[This was posted by spence on another thread. I am moving it here because it might make an interesting topic for all of us. Charlie]
I am new to this blog, but not the community. I have an interest in helping this city grow, yet have kept quiet. I would like to know where we are heading as a community. All I see is crime on the rise and a complacent attitude. I am willing to help this city grow in a way of decency. I do not have the time this moment to discuss my thoughts. Please let me know where we're heading as I will be getting more involved. Thank you.
The problem with officers take a day off in the month is that there has to be a certain amount of officers working and since the police department is short on officers anyway that would never work for them....all i am going to say is that public safety should be first on everyones list but from all the comments you see on this blog it is last most of the time and you may have never had to have the police or fire department to help you in a time of need but remember it could always happen and i want to know that they are going to be there when that time comes
I was just thinking about the city's budget woes, and thinking about the comments that the police and fire dept. HAVE to be exempt from taking a day off per month, etc.....so I decided to Google this problem and see what other cities are doing in the face of budget problems such as this, and I found some very interesting things. My first stop was www.policescannerblog.com and on the January 27, 2010 entry...there were many newspaper articles from all over the United States that state what other cities have already done to cut their budgets and save money for their cities, etc. They have had to shut down their police departments entirely ! The cities have come to the point they simply can't afford to pay them.
Some have had the Sherrif Dept. taking over, some have disbanded all non-essential services, such as their horse patrols, narcotics divisions, etc......there are answers out there.
So, I don't think asking ours to take one day off per month is out of the question -in order to save money or it may even come down to saving their jobs and keeping a police department at all !
Portland isn't the only town facing these problems. It is a nation-wide problem, it seems. I just found it interesting to Google it and read about how other cities are dealing with their financial problems, the same as we are dealing with here.
On top of all this budget talk, I don't think it looks good for the City to be renonvating houses and getting new office spaces at a time when they are asking it's employees to take cuts and take days off.
No, I am not a city employee. I just think there are probably a lot of areas where cuts can be made and projects put on hold until things get better. If for no other reason, the city should avoid what looks like more spending in this time of financial crisis.
If the city is so much in favor of liquor as the answer then why did no city officials show up for the ribbon cutting or u listening or do u have your own agenda
I share your views and after watching the council meeting last night all I can see for homeowners in Portland is a raise in taxes and fees with less services for at least the next five years because the city borrowed money they cannot pay back. Promoting Portland was discussed, but before you promote something you need to have something to promote. Portland needs city leaders with a vision and detemination to make this city somewhere people want to spend their time and money.
You are right that liquor is not the answer to Portland's ails. However, it does give the town more options to work with. Please tell us why it will hurt jobs "in the long run".
I find it funny that every post pretty much off subject. I've waited and watched to look and listen to other posts. The real concern nobody is looking at is the costs of our city spending which is the first and only important issue at hand. The city's budget should be posted in every paper once a month in my opinion, but what do I know. I used to think that government was elected by the people and for the people, I was wrong. It's a popularity contest from high school, whoever has more money or power gets put in office. Theres no chance for an average guy that has basic morals or common sense to even try. This city is so convinced that liquor is the answer to every problem, and that's sad. So as my last post to this topic and future non-resident of Portland, most likely, I say; Support what you have, stop useless spending, and if you want liqour then good luck! That will not create jobs but hurt them in the long run, and again I find it funny that the city has no clue how to run it. Sorry for the insult, but if it looks like a duck, and talks like a duck, you know the answer.
Debra,
I don't think the problem was the location. Mr. Wok doesn't seem to be hurt by the location and it's right next door. The food at Mr. Wok is always fresh and delicious and the service and the food quality is always consistently great. I think that's the key to their success.
Erwin,
Yes, the country club does have a liquor license as does the American Legion. They are both private clubs and you have to be a member to partake. The only liquor store that is open so far is in the strip of stores next to Fred's. Its between Papa Johns and China Buffet.
erwin, Someone before you had said something about a music festival since starwood is gone. I'm not sure if they know that Nashville is doing a Riverfront redevelopment and part of that development is a new ampitheatre on the east bank by the stadium.
