City Planning Issues

Digging into this week's Grand Junction City Council agendas brought two significant items to bear that might be worth your attention.

Tonight's meeting will include the beginning of the appeal process of the Planning Commission's decision in August to disapprove an application to place a "Gentleman's Club" in an industrial area on the west side of town, convenient to the City's one major truck stop. Council will set a hearing date, most likely for November 5, to decide how to handle the applicant's appeal.

The online Council packet (beginning on Page 76) includes numerous pages of meeting minutes and letters from citizens. The testimony reflected in the minutes appears evenly divided between proponents of the facility and those opposed.

The letters run nearly 100% against, with the letter writers running the ideological and cultural gamut, from the entire Grand Junction Ministerial Alliance to professional counselors and "veterans" of the adult entertainment "industry".

In some places around the country, it is quite the industry, and not just in places you would expect. Driving I-70 through southwestern Pennsylvania, there are numerous billboards for "gentleman's entertainment" in this area, which is a high-traffic area for truckers. Ditto along I-80 in Illinois. Needless to say, I plan my rest stops and overnights as far removed from these areas as possible.

Put aside the morality issues. From a practical standpoint, some members of the Planning Commission were right on the money when they opined that the negative impact of such a facility on the community at large had to be taken into consideration. These impacts have included increased levels of drunkenness and fighting, drug activity, and ancillary prostitution in other locations. If only they could display a bit more consistency when rightly considering the larger implications of a development application.

The City experienced those impacts when 'Cheers' was Downtown. Since they were successful in removing what they considered 'urban blight' in favor of the gentrification of Colorado Avenue, why is it now appropriate to bless the edification of those less than desirable aspects of our society in another part of the city?

For my part, I hope that Council will follow the Planning Commission's lead. Perhaps we can erect our own trucker's billboard out on the Interstate:

WELCOME TO GRAND JUNCTION
A Community of Distinction

Looking for Hot Action?
Keep Driving.

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While we're on the subject of the Planning Commission, another interesting Council action item will be heard during this Wednesday's meeting.

Planning Commission member Bill Pitts "may" be the subject of a public hearing "to review recent actions...and/or to consider his removal from the Planning Commission." This may be related to Mr. Pitts' desire to testify as a private citizen before the Commission concerning a retirement residence being built near his property.

According to Sentinel coverage in July, Mr. Pitts was told that not only could he not testify, he could not even be in the room when the issue was debated, despite his stated intention to recuse himself from any official debate or vote. This is apparently the interpretation of the City Attorney's office of a Resolution passed by council in 2006, which deals with conflicts of interest by members of volunteer boards and commissions with "authoritative" responsibilities, such as the Planning Commission.

The main issue of interest appears to be whether or not the City's resolution runs afoul of the First Amendment, and whether or not a Commission member's opinion as a citizen constitutes a conflict of interest, even after that member recuses himself from debate or voting as a Commission member.

It should be noted that Mr. Pitts was one of the four Planning Commission members that voted against the Gentleman's Club application in August. Perhaps the City is indeed treading very carefully to address its' issues with Mr. Pitts only after his last vote that could be interpreted as controversial.

The online packet contains no supporting documentation, stating only that "information will be separately provided". Let's hope that openness, transparency, and the free ability to engage in intelligent discourse is respected on Wednesday, and that Mr. Pitts receives a fair and impartial hearing within the public forum required.

Have a good week ahead.

Air Show Surprise

The Air Show yesterday was most pleasant. The parking and shuttle arrangements appeared to be organized very well. The staff and volunteers appeared to be using rental radios with multiple channels, much like the model successfully employed for several years at Country Jam.

My favorite act of the day was Dan Buchanan, a paraplegic hang glider pilot, who while ascending to about 3,000 feet above the crowd was talking by radio with the PA announcer, while shooting off small fireworks and trailing streamers from his glider. There was some humorous dialogue about not being allowed around an airport with his contraption, and a GJ Police cruiser following his "intrusion" from below.

He then let go of his tow cable and began a gradual descent to the runway, continuing his conversation with the ground about the intricacies of powerless flight before gently setting down on his wheels.

It was a welcome diversion from the noise, power, 'shock and awe' theme common to most air shows. Simplicity, grace, and a not-so-subtle message about overcoming adversity; Mr. Buchanan lost the use of both legs after a hard landing in his hang glider several years ago.

I hope he comes back to GJ again.

Forego the Financial Fracas in Favor of Festival Frenzy wth Fundraising

This weekend in Mesa County is so full of stuff do, it's almost too much to comprehend.

