Hood project is a worthwhile risk

To the editor:

Ray Cooney’s editorial of Aug. 5 caught my attention, and not just for its mention of my employer (Arts Place). 

The “can do” attitude of Jay County frequently garners the admiration of those visiting our community. They often wonder how we can possess such great community assets with our small population. Even though our county is relatively poor economically, we still manage to put together remarkable projects like our beautiful water park. 

My pleasant reflections on our county’s good fortune came to a screeching halt, however, when I learned the next day that Portland City Council had decided to not assist with the purchase of the Hood Building for a proposed housing project. By a vote of 4 to 3, the council opted to not take a modest risk that could pay major dividends to the community in the years ahead.  

While it’s prudent to be careful in investing funds, that doesn’t mean failing to take any risks. In fact, such a risk-averse approach can end up putting a community on the trash heap of history. 

My fear is that the Graphic Printing Company, which owns The Commercial Review, will now decide to sell to a firm outside the community. That’s certainly justified. Jack Ronald has been transparent in telling the public about the newspaper’s situation and his options.   

Why does that matter? As you are reading this letter in The Commercial Review, you probably already know. But, just in case not, I’ll make the argument that a locally owned newspaper is important to the health of a community. 

Look at the communities that no longer have a locally owned newspaper. Typically, it leads to a degradation of the quality of that newspaper. Local news reporting is reduced and with it the number of employees who do that reporting. In some cases, the new owner proves the exception. But, the incentives for keeping a vibrant local newspaper will certainly be lessened, as the owner will live somewhere else.    

Will the local public be as well-informed about local issues if there is not a local newspaper? The answer is almost certainly not. We already know Facebook and out-of-town newspapers are not good alternatives. We are fortunate to also have a fine local radio station in our community. It provides news in the instant and that’s a great service. But we can’t expect a radio station to replace the amount and depth of detailed reporting that can be found in a newspaper.   

Had the $200,000 been approved, we could reasonably expect The Commercial Review would be locally owned for the foreseeable future. Investing funds in this manner is perfectly normal for local government, which has granted all sorts of public support for private projects. We give tax breaks to new and expanding industry. We purchase real estate for industrial parks and build spec buildings for businesses we hope will locate in them. These are granted with the idea that they will provide economic and/or other community benefit. The proposed project is in essence the same kind of investment and carries similar risk. Jay County Development Corporation has invested significant monies over the years in support of such projects.

The potential housing development project for the Graphic Printing site would be a worthwhile investment even if it did not involve the future of The Commercial Review. But, this transaction would be unique in that the investment would also assure that The Commercial Review remains a locally owned newspaper. Jobs that would otherwise likely disappear from our community would be protected. And we would still have a locally owned newspaper.  

Portland City Council members Kent McClung, Janet Powers and Judy Hedges should be commended for voting in support of helping to acquire the Hood Building. I’m sure that those who voted against the measure believed they were being good stewards of the public’s money. But, they have not considered all the facts or weighed the significant benefits against the modest risks. 

I deeply hope a way can be found to keep The Commercial Review as a locally owned newspaper. It’s a community treasure that is important to the future of all of us living in Jay County.  

Eric R. Rogers 

Portland