Jody, Please post that site, it is a start in the right direction.
Here are my thoughts:
As for the future of Portland, since it is such a reverent town with some of the nicest (albeit closed minded people) I have met in the entire country, why dont we take some steps to offer options.
First, has anyone thought about a non-denominational center ? There could be an elected, non profit board to govern the economics of it. This way, we have a non profit consensus group that can move forward on land allocation, totally funded by tithing from churches and their congregations. The gifts would be tax deferred yet the money would stay locally. It will take time but this is a gateway to Portland's "Starwood" or "Music Festival" or whatever that the residents of Portland would control, not a corporation.
Next, has anyone looked into a volunteer effort with accreddited benefits for the Highschool or continuing education attendees ? There have been other discussions on a soup kitchen. Why not make an all volunteer resturant that pays its taxes to the town and county on product and keeps costs in ratio to the overhead. No ONE will get rich but we can all benefit from it, either resume building or a good+cheap lunch. This is a low cost labor force that rewards its volunteers, would bring in diverse ideas through communication and may just foster the face to face discussions that result in actions.
Finally, Does the Country Club have a liquor license? Who owns these liquor stores ? Where are they located ? Are their permit grants available to the public for viewing ? If you think that three liquor stores is too much, WHY ? I mean really WHY, where is the proof that the stores, not the patrons, are the issue ? Are they doing someting illegal ? Are people loitering, is there an increase of derelicts, is underage alcohol consumption on the rise ?
Thanks for the info...well, I was wondering what happened.
Their location was a killer. The restaurant before them at that location didn't make it either. I wish we would get a Ky Fried or a Captain D's. Anything other that a burger joint.
He will be missed came to Portland as manager of Fred's then owned Bo's Stop & Go, Drakewood Market and Chubby's Bp at the interstate. then opened Charlie's He is a great guy and contributed a lot to Portland.
Bo has sold his home closed the business and moving to his wife's hometown of Dayton Tn
That was our experience too: most of the time they were always out of what we wanted. Once in a while it's understandable, but it got to be a regular thing and we got tired of going there. Looks like we weren't the only ones.
As much as I hate to see any place close in town, this is not too surprising. We have gone there several times and they never kept enough cooked, you always had to place the order and wait 15-20 min while it was cooked. Yes I would wait that long in a restaurant for my order, and yes that means it is fresh, however I found their prices a little high for chicken. JMO
Looks like it is. There is a sign on the door that says they are closed and all of the chairs are upside down on the tables. I will ask the folks at Nails 1st the next time I go to get my nails done, they might know.
Does anyone know what happened to the Charlie Biggs Chicken restaurant beside Food Lion ? It looks like it's out of business ...is it ?
They put a limit on the number of cartons a person can bring back into the state of TN...so if they catch you buying more than that, they can "get you" for it....or seize your car, the law says. Guess they don't want people to be re-selling them for more and making the profit for themselves. Is that it ?
That other thing, about purchases other than tobacco is about paying the sales tax. Two different issues, I think.
It's not the same as groceries or furniture, etc...where you're supposed to report your purchases and pay the state the sales tax.
Congrats on the quitting smoking. For so many reasons. Good for you !
Well...........Im glad I quit smoking more than 10 years ago!!! :)
But dont they have the same opportunity to pay the Use Tax as any other shopper? If so, this doesnt seem right either. I thought the Use Tax applied to anything that can be *Consumed*. Cigarettes would not apply?
I think this is the only thing they could be talking about....the cigarette buyers......I think there IS something to this:
The Tennessee Department of Revenue has started posting agents to watch cigarette sales in stores in surrounding states, all of which have lower cigarette taxes. Tennessee law bans people from bringing more than two cartons of smokes into the state without paying Tennessee taxes. Revenuers look for anyone with Tennessee tags buying cigarettes and call ahead to officers in the Volunteer State, who can arrest the miscreants after they cross back into the state. If they have three cartons or more, officials can seize their cars.
I found this on a website that talks about revenuers and the cigarette purchases.