So while our representatives in Washington are sweating bullets trying to save their Wall Street buddies a little face (and hopefully include a little less grief for us ordinary folk), we can partake of all manner of things to do around the valley and well outside of it.

Thankfully, gas prices have come down a little bit, so if you wanted to do some driving to observe the fall colors, with a stop at Powderhorn or Mesa Lakes, you can, for a little less than you could a month or so ago.

Along with that, there are so many things to do that I can only list the highlights. A fairly complete list is here.

Evan and I enjoyed some very good Greek Food today (I can't get enough), and I saw some very nice vintage cars Downtown.

Tomorrow I will be at the Air Show. I just can't get enough of that kind of stuff, being a techie and into aviation in some ways. Memo to the Air Show folks; next time see if you can find a Harrier or two. Those are cool.

I was glad to see some admonition from the Police Department regarding the many noise complaints that were called into 9-1-1 about air show related aircraft noise. These are probably some of the same people who call 9-1-1 every year when they shoot off fireworks at JUCO, or when the power goes out. Geez...

If I had the time, I would be at some of these events too:

Fruita Fall Festival

Model T Centennial at Gateway Canyons

Palisade Sunday Farmers Market

Whatever you decide to do, don't forget KAFM and its' fall fund drive, also happening this week and into October. Make a pledge today.

Get out and enjoy, while you can.

Eject, Eject, Eject: The POW

The valiant pilot, his craft severely damaged by continuous fire over hostile territory, finds no other recourse but to abandon his damaged ship and parachute into the unknown.
He becomes a Prisoner of War.

You have to feel for John McCain. The events of the last week seem to have him a little overwhelmed. He looks increasingly uncomfortable; this feels like a sign to me that he is being increasingly 'handled' and is bristling at the notion of it. Key components of his philosophy up to this point are being blamed for the tenuous situation that the credit markets find themselves in.

The McCain campaign is feeling the strain of these increasing pressures, perhaps accompanied by a 'damage control' mindset, which along with trying to keep his message intact and relevant has to spend resources to protect his Vice-Presidential nominee from scrutiny, even so far as to try to screen the media out altogether.

In the wake of a press revolt over that stunt, revelations that his campaign manager was still getting a cursory fee from two of the mortgage firms left reeling in the wake of tons of bad mortgage paper, combined with the US financial system in crisis during a period of regulatory indolence that is part of Mr. McCain's core philosophy, something had to give.

McCain's decision today to suspend his campaign and return to Washington to 'deal with the crisis' felt to me like he had finally run into too much flak and decided to 'punch out'.

This is certainly not meant to trivialize or make light of what he experienced as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. Indeed, that level of sacrifice and commitment is something that almost transcends human understanding and empathy. How can one say they understand? You really can't. Mr. McCain deserves our appreciation and respect. Our vote? I'm not so sure.

The question remains, does being a POW translate into effective leadership in dramatically changing times? I think it depends a lot on the W.

Prisoner of Wall (Street): Regardless of who is POTUS, they stand to be this. It's a good thing that Obama got invited to the table. The joint statement showed class on both sides.
Prisoner of Wrath: McCain's temper has helped shape his image as a maverick and curmudgeon in the past. Not so much lately.
Prisoner of "W": Regardless of what McCain wants to do, he's gotta deal with this guy and his legacy.
Prisoner of Waffle: As Garrison Keillor put it this week:

John McCain is a lifelong deregulator and believer in letting brokers and bankers do as they please - remember Lincoln Savings & Loan and his intervention with federal regulators in behalf of his friend Charles Keating, who then went to prison?...McCain now decries greed on Wall Street and suggests a commission be formed to look into the problem. This is like Casanova coming out for chastity.

I could go on, but as much as I like convenient alliteration it won't serve any further purpose.

I'll pray for cool heads and open hearts to prevail as the plan to address these issues unfolds.

Bailout: The Man U Factor

The news regarding the proposed wholesale government bailout of Wall Street is all over the place, and I'm looking with some concern, but not a great deal of worry at this point. We'll see how stocks do on Monday morning after one of the most volatile weeks in memory.

When things happen on the economic front that I don't have a clear grasp of, I seek out Robert J. Samuelson of the Washington Post and Newsweek. His column from last Wednesday (printed in Saturday's Rocky) spelled out in layman's terms what I needed to hear to tell me that my gut was right;

"Once assembled, these components created a manic machine for gambling. Traders and money managers had huge incentives to do whatever would increase short-term profits. Dubious mortgages were packaged into bonds, sold and traded. Investment houses had huge incentives to increase leverage. While the boom continued, government remained aloof."

