Recreation Bldgs. (Pork)

Having only briefly scanned the planned budget, I too am dismayed at some of the proposed projects which ended up on the list.
While I concur with Mr. Greer about a window dressing needed for bringing more business here, I also agree (gag) with MCW about WHY Broadway Lake need an almost $1M clubhouse? No business is locating out there, and whats the payback? A few weddings at $400. a pop a few times per month makes the break-even payback sometime in the year 2038. MCW is correct with her assessment of a less expensive alternative being built as well. There are dozens of parks and centers which all could benefit from some care and cash. And the other $2M planned for sprucing up 4 parks was a bit on the HIGH side. That same $2M could easily fund Tri-County AND the Sheriff's dept. as requested.
I'd prefer trained employees and more cops than a prettied-up hangout for punk drug dealers in a just-rehab'd park where kids are afraid to play any day.

Sorry to say Lee, but despite the fact you don't want to hear it, I'm going to say it:

The $140 Million Dollar Referendum will actually address a large portion of our concerns with our roadways. It was citizen-driven, and quite frankly, to vote against it at this point highlights what so many of us in this county keep pointing to: A group of individuals that do NOTHING but complain.

Now, onto this so-called "pork 'n fluff."

Larry Greer could not have been more accurate in his assessment last night about Quality of Life. Economic Development is more than a spec building with proper facilities, or a industrial park, or even an airport.

Just as Mr. Greer pointed out: There are a lot of places that offer that right now. What Anderson must do to stand out in the crowd is offer the intangibles - the quality of life items that these businesses will use to serve as a "tie-breaker" when deciding between two equally qualified places to locate to.

Those intangibles are, at the very least, parks, civic centers, and rec facilities.

To those that are hung up on frontage roads (and the lack therin), let me point you to a prosperous South Carolina city that has a fairly limited number of frontage roads and is successful in bringing business into the area:

Columbia, SC

In addition, with the rising costs of fuel, it's not going to be trucks that bring your goods to market, kids. Go ahead - build a frontage road to nowhere that will get little to no use.

THINK!!


- SSHM

Sorry to say Lee, but despite the fact you don't want to hear it, I'm going to say it:

The $140 Million Dollar Referendum will actually address a large portion of our concerns with our roadways. It was citizen-driven, and quite frankly, to vote against it at this point highlights what so many of us in this county keep pointing to: A group of individuals that do NOTHING but complain.

Now, onto this so-called "pork 'n fluff."

Larry Greer could not have been more accurate in his assessment last night about Quality of Life. Economic Development is more than a spec building with proper facilities, or a industrial park, or even an airport.

Just as Mr. Greer pointed out: There are a lot of places that offer that right now. What Anderson must do to stand out in the crowd is offer the intangibles - the quality of life items that these businesses will use to serve as a "tie-breaker" when deciding between two equally qualified places to locate to.

Those intangibles are, at the very least, parks, civic centers, and rec facilities.

To those that are hung up on frontage roads (and the lack therin), let me point you to a prosperous South Carolina city that has a fairly limited number of frontage roads and is successful in bringing business into the area:

Columbia, SC

In addition, with the rising costs of fuel, it's not going to be trucks that bring your goods to market, kids. Go ahead - build a frontage road to nowhere that will get little to no use.

THINK!!


- SSHM

- SSHM

What will bring our goods to market? Trains? Please! What happens to move the goods from the train depot to the Home Depot? And if the effort was made to significantly increase rail ines in this county and this country, how long would that take, Stupid? And if Billie Mac is into trucks and trains, how did he get there? By way of his position on County council? THINK!!

No one has sufficiently answered this question, so maybe some of the all knowing individuals on here can answer it.

Why, with our roads in such crumbling conditions on a 70 year paving cycle would we spend so little on paving in the budget yet build all those recreation buildings and parks that Bob Waldrep tried to get taken out of the budget last night?

And I don't want to hear how the 1% sales tax will solve all our problems. For one thing, it's not assured to pass, nobody I've talked to is voting for it. Besides, all it is going to do is build more roads for us to have to pay to keep paved, so it's not really going to solve the problems with our current roads.

- Lee Cole

Lee - stop already with this roads in ruin falsehood.
Overall, we have good roads. Do some need attention? Yes! There's abudget for that and an infrastructure tax plan for even more improvements.
Are we, as Stanley decries, third world ? NO!

No one has sufficiently answered this question, so maybe some of the all knowing individuals on here can answer it.

Why, with our roads in such crumbling conditions on a 70 year paving cycle would we spend so little on paving in the budget yet build all those recreation buildings and parks that Bob Waldrep tried to get taken out of the budget last night?