As for general shopping, that's just silly. You're right. What law has been broken ? You have time to pay the tax, who says you won't ? You have to wait for a law to be broken, after all. Scare tactics seem to work for some people. I've never seen a revenuer and don't expect I ever will....LOL LOL.
Charlie, you said:
"I have heard rumors of revenuers watching shoppers in Kentucky and then stopping them as they return to Tennessee with goods they purchased out of state."
I have been thinking about this comment for several days now and my question would be:
"What could they do if they stopped you?"
No law has been broken at that point. You can file Use Tax monthly, quarterly or yearly I believe. They cant site you for something you havent done as far as filing goes because you havent filed yet. I just think what you have heard is just that...a rumor to scare folks from spending money outside of Sumner County. I would like to know if anyone has been *stopped* by the "revenuers" and what the outcome was. Im just curious..........
I understand where you are coming from Charlie, but Im not going to run all over Sumner County looking for an item that I know I can find in Franklin. That just isnt feasible. Most of the time I find what I need here in Portland, but I do get my generic prescriptions at the Walmart because Walgreens doesnt offer the 4 dollar generic unless you *join* their club...for a fee no less. So, if Im there Im picking up other things I need out of convenience. If they have folks auditing receipts and watching the state line, then sign me up....I could use the work! :)
Please remember that it is a Tennessee law that if you purchase items out of state and bring them back to Tennessee, you owe the State of Tennessee a **USE** tax. The use tax is the difference in the Tennessee tax rate and the tax rate you actually paid.
For example, if you buy $100.00 worth of groceries in Franklin, Kentucky, you pay zero percent sales tax. When you bring those groceries back to Portland, you owe a Tennessee use tax of 8.25% or $8.25. (The 8.25% is the same as the Tennessee sales tax on groceries minus the 0% you paid in Kentucky.)
If you buy $100.00 worth of non-groceries in Franklin, you pay 6% sales tax. Since our normal sales tax rate in Portland is 9.25% for non-grocery items, you owe the difference as a use tax. That is (9.25% minus 6%) times $100.00 = $3.25.
I know the vast majority of people don't pay Tennessee use tax. However, you might want to be careful posting to the blog that you don't. #1) You are breaking the law. #2) You are openly admitting that you are breaking the law. #3) States are looking into every way they can to get more tax revenue. #4) If you paid with a credit card or debit card, you left a trail that can be tracked by state governments. #5) I have heard rumors of revenuers watching shoppers in Kentucky and then stopping them as they return to Tennessee with goods they purchased out of state. #6) When you post to any blog, the server automatically records your IP address. Government entities looking for lawbreakers can get this information.
Actually Judy, I was looking for a craft item. The Walmart in WH has a much better selection of craft items. I wish the Franklin store would carry more along these lines. I hate going to Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Although I love the stores themselves, I just dont like going all that way *either Rivergate or BG* for something I thought Walmart would have.
I think one of the reasons the white house walmart has such a small grocery section is because of the tax issue being so close to KY with 0 grocery tax. Just my opinion, I would go to white house walmart if they offered a larger grocery/meat/produce section because that walmart has more in the general merchandise than franklin walmart offers, but without being able to purchase all the grocery needs I elect franklin instead.
Beautiful weather here in Florida it's cooled down though to mid 70's, might be back in Portland next week...... but I see cold temps again might just stay here for another few days... weeks... months... lol!
Gina, Im asssuming you are talking about the Shell station beside Walgreens? If so, that car wash is still there. I think Red is talking about the one further down on 52 past the Dollar General, that one is now a Marathon. I have never had to wait 30 minutes for that car wash, usually I can just pull right up to it. Now $1.00 for 5 minutes of vaccum time is a little excessive...LOL.
B, that is a very good point about the sales tax. I stopped at the Walmart in White House, looking for something that Franklin didnt have, and even one of the employees in there told me that most folks go to the KY Walmart for the very same tax reason. Heck, when we moved here, we were told to "live in TN, but shop in KY". How can you compete with that?