I have a retirement fund that is made up mostly of moderate-balanced mutual funds. It's generated a mild but steady return over several years. That is my only involvement with the stock market, and it will stay that way. I don't go to Vegas, Blackhawk, or Towaoc, and this episode reinforces my impression that there isn't much of a difference.

If you want some other entertaining and insightful reading about this with a local flavor, try our Ralph D'Andrea for a good overview of the proposed bailout as well as some red flags with it, or better yet check out the ever-reliable Sage of Salida, Ed Quillen. He came up with this gem:

"Boom and bust — it's a cycle we know well in Colorado, for as far back as it's possible to trace our economic history.

Granted, we can't go back all that far. For all we know, though, Spruce House at Mesa Verde was abandoned by people who couldn't keep up with their payments on subprime loans from Anasazi Savings & Loan, which had bundled the mortgages for Kokopelli Investment Group, which used them for security on a leveraged swap with Chaco Canyon Partners, which got overextended after shorting on turquoise futures."

In my limited observation of the coverage of all of this unfolding, I found the most entertaining fact this evening, while watching Manchester United tough out a 1-1 draw today with Premier League arch rival Chelsea.

Seems that Man U has as its' Principal Shirt Sponsor one of the major miscreants of this latest foray into legalized gambling with our money.

According to Wikipedia, AIG's contract with the club amounts to an annual obligation of £14.1 Million, or $25.7 Million, with 2 years of a 4-year deal remaining.

As 80% of AIG is slated to be controlled by the U.S. Government in fairly short order, you and I as taxpayers stand to be making a significant investment in English Football.

The Fox Soccer Channel announcer summed it up nicely after today's match:

"It would seem that Manchester United were a good deal more resilient today than their shirt sponsor".

I would have liked to laugh, but I'm afraid it's a little too early for that. As a representative of the shirt sponsor, I'll take a 3XL with Wayne Rooney's number on the back.

Better yet, keep it. I'm an Arsenal fan.

Have a good week.

Lockup : Reset

My desktop computer has of late been so loaded up with various browser windows, feed readers, email programs, and some radio-related software that it has just been grinding down to processing speeds that recall the 80's and 90's.

Reboots have become necessary on a daily basis, and the only resolution that appears to prevent the problem from reoccurring is to not open some of the programs that eat up available memory.

With the onset of this slowness comes frustration on my part, which I think showed a couple of days ago when I decided to parrot some of our less decorous political bloggers and level some fairly harsh words at Sen. McCain, and particularly Gov. Palin. A long-time reader expressed concern, and I felt it necessary to step back and review things.

I can't take those words back, and to be completely honest I still feel the same way about the ability of those candidates to lead the country in a better direction. I just wouldn't say it the same way again.

The best thing I read on the web today came from a website that I follow closely on my feed reader, but don't read the feed all the time. That will change after today.

Zen Habits offers suggestions from several contributors on how to lead a better, more personally rewarding productive life. It's a pretty amazing site. One of their posts today had me of late pretty well pegged:

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10 Unbeatable Tips for Overcoming Micro-Addictions

The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. - Samuel Johnson

Article by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead.

What are micro-addictions? They are those annoying little habits that prevent you from living the life you truly want. They are small enough to go unchecked, but bothersome enough to get in the way of you living your fullest potential.

They are…

• The inability to stop checking your email 10 times a day, when you could be making progress toward building your own business.
• The frustrating habit of seeking approval from other people when you know that you should trust your own instincts.
• The deceptive habit of using television as convenient entertainment, rather than participating in life.
• The addiction to having everything figured out in advance. Instead of going for what you want, you commit to thinking about it a little longer; possibly for the rest of your life.

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There's much more to this post. Click here if you're interested further.

So tonight I'm shutting the computers off and going to spend the weekend on my bicycle. Tonight I'll partake of barbeque and football; tomorrow is laundry and grocery day; Sunday I work.

Monday I'll get back to it a little bit, but I've got to stay away more and organize my time a little better. I got a little too caught up in the constant cycle of Internet news and information specific to my particlular interests, which has had the cumulative effect of paying too little attention to life.

This blog gets about 50 hits a day. I don't aspire to anything greater in terms of my online persona, and I have other ideas that don't involve this as much. Time to push 'reset' and get back in the real game.

Have a good weekend.

Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye...

Looking back in the wake of John McCain's little tiff with Barbra Streisand this week, a few political blogs found this little gem from 6 years ago. I don't remember seeing it before, and it got me laughing very hard this morning: