Positive Plaza Alternatives

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	Positive Plaza Alternatives There was a wise gentleman, who every year, gave his grandson a shiny silver dime as a birthday present (This was back when dimes meant something). On the grandson's 10th birthday, the grandfather put an entire bowl of dimes before him and told him this year's present was as many dimes as he could hold in both hands. The delighted lad scooped his hands full. Then, the grandfather put out a bowl of silver dollars and said that the boy could also have as many of those as he could grab. The boy didn't know what to do. Dimes were familiar, and two handfuls were more wealth than he could believe. His grandfather told him the dollars were more valuable, but to grasp them, he'd have to drop the dimes. I was reminded of that story while listening to the candidates' forum for Port Huron City Council. Whenever the topic of the bridge plaza came up, nearly all the candidates discussed it solely in terms of loss -the homes and businesses taken, the tax base, the problems it would create. Terms such as, "devastation" and "boondoggle," kept cropping up. There was one question about the economic potential the plaza would offer the city, and only B. Mark Neal answered it. No other candidate had the imagination to envision the potential this plaza holds. This is folly. This plaza could assist our area's struggling economy, in areas well beyond construction jobs and customs positions. Tapping even a small percentage of the 15,000 daily border crossings for basic needs such as food, fuel and lodging could boost area businesses and create jobs. Millions of dollars cross that bridge every day - and almost all of them drive away to be spent elsewhere. A properly designed plaza in the middle of a visionary community could help Port Huron realize something it has never had: economic benefit from being a major border crossing. But our community "leadership" can't see beyond their narrow categories. Like the boy clutching his dimes, they fixate on property taxes and water payments from a few blocks of old neighborhoods - a mere 1.5% of the city's tax base. These things are trivial compared to the wealth that could be pouring into this city and region if we leveraged the transient population that passes through our community. There are bowls - sacks - of silver dollars to be had, and we're clinging to dimes. We'd better wake up. We'd better stop this nonsense about lawsuits and start looking forward instead of backward. If the city of Port Huron can't plan to take advantage of the rebuilt plaza, someone else will. While our leaders clutch dimes, moaning about a few acres of aging neighborhoods, someone else will take all the dollars. Has anyone noticed the new corridor will have all-way, easy-off easy-on ramps at Lapeer Road? How long before some developer notices all that underdeveloped land along Lapeer and 32nd Street? If they build service facilities out in the township and post "Last-stop-before-Canada" signs along the expressway, where do you think those traveling dollars are going to go? They could be going to the city, if we wake up in time. It's time to drop the dimes. It's the only way we'll be able to seize the dollars. -------------------------------------- This article was written by Paul Steinborn, president of local manufacturer Crescent Corporation and brother of ex-city councilman Mark Steinborn. It was published in the Times Herald on November 8th, 2007

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Positive Plaza Alternatives
There was a wise gentleman, who every year, gave his grandson a shiny silver dime as a birthday present (This was back when dimes meant something). On the grandson's 10th birthday, the grandfather put an entire bowl of dimes before him and told him this year's present was as many dimes as he could hold in both hands.

The delighted lad scooped his hands full. Then, the grandfather put out a bowl of silver dollars and said that the boy could also have as many of those as he could grab.

The boy didn't know what to do. Dimes were familiar, and two handfuls were more wealth than he could believe. His grandfather told him the dollars were more valuable, but to grasp them, he'd have to drop the dimes. I was reminded of that story while listening to the candidates' forum for Port Huron City Council. Whenever the topic of the bridge plaza came up, nearly all the candidates discussed it solely in terms of loss -the homes and businesses taken, the tax base, the problems it would create. Terms such as, "devastation" and "boondoggle," kept cropping up.

There was one question about the economic potential the plaza would offer the city, and only B. Mark Neal answered it. No other candidate had the imagination to envision the potential this plaza holds.

This is folly. This plaza could assist our area's struggling economy, in areas well beyond construction jobs and customs positions. Tapping even a small percentage of the 15,000 daily border crossings for basic needs such as food, fuel and lodging could boost area businesses and create jobs. Millions of dollars cross that bridge every day - and almost all of them drive away to be spent elsewhere. A properly designed plaza in the middle of a visionary community could help Port Huron realize something it has never had: economic benefit from being a major border crossing.

But our community "leadership" can't see beyond their narrow categories. Like the boy clutching his dimes, they fixate on property taxes and water payments from a few blocks of old neighborhoods - a mere 1.5% of the city's tax base.

These things are trivial compared to the wealth that could be pouring into this city and region if we leveraged the transient population that passes through our community. There are bowls - sacks - of silver dollars to be had, and we're clinging to dimes.

We'd better wake up. We'd better stop this nonsense about lawsuits and start looking forward instead of backward. If the city of Port Huron can't plan to take advantage of the rebuilt plaza, someone else will.

While our leaders clutch dimes, moaning about a few acres of aging neighborhoods, someone else will take all the dollars. Has anyone noticed the new corridor will have all-way, easy-off easy-on ramps at Lapeer Road? How long before some developer notices all that underdeveloped land along Lapeer and 32nd Street?

If they build service facilities out in the township and post "Last-stop-before-Canada" signs along the expressway, where do you think those traveling dollars are going to go? They could be going to the city, if we wake up in time.

It's time to drop the dimes. It's the only way we'll be able to seize the dollars.

--------------------------------------
This article was written by Paul Steinborn, president of local manufacturer Crescent Corporation and brother of ex-city councilman Mark Steinborn. It was published in the Times Herald on November 8th, 2007

Positive Plaza Alternatives
Which would be worse? Port Huron getting stuck with an expanded Bridge Plaza? Or Port Huron getting stuck with an expanded Bridge Plaza while reaping no benefit from it?

A serious discussion about how the Plaza Expansion Project can benefit Port Huron and the Blue Water Area.