There used to be a gymnastics studio in Cross Plains. I think it was called Elite Gymnastics, or something along those lines. Dont know if its still there or not but its worth looking into to keep from driving to Nashville or Rivergate
Thanks for the update, good to know...I thought I saw a Shell sign there last weekend. My daughter does take dance at the Portland Ball Room, but I have to get her into gymnastics if she wants to continue to be a cheerleader; it is a requirement for High School. Moms who take kids to other towns for this, also go through their drive-thru's and pick up groceries, etc. at least one day every week.
gina, that was not an abandoned building it had been purchased by the state to make room for 109 widening also if you'll look behind a new building is going up. we have a dance studio on main street, have you checked them about dance lessons. there is no longer a shell carwash it is now a marathon. appreciate your comments
OK, I am dreaming here, but if I could do anything - businesswise - I would like to be a part of an investment group that evaluates our old abandoned buildings and decides what kind of businesses would thrive there. They just tore down an old large white building across from Ace Hardware that I thought would be excellent for something similar to a "Taylor and Sons" car wash business like Gallatin has. I have had to wait over 30 minutes or make several trips to the Shell drive through car wash here. Sometimes, it is just easier/better to drive to Gallatin for a hands-on wash, so I can check it of my to-do list.
I also wish we had a place for gymnastics here in town; I've driven within a 50 mile radius to get lessons for my two daughters over the years, along with many other Portland mothers. There are some things people will pay for when it comes to their kids.
Anybody got some extra cash laying around?
Beth,
I agree but it seems that the only industries that ever locate here are the lower paying warehouse and light manufacturing types. Im not sure if its by design or what, but its been that way my whole life. I understand the whole "dont put all your eggs in one basket" theory. Just look @ what shutting Saturn down has done to Spring Hill and the surrounding community. However, I think it is somewhat counter productive to future growth to have 60 industries in town and only a handful are considered better than avg paying places with the other 50 in the $8-$9 range. I would think that makes it hard to recruit retail businesses to our town. Seems like a viscous cycle to me.:(
When Starwood opened in the mid-to-late 1980's, it was in the middle of nowhere. Of course the area around it grew over time. Now that Nashville no longer has an outdoor ampitheater/ venue after the CLOSING of Starwood, I think it would be brilliant for ANY of the outlying towns to have someone to come up with the land to produce a modern day Starwood.Hey, we are right next to the interstate, why not?
I think a lot of people are forgetting that it will be hard to open any kind of retail store or restaurant here with the sales tax being what it is. Portland is too close to Kentucky where they have a lower sales tax. This is a problem that either I didn't see mention by anyone or if they did, I apologize for not reading every post.
Half a million in debt and talking about buying the hospital ???
I don't understand that. Are they really in debt ?? Or not ??
Half a million in debt. Please explain that.
Spence, good question for those who may be interested in running. I sense your passion and I appreciate it, as I can be equally critical at times. But I have to say that our leaders over the past 20 years have done an admirable job with our community.
I did not agree with Mr. McDowell's promotion of LBTD nor his earlier remark on this blog about our restaurant business hours. I do like his energy and steadfastness on issues that are important to him, and I thought it was very commendable of him to apologize (even though he restated his point in that same entry). Mr. McDowell knows that he does answer to the voters, and was wise in being humble enough to respond to a couple of people that he may have offended.
Carn, I went back and found the post you made with your recommendations, and am in agreement with the musical event that can draw tourism $$$. Joyce Stark is the organizer for the Raize the Praize, and they just went to a 2 day event this past year, and will continue to grow. I personally know her and she does everything in excellence. You can go to www.rtpevents.org to see what all is planned for this year, and anyone can contribute to the cause. Please know this though, her focus is to exalt Jesus, not raise money for the community, but churches from out of state shipped in vans of youth from other states, so it is catching and growing.
Last I heard the council pay was around $500 per month, might pay your light bills, and the expense of travel, gas and other expenses involved with conducting that business. Don't know too many that run for council to pay the bills, they do it because they care and wish to get involved.
