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?
Positive Plaza Alternatives

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

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Positive Plaza Alternatives
There was much crowing in Port Huron when the Michigan Department of Transportation announced it would delay the publication of the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Blue Water Bridge Plaza expansion for six months. MDOT officials said the extension was necessary to fully respond to local questions about the project.

This is a positive development, but not for the reason many presume. The usual short-sighted, narrow-minded suspects may be emboldened to think that this is one more victory in a David-and-Goliath struggle. They see this as reason for increasing hope that little Port Huron and St. Clair County might further delay, reduce or maybe even cancel the bridge plaza expansion. They presume this would be a victory for the Blue Water Area. Make no mistake: Such an outcome would be catastrophic. Fortunately, it's not going to happen.

The plaza expansion will take place. The six-month period gives the area a little more time to take advantage of the opportunity the project presents. Local leaders should capitalize on this extension. They should begin planning how the expansion of the plaza and the corresponding growth in importance of Port Huron as a major international border crossing can benefit the area.

Few communities get to be major international border crossings. Even fewer get to have someone else pay to improve the facilities to make the crossing more attractive to travelers. Many communities would make great sacrifices to have that kind of traffic volume passing even close to their borders. However, traffic volume alone does not guarantee economic benefits. Communities need to have the vision to promote development that takes advantage of the border traffic.

Unfortunately, visionary leadership seems to be lacking in St. Clair County and Port Huron. While our city is presented with an opportunity that other communities would fight for, all our leadership can think about is the loss of tax base (a trivial 1.5%), inconvenience to the community and strain on community resources. That's as if the money to be made from capitalizing on our privileged status couldn't pay for those demands many times over! What we need are public and private community leaders who can start promoting the opportunities presented by these projects rather than just bemoaning the problems. In a county facing its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we need to be bold and visionary, not timid and whining.

St. Clair County and Port Huron have many advantages to offer. An international border crossing is one of the biggest. We don't have the luxury of sitting around feeling put-upon. We haven't the time to waste whining about how badly we're being treated by the big, nasty state and federal agencies. We need decisive action. We've been given a six-month reprieve. Will our local officials squander it with bickering and useless talk of lawsuits? Or will they step up and take advantage of this opportunity?

Will Port Huron and St. Clair County continue to decline in population and economic prosperity? Or will this opportunity mark a turning point for our communities?

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published in the Times Herald on Thursday, April 10, 2008