Bravo, Mr. Flaherty.

JazzOnThePrairie — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:38:11 -0500

Bravo, Mr. Flaherty. Bravo.

Apparently, only dollars make sense. Well, here is a different way to put that into perspective:

Yes, it’s true that a city and its council must be fiscally responsible, but you are making one big mistake: The City of Eden Prairie is NOT a business. If it were, we’d be plowing under every park and athletic field and replacing them with tax-income-producing residential developments and industrial parks. Along with them would go free concerts, 4th of July celebrations, and countless other city-sponsored community events, in favor of some type of “pay-per-view” system. Under a “responsible business plan”, every culturally and/or historically significant building (such as the Goodrich-Ramus barn on Pioneer Trail) would be seen as unnecessary liabilities and immediately torn down, regardless of the fact that the chance for their rescue comes once, and ONLY once; when they’re gone, they’re gone forever.

If, years ago, when our forward thinking City Council was considering what to do with the Smith-Douglas-More property, their only concern had been for the budget, the property would have been sold, the trees and house removed, an office building erected, and a “more appropriate” tenant would have moved in: A law firm. A bank. An insurance company. Instead, what they envisioned was the preservation of one of Eden Prairie’s most important ties to its historic past through an innovative adaptive-use program that would attract a business that, through its very nature, would offer something back to the community, while providing income to maintain what could very well be defined as a living museum. And, so it has been. Dunn Brothers Coffee has not only preserved Eden Prairie’s culture, they have been growing it.

SO it isn’t what would be considered the perfect business plan.
SO they are asking for a temporary break in the rent.
SO Eden Prairie’s 60,000-plus residents would be asked to fork over 50 cents a piece more in property taxes next year to make up for the $31,000 shortfall in order to keep this experiment going…
SO WHAT: Over the past few years, Eden Prairie has consistently ranked among the nations best places to live and raise a family. Why? What’s the term? Oh, yes, “Quality of Life”. This term relates to both the tangible and intangible assets a community provides. Assets that have set our city apart from the others, and, in turn, have increased all of our property values, and – consequently – increased property tax revenue dramatically for the city.
Frighteningly, some members of our current city council and the mayor can’t seem to see that far down the road or think that far outside the box as to realize that investing these dollars now makes good business sense… for ALL of us. And THAT, sir, is BAD business.

Tom Knauer

Aug. 28 letters -- Smith-Douglas-More house, election 2008

Karla — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Smith-Douglas-More house
Proud of
our history

Eden Prairie News - Aug. 28 letters -- Smith-Douglas-More house, election 2008 - Comments

Bravo, Mr. Flaherty.

Aug. 28 letters -- Smith-Douglas-More house, election 2008