Although I respect and appreciate any one person's interest in making their community better, I think Spence's posts are ridiculous. Any revenue here in Portland is good revenue, as we are competing with Franklin, KY and the fact that people don't have to pay sales taxes on groceries 5 miles away in KY. You want to keep property taxes low? Then any and all business should be welcome here, as it will help this town. Be it a wine and spirits store or what have you. Jody McDowell, you don't have to explain yourself, you have proven by your actions over the years that you want to see this town succeed. This passerby appreciates you.
What's the salary for our council members? If its enough to sustain the basic bills, I will run for council soon as eligible. I'm done standing by watching this community fall apart for the lack of leadership.
Carn, I will say this. The ideas you gave were good ones. However, in my home county, a large truck stop wanted to go in at a very small town...smaller than Portland actually. Folks were totally against it. It went in anyway.......now its a gas station with a very large parking lot. It didnt promote growth in that community at all. Im not sure that with the two truck plazas right up the road in Franklin, if it would be a viable investment. Portland would need to put something out there that Franklin doesnt have and there are already two gas stations in that area anyway.
There a lot of demographic issues that are looked at before some of these establishments look at a particular area, and until the economy picks up....I mean REALLY picks up again, I dont see much coming here. I personally think Portland should look at bringing in industries and such along with the restaurants and shopping. These two things go hand in hand.
Here is an idea, but not necessarily one that will bring growth. It is something that H'ville does in their court system that I think is smart. I have had the misfortune of being in traffic court in both Portland and H'ville. When in Portland, I sat there until the end to hear my name called and go up and make a statement to the judge about speeding and was directed to traffic school. When in H'ville's traffic court, the judge announced 4 lines you could get into: 1) 1st traffic ticket - line up over there for traffic school; 2) 2nd line is for those who have been to traffic school and want community service; 3)3rd line for "your guilty, and just want to pay the ticket"; 4) and lastly a line for those who want to argue the ticket. He cleared the room almost immediately. I took community service - free labor of 8hrs at a non-profit org, washing windows! I thought it was smart and beneficial to the commnity. This is a pc. of the vision for Portland I have. I know it is always easy to come up with ideas for others to do when your not the one that has to do it...it's just the way it works.
You guys want things that won't come until you find a way to attract these kinds of businesses. I gave some suggestions. You blew them off. Let's here some of your ideas. Quit bellyaching and help give these councilmen some more ideas. You guys kill me.
Bingo. I think you may have hit the nail on the head here Gina. I'm not sure of all the aspects a restaurant/store looks @ before locating in an area but I'm sure disposable income is one factor.I would say that when they look at that particular factor they also look at what companies/factories are located here and their avg rate of pay. When some of our best paying jobs move or shut down for economic reasons it only makes things look worse for us. I'm not sure that theres much we can do about any of that though.
As for LBTD, we have to remember that White House has had it longer and they have no chain restaurants either and up until The Oasis opened(and its just the 2nd in the chain I think) all of Franklin's LBTD restaurants had been locally owned. So these things take time, especially in these down times.
Spence, there's actually an FTP site where you can see the exspenses. I'll have to get you the URL.
How can a taxpayer or concerned citizen look at the citys spending? Is there a site or building to go to and study the costs and allocations? Would be very helpful. I dont think anyone likes spending a percentage of thier money and unsure where its going.
Ok yall, I am sorry if my choice of words were offensive. My grandmother used to say something "sucked buttermilk". I guess I just shortened it a little. Anyway, this was in no way meant to be negative towards the businesses themselves. I eat at all these places, I just hate that they must close at 2:00PM. I'm sure the owners have found that this must be economical. But I can't help but notice how incredibly busy El Azteca and Pizza Hut are still at 8:00PM! So for me, it IS aggregating enough that YES the word "suck" pretty much is the best word to describe it. It seems every time we get a meat and three or similiar, they close at 2. If cracker barrel did this, they wouldnlt be in business very long! Thus is just my observation, but evidently my opinion doesn't mean much
I noticed some of the comments were about the lack of community support. I am wondering if the fact is that our population cannot realistically support some of those more desirable businesses we would like to see come to Portland. I have often said that I am not sure we really understand our socio-economic demographic. A while back I heard from a reliable source (and I cannot remember where, but will look for it)that Portland was one of the poorest towns in Tennessee. I will have to try to find where I got this information, and share it, but it has been within the last 6 months that I heard this. Does anyone know if this is true? If this is true, then it is what it is. And if that is the case, community leaders must focus on how to build a strategy around supporting this community with that reality.