And I don't want to hear how the 1% sales tax will solve all our problems. For one thing, it's not assured to pass, nobody I've talked to is voting for it. Besides, all it is going to do is build more roads for us to have to pay to keep paved, so it's not really going to solve the problems with our current roads.

- Lee Cole

Lee - stop already with this roads in ruin falsehood.
Overall, we have good roads. Do some need attention? Yes! There's abudget for that and an infrastructure tax plan for even more improvements.
Are we, as Stanley decries, third world ? NO!

- republikin

Lee makes the point that the county's own transporation director makes - that we are on a 70 year paving cycle, which means if they paved the road in front of your house tomorrow, they would repave it in the year 2078. That is not a roads in ruins myth. Are some roads in better shape than that? Of coursr. And some are even worse. But the fact remains that the roads budget remains essentially flat year after year in this county, while parks and playgrounds and hiking trails are built. I'm not one who considers such things to be fluff or of no value to a community. I do, however, think that roads and public safety are the true functions of government,and should take priority. Apparently, so does Lee. And a lot of other folks as well. We'll get a better count on June 10th, one weay or the other.

This is an example of the absence of real conservatism we have among our leadership. The first things that should considered in a county budget are public safety and infrastructure making as much improvements as possible without raising taxes.

Holt Hopkins has repeatedly said our roads need to be on a 20 year paving cycle but they are actually on a 70 year cycle. The transportation department's budget needs to be prioritized with an increase in the abysmally low amount spent on paving. Also, the districts' paving accounts need to be folded into the transportation department's budget with only an emergency discretionary fund given to each Councilman.

I'm not opposed to recreation buildings, and I agree that quality of life issues to matter to prospective industries. Howeveer, we have to improve the basic infrastructure of our county before we spend more money on pork barrell projects.

What will bring our goods to market? Trains? Please! What happens to move the goods from the train depot to the Home Depot? And if the effort was made to significantly increase rail ines in this county and this country, how long would that take, Stupid? And if Billie Mac is into trucks and trains, how did he get there? By way of his position on County council? THINK!!

- dunebuggy

Dearest Stanton,

While you are out walking from door-to-door, delivering your tabloid of a newspaper, let me give you some things to think about:

1.) Why is it that over the course of the next 30 years, tonnage that is moved over rail is expected to DOUBLE? (Trains - May, 2008 issue).

2.) Why is it that businesses that made the investment (arguably many years ago) in rail spurs are now poised to make it through the economic downturn with greater ease? (Hint - because they don't have to rely entirely on OTR [Over-The-Road, for the lay folks out there]).

3.) Speaking specifically to your Home Depot example Stanton, ever heard of cargo containers? If not that, have you ever looked at a Norfolk-Southern train as it rolled by? See what looks like a lot of trailers ... trailers that would usually be attached to tractors ... that would drive Over The Road? Well ... folks like Home Depot and others can SAVE MONEY by using rail to move large amounts of their OTR to strategic locations, thus cutting down on fuel use, time on the road, and time for the good to make it to market.

4.) Lets talk about Canada. Ever tried to move freight in the frigid north during the dead of winter? Want to know how goods make it to market there? It's called CN ... (yes ... just like CSX and N-S). Rail is the way to move it.

5.) Stanton, I'm not sure how often you drive around Anderson, but there are a T--O--N of rail lines ALL OVER this county. Maybe you should stop into Belton and take a look at the rail museum there. The lines are there ... the spurs directly to the back doors of the businesses are not.

Think before you engage what little gray matter you have between your ears. You may need those last few brain cells to get back home after delivering the paper.

Talk about stupid ...


- SSHM

Anderson currently HAS a civic center. Anderson currently HAS access to Lake Hartwell and recreation.
Anderson HAS Chris Taylor park as a center of major recreation in the core of Anderson, but.....

What Anderson doesn't have is family-friendly businesses and social venues which entice those to come here.
Can anyone name a OPEN putt-putt course (besides the just-opened YMCA mini-golf course at HARTWELL), or water park ( and again NOT the YMCA) or "Frankies Fun Park" or similar amusement park? We have ONE open bowling alley, and one & a half open skating rinks. Does anyone know what to do with your kids that doesn't have the name Fusion Warehouse stenciled onto it? ( absolutely no knock against Fusion, just a point of arguement)
What family entertainment value does Anderson offer? Doing a drive by in the alphabet streets don't count
Those are the type of enticements which "family oriented" business and development looks for.
Not how many restaurants you have. Not how many BARS you have. Not how big your jail is. And not how many elitist organizations are here which charge expensive membership fees to participate in occassional activities.