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Talking the Walk...Walking the Talk |
Glenn Walsh | 2/1/07
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Consultant Chris Cares of RRC Associates facilitates the Town Council annual retreat. Photo: Bill Hudson
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Talking the Walk at the Town Council Retreat
On Friday, January 19, the Pagosa Springs Town Council and Town staff no doubt pleased the Town Tourism Committee by convening their annual retreat in beautiful downtown Pagosa Springs. Further, they invited Tourism Committee member Angela Atkinson — who has also been studying the revitalization of downtown Pagosa Springs — to give them an early morning overview of the downtown “issues” they would examine in detail during the day-long conference.
Ms. Atkinson’s presentation was preceded by a brief roundtable discussion moderated by Chris Cares of RRC Associates, the conference facilitator. Cares suggested that Pagosa Springs, having spent $450,000 on planning since 2003, needed to “apply the planning to reality” and that he wanted to place “an emphasis on implementation.” Everyone around the conference table visibly agreed with these words. Cares displayed a genial but professional style. He eschewed the therapeutic style employed by many “facilitators” and proved adept at providing a calm in the brainstorm. An added plus: He doesn’t make bunny quotes in the air.
Cares displayed aplomb in steering the table away from an issue like Big Box, whose mention elicited nervous laughter, and towards the broad but clearly felt consensus of councilmembers Stan Holt, Tony Simmons, John Middendorf and Mayor Ross Aragon about downtown problems. All expressed concerns for keeping downtown Pagosa an affordable and livable place for families. Simmons was very clear about what he didn’t want to see: “a town where locals have to make a forty minute commute to work because they can’t afford to live here.” Stan Holt was concerned that even without any Big Boxes in town yet, “businesses and amenities were traveling uptown.” John Middendorf was concerned for “family values” downtown — for the places and activities that give daily value and enjoyment to families living and visiting downtown. At every opportunity, Middendorf, in a modest but assertive manner, objected to the difficulties pedestrians face in this town whose main street is a state highway.
All the participants communicated frustration with the vacant lots downtown. Mayor Aragon was poignant when he expressed his frustration with the lack of progress on a problem as obvious as lack of convenient parking. He opened and closed his hands slowly while relating his frustration as if trying to get a grip on why the most obvious problems are taking so long to remedy. Stan Holt sympathized with the mayor’s frustration. “We have a vision statement of what we’d like to see,” Holt lamented in a folksy mature voice, “but it’s in the hands of other people -- developers. A lot of them are still secretive, other than telling us ‘we’re proposing to do something nice.’”
The Mayor and Councilmen were juggling two concerns: how to manage the future growth everyone expects while addressing the problems downtown is facing right now.
Consultant Angela Atkinson, who was also former head of the Community Vision Council and now a member of the Planning Commission, was asked by the town to put some hard numbers to the general anecdotal sense that downtown is struggling. Continued...
Consultant Angela Atkinson serves up some hard facts and pending issues at the Town Council annual retreat last month. Photo: Bill Hudson |
Ms. Atkinson was direct: “We have a problem.” Ms. Atkinson’s numbers are, indeed, hard. Two-thirds of downtown acreage remains undeveloped, costing the town $100,000-$400,000 in lost property taxes and up to $1.3 million in lost sales taxes. Seventy-one percent (71%) of downtown business owners have no plans to expand. “Right now,” Atkinson reported, “there’s not much optimism about business downtown.”
Atkinson, in a voice that filled the room and yet remained expressive and personable, counted off the biggest problems cited by downtown business owners in a survey she conducted. “Critical mass came up again and again and again … There’s just not enough ‘stuff’ to do downtown.” “People have to jump in their car to go from one place downtown to another.” Many merchants feel the lack of an adopted downtown master plan is delaying investment downtown. There are too few special events and too few parking spots for the few there are. Highway 160 divides the downtown in ways that “are just sort of baffling” and resist easy solutions.
Atkinson was very straightforward with the council. She dissented from respondent comments in her survey about the council’s lack of vision, but cautioned the town council that the “disconnect between the decisions that have been made and the vision statement” the Town has adopted creates a lack of confidence. Middendorf nodded visibly at this. Atkinson interviewed the council for her study. “You all told me you want the same things,” she stated. The top of everyone’s list: pedestrian orientation, walkable downtown, network of pedestrian paths and sidewalks, shared parking off-site, and busy cultural and business calendars attracting crowds. Atkinson next proposed a promising mechanism for implementing this shared vision of a walkable vibrant downtown.
“We are not going to ‘grant’ ourselves out of these problems,” Atkinson warned. Neither a development authority, which can underwrite capital projects but cannot finance marketing efforts, nor a business improvement district, which can run marketing campaigns but cannot undertake major capital improvements, can turn downtown around. Atkinson insisted only a hybrid structure which can do both can do anything successfully. She put is succinctly, “There’s no use investing in a major parking facility if you don’t have the business, and you won’t market the businesses if you don’t have the right parking facility.”
Atkinson reported that Grand Junction has had “great success” with this two-pronged solution to downtown revitalization. Her survey of downtown business people broke 45% for, 30% against and 25% undecided about creating a downtown improvement district with the power to tax for major projects and market the downtown businesses. “I think the naysayers are quite vocal, but the results are quite positive,” Atkinson said through a broad smile. She advised that “there is going to have to be a pretty focused educational campaign” to win over property owners, who may resent that downtown business owners renting from them will be given an equal vote over taxation within the district.
Treacherous sidewalks on the west side of downtown following a recent storm. Photos: Glenn Walsh
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Walking the Talk on My Way Home
I walked home from Angela Atkinson’s presentation, and the round table which introduced it, having been struck again by the intelligence and commitment that this little town benefits from – for free – from the volunteer Town Council and boards of volunteers. I was hopeful that perhaps the lethargic feeling which is palpable downtown these days would be put to bed and the “visionary” downtown — a vibrant mix of business and culture, walked to on busy sidewalks and alleys, and driven to via safe streets and off-street parking might yet be realized.
Business takes me to New York City each weekend. I returned to Pagosa Tuesday afternoon. Half a foot of snow had fallen over the weekend — enough to send the East Coast into self-absorbed confusion, but not much for a ski resort town. The central downtown sidewalks were walkable, the sidewalks on Hot Springs Boulevard had little more snow on them than they will in July. The town crew (one and half men) had cleared quite a stretch. But much of the west-side of downtown was in appalling — and dangerous — condition.
Nothing was done to improve things over the next few days. “The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow” is a touching show tune, but a sorry approach to snow removal for half of downtown. What hope is there for a new “visionary” downtown when business owners won’t look past the inside of their front door? Isn’t tourism the biggest business in Pagosa? Even if it weren’t, isn’t it simple courtesy and concern not to allow your sidewalk to become and remain for weeks a sheet of ice?
The Town Tourism Committee has a budget for 2007 of $477,500 to market the magnificent setting and small town friendliness of our town. “Come break your hip in Pagosa” is not a winning theme. Maybe the Tourism Committee should insert a line item in the budget for shovels for west-side businesses — and maybe for shoveling lessons as well?
The Town has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on planning to create a vital downtown, and millions of dollars on capital projects, but if business owners won't shovel their walks, can it work?
Wal-Mart shovels — and rakes it in, as well.
A business parking lot at the corner of Main Street and Seventh defined a parking space (note the truck) that straddles the (non-existent?) sidewalk. Pedestrians also have to walk out into the street (also known as Highway 160) to avoid the piles of snow left by snow plows. |
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