the Chain's (whether restaurant or retail store) willingness to open in the area. If the chain doesnt feel like Portland can support the operations of said estabishment, they won't come here. Heck, Taco Bell backed out...what does that tell you? I suppose it doesnt take as much money out of pocket to open a package store as it does retail or restaurants
I totally agree Gina. Our focus should be on getting motivated people in the right places. That will take time I'm sure though. I live here and love this community, it just seems that there's too much focus in the wrong direction. If I had the resources, I would glady try to help. I'm not wealthy, barely make it most weeks, but I'm willing.
Please forgive me, but that is a completely identical statement.
I agree with Spence. As for me, the use of the word "suck" by an elected official in a community discussion is not very impressive. I don't want to be negative, but I believe Spence made some commendable remarks that I don't want overlooked.
Back to my point about vision. When I hire a manager, I look for a leader who can take that department to a higher level, and that can rarely be done by someone who has never done that before, unless s/he is a truly creative, innovative, entrepreunial individual. We need a group of people, whether it is a focus group, area business leaders, concerned citizens, the Chamber or our elected officials who can map this out; otherwise, it will be more of the same. We need fresh, positive ideas that aren't hinged on more liquor sales, whether it be by a store or restaurant.
Spence, 1 liquor store is not enough. You need competition so that the prices are reasonable so that people won't run out of town to save money. I also won't to say that Jody didn't say that the restaurant's sucked because of their hours he said that the restaurant's hours suck. I agree with him on this one. I think it would be nice to be able to go to 5 chef's for diner. I don't have the luxury to be able to go there during the day because of my job so being able to at night would be great.
Ellie's mexamerican was going to get liquor by the drink but she ended up closing for health reasons and no one to run it for her. I also think that as the economy gets better sometime will open.
Keep a positive attitude it seems to work for me.
I believe the comment was "their hours of operation suck" and I AGREE!!
Liquor stores...that's all I keep hearing about. Does everyone want a town full of drunks, or does everyone just not care about the safety and leadership for our children? 1 liquor store is plenty for the size of this community, if any at all. Back to growth, retail and restaurants would be s tremendous help for creating jobs. Liquor stores employ around 3 people verses restaurants that employ around 20-50, do the math. There's tax dollars. People getting dui's cause them to lose money and can't spend money you don't have last I checked. I'm rushed on time and will talk more later, but before I go I want to say I do not approve of the remark from a council member saying that our restaurants "Suck' because of thier hours of operation. That is a direct insult to our business owners and I will not vote for someone who doesn't respect our community. Thank you and please pardon my attitude.
What is the community leaders' vision for Portland? Do we have one? Has there been any strategic planning for this? Our town's topography looks hodge-podge to me. Do we have good land usage policies? I recall how a smaller town, Cross Plains, was very picky about the Dollar General store that was built in their community a few years back. The city leaders had certain expectations, like it had to be brick. As small as they were, they were not so desperate for a discount store that they let them throw just anything up. Do we have this kind of pride? We don't even follow our own distance regulations when giving beer licenses to potential business owners in regards to schools and churches (or at least we weren't a few years ago). It goes back to a vision. Do we have one?
I never heard a *PROMISE* that restaurants would come either, what I DID hear was Portland would not be an option should they come looking if it didnt pass.
Now the question is, if we we really want places to consider Portland, how do we market Portland as a viable site for restaurants and shopping to come here and set up shop? Who is in touch with businesses (if anyone) promoting our city? Or is the city just hoping the economy will turn around tomorrow and folks will come knocking on the City Hall's door???
