A tiny group of committed businessmen from the Pagosa Springs Town Tourism Committee (TTC) — assisted by the TTC’s only paid employee, executive director Jennie Green — have planned a “public information session” tonight, Wednesday, January 25 at 6pm in the Senior Room of the Ross Aragon Community Center. The “public information session” will reveal something about the proposed plans to build a tiny amusement park atop Reservoir Hill, the community’s only wilderness park.
It would appear, on the surface, that this tiny group would prefer to see a very small turnout from the community. In particular, it appears the group would prefer not to have too many readers of the Daily Post attend tonight's event. The Daily Post was sent one brief announcement... back on December 20:
“The Reservoir Hill Task Force of the Town Tourism Committee will hold a public information session on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 6:00pm in the South Conference Room at the Ross Aragon Community Center to review the recently approved conceptual plan for Reservoir Hill, discuss available funding options and answer questions about the plan. — Robert Hart”
(NOTE: Since this press release, the location has been changed to the Senior Room at the Community Center.)
 The “recently approved conceptual plan” mentioned in this press release refers a $4.3 million amusement park which will operate year-round, if the TTC can find funding (in the form of government subsidies?) and also find a private company to operate the park at a profit.
Oh, and one other tiny thing. The TTC is supposed to gather input from the community.
At the initial presentation to Town Council on October 20, Town manager David Mitchem — one of the amusement park’s foremost proponents — told the Council that continued work on the proposal would not incur additional costs to the TTC or the Town.
“I believe the expenditures at this point will be minimal. We’ll be looking at financing options, and looking at packaging different financing options, and then bringing those back to Council for their review. In addition to that, we’ll be looking for additional public comment as well, as this is rolled out.”
I’ve been looking forward to that “additional public comment” promised by Mr. Mitchem on October 20, but so far, the only public forum announced has been tonight's meeting at the Senior Center. And if we look closely at the TTC's announcement, we can see that it is being billed, not specifically as a opportunity for “public input", but rather as an “information session.”
I attended a meeting of the TTC board last week, at the Ross Aragon Community Center, to see how the plans were unfolding for this “public information session.” At that meeting, I heard nothing that would suggest our Reservoir Hill Task Force was actually looking forward to open public comment; instead, we heard task force member Larry Fisher talk about the need to invite as many project proponents as possible to the event.
And something about “signatures”?
“Jennie sent out the emails for getting signatures,” Mr. Fisher told the TTC board. “I hope you all got those. And we are getting signatures. I bet Jim Smith Realty could get a lot of signatures over the next week. It's just a little thing and you print out as many as you think you can get. And it can be locals, or visitors, doesn’t matter. And there’s a place they can put down where they’re from. So that’s probably the most important thing, between now and next Wednesday night.”
It appears that Mr. Fisher considers it extremely important to get the signatures of non-residents inscribed on privately circulated petitions prior to tonight's “public information session”.
But sending out a press release to the media, about the event? Not so important, perhaps.
Mr. Fisher continued, describing some work being done to “the model.” I assume he meant a “model” of the proposed Reservoir Hill amusement park.
“Since I’m going to Salt Lake City this week, I’m going to look for model stuff. There’s a lot of different gauges for railroads and some of them are really small. We figure that, if we make it actually to scale, nobody will be able to see it.”
Well, that sounds really useful. A model so small that the $4.3 million amusement park is invisible.
“All of you guys are going to be here next Wednesday night to help man it, right?” Mr. Fisher asked the 11-member TTC board. TTC chair Bob Hart said he would be attending. Someone asked what time the presentation would commence.
“You know, I need that information as soon as possible, to get it on my upcoming events,” said Chamber director Mary Jo Coulehan. Apparently, the Chamber did not yet have the information — a week before the event.
“And the final thing I would like to say is,” said Mr. Fisher in closing, “anybody who knows anybody who wants to come — we don’t know how many people will be coming who are concerned about any changes that are made. So anybody who knows anybody who wants to come that thinks the Reservoir Hill project is a good idea, that will be good.”
“We need a big turnout,” suggested task force member Thad McKain.
Mr. Fisher offered one last comment, in reference to a recent Walmart Corporation announcement.
“I thought it was really kind of neat that another new business in town was kind of taking the heat off of us.” He chuckled. “But it might also increase the opposition. Who knows.”
Following the meeting, I asked Mr. Fisher if he planned to send out press releases concerning the January 25 event, and he replied that media notices had been sent out in December. I asked if the TTC might consider a somewhat more timely press release — for example, this week? With additional information about the meeting, perhaps?
Last week, I received the following email from TTC executive director Jennie Green, (which, curiously perhaps, makes no mention of an amusement park, nor of $4.3 million in proposed government subsidies):
“The Reservoir Hill Task Force of the Town Tourism Committee will hold a public information session on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 6:00pm in the Senior Room at the Ross Aragon Community Center to review the recently approved conceptual plan for Reservoir Hill, discuss available funding options and answer questions about the plan.”
The Daily Post has published two lengthy articles about the proposed amusement park:
The Best Little Business Plan in Town, October 26, 2011
How to Draw Mickey Mouse, December 13, 2011
Our assistant editor, Cynda Green, published a thoughtful piece on the subject yesterday.
We've also published several shorter articles which you can locate via the SEARCH at the top of any Daily Post page.
You can download the TTC business plan by clicking here.
For reference, you can gain a better understanding of Pagosa's tourist industry by downloading the 2008 Conversion Study produced by Boulder-based RCC Associates for the TTC.
Hope to see everyone at tonight's 6pm meeting, in the "Senior Room" at the Ross Aragon Community Center. |