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| Allegory of Good Government Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, 1338-40 |
Some of that discussion is about whether government, community, investors and stakeholders can work together to turn a town that was once struggling, but with so much untapped potential, back into a sustainable example that might be utilized in other places. When people work together they can really change the landscape and create multiple win-win situations.
What we have noticed over the past few years is a transition. We had some change in leadership, a few problems sort of cleared out (i.e. hotel development "hacked" money issue which isn't completely gone for good I believe. It just keeps going and going and going. Dark Side vs. Energizer Bunny. 🐇). There will always be challenges but how people interact with each other in good faith will make a big difference in the outcomes.
One can make mistakes but if they are trying to do good things then good karma will follow. (I'm not saying there are any mistakes here, I'm saying in general if you try and fulfill your duties it will most likely turn out well through many small daily choices.)
Let us just keep watching......
March 13th, 2023 Escanaba City Council Meeting
Notes: (I try to be accurate but am sometimes wrong. Feel free to post a comment and I will correct.)
-Terrace Bay. What? Not about the Jail property? ....[Room goes silent in anticipation] .........water and sewer would help their business! (I also heard there is 100 units going in within Wells.). Drain field as well. I believe a lot of the larger businesses would be in support of new water and sewer. With state money its going to be beneficial. Early Christmas. Wells is the hot spot of development. Interesting.
-Bonafas Art Center. Disabled community. 900 artists through year. Free to public. Different camps. Concerts and food truck. Wants to be included in city budget.
-City Participation on budget.
-City Planning Commission wants some more training. Online or in-person training. Make master plan, how it relates to zoning, site plans, decisions, success new economy, role, ethics, standards,......$3,000
Public Comment. None. (This is meant as light hearted so please keep it in that realm. So sad I have to say that.... something to do with my name I suspect. 🤔 This not as much fun as the county meeting. I more or less watch because of the potential economic impact.)
(I'm thinking about the stark contrast between the two meeting styles in the area and how Esky for the moment seems to be doing it right. Consider Management Style 1: More Excitement and Less Functional Admin Example and Management Style2: Less Excitement but Healthier Example. {Not literally, just wry wit meant to uplift your mood. You should get the point I'm trying to make.}.
(One committee a lot of conflict and open questions and the other one seems to be somewhat peaceful and restful. One seems to fight about everything little thing because of lack of trust and the other one is more subdued and focused. I suspect the issues might be cleared out pretty soon so everyone can get back on track to serving their communities.)
(You might want to read about personality, leadership and teams and how that impacts whether or not governance will be effective. See Harvard Study Great Teams Are About Personalities, Not Just Skills. Notice the study talks about emotional intelligence. This is becoming a big thing in todays executive world. The influence of emotional intelligence and personal styles of dealing with conflict on strategic decisions.)
(In this case, it looks like Escanaba is moving along a fairly good path with relatively happy government customers. It is possible under the right circumstances. Sometimes silence is music. Just notice the difference in public comment length between the two meetings. In this case, zzzzz is kind of a good thing. Its a type of focus on essentials and a willingness to get along.)
- Public recreation improvements that include basketball courses and other good stuff. 100K commitment response. MI. Trust Fund Grant. (I'm assuming it is the Natural Resource Trust Fund Grant). 8 pickleball course (People are really getting into this. USA Pickle Ball Rules. They may want to also check out the EPA's Recreation Economy for Rural Communities. I'm not sure if they are going to have another open date for the grant but it might be good to contact and see what they have for parks and recreation. )
-One board member mentioned about the majority of the city being older. I agree and the stats show that. It is not because the city can't attract and retain young talent. It is because there hasn't been a big effort to attract them, employ them, and bring in new capital. I think people are thinking about that now and capitalizing on opportunity. Decisions we make impact our children and grandchildren's future (Trust me there are many places where lunch is way more important than good governance. It looks like we are sort of finding some problem areas and the community is resolving them so everyone can move forward.)
-Selling a parcel. Concerns on price and value. I don't think a delay will hurt anything. The buyer took the time to put in the request so they would likely be ok. Second property to be postponed until further review.
-Letter of support for the Wells water and sewer project. A couple of arguments from a utility investment standpoint are increased revenue for Escanaba if it can provide a service and make a little revenue off of it. It would help put a dent reversing trends to go further positive. This is what infrastructure projects can do if they are well thought out. It also increases revenue again with new businesses, business use of utilities, and improves health. Just make sure you understand the math of it all so as to ensure some margin for lean times (Be a pessimist in number crunching and projection. Once you know your bottom line then you can know your goals and shoot for the stars if you want.). 185 Wells customers. A mention that some other businesses don't have water lines and if they had water they would expand. Right now it appears that they have the capacity and can negotiate other upgrades if they are needed. Another comment by another member on current residents and state monies.
(I would agree with the letter of support for funding. In a county meeting they discussed whether or not Escanaba would want it and I think this would sort of give a direction to that question. You may also see how increased revenue can be used to grow sustainable development in this theory. Once you receive this money and it shores up a tight budget you don't want to waste it. Create a new revenue stream that helps build something with a win for residents, future, and potential investors. If you do it well, and for long enough, you can start to endow city expenses that produce revenue like parks, water system, etc. The point being is that we should use money wisely to protect certain necessary long-term growth entities and improve the budget by freeing them from being future resource draws. In good times, many of these endowed assets might eventually have surpluses that can be reinvested in other places to help the city/county. Food to debate and ponder as a people. )
-Appointments
-Splash park is going to take a little more time until next year for parts.
-Pot Shop too close to residential. Couldn't offer a variance (If you are going to have them they should be managed strictly and in good taste. Best to encourage delivery more than actual pick up. Pick up is good for boutique tourists and visitors. However, in general having delivery encourages less traffic and other issues.)
-WiFi for Harbor Tower. Waiting on parts.
Public Comment (Everything seems to be running well here again at this second opportunity. Something is oddly different between these two committees. I can't quit put my finger on it. Things are running so well at the moment. 🥱 yawn. Its a good thing.):
-Speaking on the behalf of Kiwanis Club. Home and Garden Show April 14th, 15th, and 16th. Free pancakes bring the kids! Connect up with them on Facebook HERE.
-Conservation district. Different pot of grant money. Bridge went down. Did it for half a million, we had a million, and they let us keep the money. New water and septic needed. 34 million dollar project for water and sewer. Either Escanaba or Gladstone to route water and sewer. Timeframe for allocation. There was some discussion on timber and biomass.
-Kiwanis also puts on special Olympics. 1977 started here (History of Special Olympics).
(St. Patrick's Day is now over. I noticed at Meijer's there are St. Patrick's Day shirts for like $3. They are not bad. They say something about Irish-ish on them or something. If your Irish....go get some. 🍀 I'm also mentioning them because they gave masks to first responders in the area when Covid hit.)
*P.S. I write these articles to understand government and to help others understand government. We should just continue to become informed citizens. Having nice, quiet, productive meetings often leads to growth over time. While I sort of poke fun at it, it is appreciated by the community that they are productive meetings and subdued. Think of it like one is full of action packed adventure and the other is sort of background music. ✌ Its the way things should be. Don't let the big politicians fool you....there is a difference between theatrics and good governance.
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