officials allowed it to decay beyond reasonable renovation costs. And the entire city block right across from it has started its sad decline too. Already the city has boarded upper-level windows while owners and bankers await court decisions.
The property should be condemned and taken by the city instead of waiting for lengthy courtroom decisions. Obviously our city officials didn’t learn from the mistakes made in regards to the Weiler Building.
Berne and Madison have strict building and renovation codes. The local historic and preservation activists have direct input and their advice is often followed. Farmland is another perfect example. A small community in the middle of corn field that thrives as a tourist and artist Mecca when Portland has its new Arts Place.
So why does downtown Portland seem such a failure? Those communities thrive because of their local governments. Along with help from historic preservationists (who help the city obtain state and federal grants) they also offer economic incentives to the building and/or business owners. As former Portland Mayor James Luginbill recently told me, the first thing the new mayor must do to revitalize downtown is to create a new tax base. Tax abatements are routinely given to our local industries. And rightly so. I’m certainly not criticizing that practice. But it must also be done for our local businesses, too.
In bad economic times there are no clear solutions for a favorable recovery. But our city officials must make drastic changes in how they govern our downtown. Policies and procedures that have proven to work in communities such as Berne and Madison must be adopted here in Portland. Simply put, the status quo is not an option. Downtown Portland will not survive with continued bad management from our city officials. We need new ideas and new ways of doing things.
Many local voters are familiar with antique Portland post cards. They show a town that no longer exists. The old buildings stand proud with their street signs clearly in place. We can brick over our upper-level windows and destroy the historical integrity of our building but due to current zoning ordinances we can not erect a sign — something that totally annoys most of our business owners. Destroying the appearance of a building is far more destructive to our community and proves that our city officials need to re-evaluate what is and isn’t detrimental to downtown revitalization.
Those old postcards show what downtown Portland used to be like and could be again with proper policies and procedures recognized and enforced by our city officials. Four more empty downtown buildings should frighten every resident of our community because Portland has so much to offer and it is being ignored and abused by our local government. Those ghost towns out west are great tourist attractions. But empty and decayed buildings in communities such as ours isn’t romantic or historical — it’s “ghetto” and indicates a complete failure of its local government. Research clearly shows that most residents who can afford to relocate from blighted areas will do so, which in turn destroys the possibility of an economic recovery.
Portland’s survival will soon depend on the actions of our new mayor. Hopefully he or she will communicate with officials in Berne and Madison to implement similar policies and procedures here. It will not be an easy task to challenge the status quo. Yet downtown Portland is demanding it or we will soon have a ghetto instead of a focal point within our community.
I figure I’ve stepped on a few toes. However, I want to clarify that Cases & Spaces is not one of the four businesses mentioned in my letter.
My grandparents built a downtown building and operated a successful business for more than 30 years. My parents renovated the Neoclassical building at 121 North Meridian St. several years ago. Both projects were done without grants or tax credits. My parents and grandparents took such financial risks because they loved their hometown and believed in their community. They did what was best for downtown Portland despite uncertain financial returns.
As president of Headwaters Heritage, our local historic preservation group, my mother continues her efforts to save downtown Portland. Yet quite often her concerns and opinions are ignored. She is no longer asked to sit on committees because her opinions offend the status quo. Clearly the status quo has not benefited downtown Portland. None of those individuals has done as much for Portland as my parents and grandparents have done. I am not proud of any of our local elected officials. But I am very proud of my parents.
Gregory Bubp
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
Many local voters are concerned about future plans for the Weiler Building. Personally I fear that building is already gone because our local government officials allowed it to decay beyond reasonable renovation costs. And the entire city block right across from it has started its sad decline too. Already the city has boarded upper-level windows while owners and bankers await court decisions.
The property should be condemned and taken by the city instead of waiting for lengthy courtroom decisions. Obviously our city officials didn’t learn from the mistakes made in regards to the Weiler Building.
Berne and Madison have strict building and renovation codes. The local historic and preservation activists have direct input and their advice is often followed. Farmland is another perfect example. A small community in the middle of corn field that thrives as a tourist and artist Mecca when Portland has its new Arts Place.
So why does downtown Portland seem such a failure? Those communities thrive because of their local governments. Along with help from historic preservationists (who help the city obtain state and federal grants) they also offer economic incentives to the building and/or business owners. As former Portland Mayor James Luginbill recently told me, the first thing the new mayor must do to revitalize downtown is to create a new tax base. Tax abatements are routinely given to our local industries. And rightly so. I’m certainly not criticizing that practice. But it must also be done for our local businesses, too.
In bad economic times there are no clear solutions for a favorable recovery. But our city officials must make drastic changes in how they govern our downtown. Policies and procedures that have proven to work in communities such as Berne and Madison must be adopted here in Portland. Simply put, the status quo is not an option. Downtown Portland will not survive with continued bad management from our city officials. We need new ideas and new ways of doing things.
Many local voters are familiar with antique Portland post cards. They show a town that no longer exists. The old buildings stand proud with their street signs clearly in place. We can brick over our upper-level windows and destroy the historical integrity of our building but due to current zoning ordinances we can not erect a sign — something that totally annoys most of our business owners. Destroying the appearance of a building is far more destructive to our community and proves that our city officials need to re-evaluate what is and isn’t detrimental to downtown revitalization.
Those old postcards show what downtown Portland used to be like and could be again with proper policies and procedures recognized and enforced by our city officials. Four more empty downtown buildings should frighten every resident of our community because Portland has so much to offer and it is being ignored and abused by our local government. Those ghost towns out west are great tourist attractions. But empty and decayed buildings in communities such as ours isn’t romantic or historical — it’s “ghetto” and indicates a complete failure of its local government. Research clearly shows that most residents who can afford to relocate from blighted areas will do so, which in turn destroys the possibility of an economic recovery.
Portland’s survival will soon depend on the actions of our new mayor. Hopefully he or she will communicate with officials in Berne and Madison to implement similar policies and procedures here. It will not be an easy task to challenge the status quo. Yet downtown Portland is demanding it or we will soon have a ghetto instead of a focal point within our community.
I figure I’ve stepped on a few toes. However, I want to clarify that Cases & Spaces is not one of the four businesses mentioned in my letter.
My grandparents built a downtown building and operated a successful business for more than 30 years. My parents renovated the Neoclassical building at 121 North Meridian St. several years ago. Both projects were done without grants or tax credits. My parents and grandparents took such financial risks because they loved their hometown and believed in their community. They did what was best for downtown Portland despite uncertain financial returns.
As president of Headwaters Heritage, our local historic preservation group, my mother continues her efforts to save downtown Portland. Yet quite often her concerns and opinions are ignored. She is no longer asked to sit on committees because her opinions offend the status quo. Clearly the status quo has not benefited downtown Portland. None of those individuals has done as much for Portland as my parents and grandparents have done. I am not proud of any of our local elected officials. But I am very proud of my parents.
Gregory Bubp
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
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