I too am disappointed that NO ONE has even attempted to use the "Liquor-By-The-Drink" to their advantage and open a restaurant yet. I know that for myself, I NEVER promised to anyone that restaurants would come overnight if we passed it. I was always assuring that it would NOT happen overnight, but that by having it passed now, at least the opportunity exsists if someone does choose to use that. It drives me insane that no one will take a chance and open a restaurant here! Westmoreland, as small as it is, has a restaurant at the corner of 52 & 31 that stays packed, and many times, it's Portland residents in there. So, yall tell me, WHAT is wrong with this equation? p.s. We have some good restaurants here, but their hours of operation suck! pardon my french
If we get three liguor stores then that is three new business's that will be bringing in tax dollars that would have been going to another town. I remember that being one of the goals to keep tax dollars here.
Spence, when you have the time, I would be interested in your stating your ideas here for positive city growth in Portland. I believe we should all be open to listening to any thoughts that might be beneficial to our town.
Beth, I see your point about restaurants not being enticed to our city because they do not believe the market is here for them to be successful (e.g. Taco Bell). However, I thought that was the whole point of passing LBTD - we were led to believe that once it passed, those restaurants would be interested in coming here. I just think that it will be a shame if we are willing and able to support 3 liquor stores but not even one clothing store (as Debra pointed out) or a nice sit-down restaurant. Again, I am not dead set against the sale of alcohol in Portland but a town overrun with liquor stores and nothing else to offer is not a very appealing family environment. If that is the direction we are headed, I would have rather kept us a small country town.
Based on what I've read on this blog, I am sure I will be blasted for mentioning the LBTD issue but oh well - let's have it.
I am just curious what has happened to all of our restaurants? Didn't the city council tell us that if we pass the liquor by the drink resolution in the last election, that eating establishments would come to Portland.
It has been almost a year, and nothing........
We had a clothing store, Factory Connections.....no one supported it so it went bye-bye. They had good sales and decent prices. Don't know why people did not shop there.
Benny, I think its because you have to have either 1)Some serious capital to open a sit down restaurant or clothing store or 2)the Chain's (whether restaurant or retail store) willingness to open in the area. If the chain doesnt feel like Portland can support the operations of said estabishment, they won't come here. Heck, Taco Bell backed out...what does that tell you? I suppose it doesnt take as much money out of pocket to open a package store as it does retail or restaurants.
good luck at getting involved with the city and how it grows/changes/developes, if you are not a prominent citizen with a reputation or name they don't have room for you and you will be beating a dead horse.
A lot of people complain about this town and lack of certain retailers or restaurants. Sooner or later you have to face facts. Unless something unforeseen happens, Portland will probably never be much bigger or be attractive enough to get most of the "better" stores or restaurants. I don't like to say that, but it's true. What Portland needs to do is evaluate what it does have and work on those strengths.
I'm going to suggest this again. I did it once and it was ignored.
People complain about the truck traffic. I say, take advantage of it. Build a large truck plaza on 109 or 52 right as you are coming into town. Maybe put it right off the interstate across from the BP. With the amount of truck traffic that goes through this town, it should bring in some much needed revenue and much needed jobs.
Here's another idea I've thought of. You know how Manchester has Bonaroo? Maybe Portland can start a country music version of it? Call it I don't know, Buckaroo.(Yeah it's a cheesy name, but it's all I could think of at the moment.) Have a bunch of country and blugrass artists come in for a 3 day festival. Or better yet, a contemporary Christian music festival. There's already a ground work for this. They've had a couple of these at Richland park already. maybe just expand it and make it bigger. These ideas maybe a little harder to implement, but it's just an idea.
Spence, I am concerned that we are heading in the wrong direction. I see that we already have a new liquor store and have heard rumors that two more are on the way. I am not so against the package stores but I think it is a poor testament to the town that we will soon have 3 liquor stores but no decent retail clothing stores or sit down restaurants. 5 Chefs, which is not open for dinner, and Mexican is fine but some variety would be nice. Does this mean that Portland has a market for alcohol sales but no market for nice clothing and good places to eat for our families? What exactly are our priorities? Just a thought.