Nelson: A Silent Majority

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This item follows Nelson: Co-oops! -The Sequel directly below. To refresh, familiarize - it may be good to (re)read that before continuing here.
I find I wasn't done with this - may not be for some time.

The previous decision of the Co-op's pending move - leasing the Extra space - was based on what Russell Precious - the move's prime mover - called the facts of Extra's and the building's owner's intention to discontinue their arrangement past the current contract. He knew of disagreements - as a matter of facts. But whatever the relationship was/is is between the two parties, has/had nothing to do with Russell Precious and certainly was no legal basis for the done-deal announcement of the Co-op's move. Hear-say only - gossip in the vernacular.

Granted, gossip often is the driving force behind doing/not doing in Nelson - but not yet a legal basis. 

Legally - Extra then still had over a year to go on its lease and past that had first right of refusal. At that time it had no intention to move; no contract re-negotiations had been initiated at the time of the Co-op's announcement. Period - on all counts!

Then - based on that baseless announcement - a vote was proposed to withhold members' dividends and put them into a moving-fund. Although an active member - I did not know about that vote. The majority of those knowing about it and present - in a collective gluten-free glow - voted: yes, put them in the fund! Meaning: this fund was established - or at least fed - for a nowhere (literally!) purpose.

And when the move was called-off, the members' dividends stayed wherever - no offer was made to disburse them. And no clarification was volunteered.

In the meeting, Mar. 19, Mr. Precious told members they would get dividends now/soon/whenever(?) - tossing a warm and fuzzy bone. He did not say whether these dividends would include those withheld previously. Or what!

And yet another vote was proposed: to be allowed to spend more than the hitherto allowed 75% of available financial resources on the redo. More than! Soft-pedaling the original clear 25%, prior to this meeting's agenda. Many asked, but the majority caved as soon as the gluten-free zapper was activated again - even those who had questioned the deal just before.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority,

it's time to pause and reflect.

                                               Mark Twain

After taking a bit of time off from posting, the first one will be:
Nelson: The Tedium of Bylaw Enforcement.
This continuing:
Nelson: The Slippery Slope of Bylaw Enforcement
Feb. 28, 2012
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Nelson: Co-oops! - The Sequel

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From the Kootenay Co-op's meeting, with a Special General Meeting Adgenda (sic), March 19, 2012:

The Getting
Russell Precious - in charge of finding the Co-op's new, improved home - flip-flops between alternate scenarios as facts for how the Co-op could over a year ago announce as a done deal - after years of back-and-forth - that its move into Extra premises was imminent:
1. Extra had wanted to leave for years
2. The building's owner had wanted to get rid of Extra for years.
Either scenario is disingenuous! He vehemently sidesteps that legally there was no basis for negotiations - no matter what the relationship between the building's owner/Loblaw may have been - that his facts are anecdotal, hear-say only, as at the time Extra legally still had over a year left on its current lease, with first right of refusal following that. Bottomline. Tangible proof that Extra had no intention to leave: Loblaw - its parent-company - only recently installed an all-new cash-register system. But! Regardless! Negotiations between owner and Co-op seemingly had been proceeding all along.
Subsequently pulling back from leasing (nothing!) - we are told - but buying this year raises ethical questions about what transpired before and in the interim.
And that's where the Co-op's move comes from. As Joan Rivers used to say: Can we talk?

The Present Future
Dave Wahn, Nelson's manager of development services and sustainability, presents parts of the Downtown & Waterfront Plan - more a dreamy vision than a concrete plan - in which the Extra lot could figure prominently as a downtown-development block. The audience loves it! Eats it right up! Our Co-op! He does not mention that this plan is projecting way into the next 1 or 2 decades - it will not manifest anything overnight (if at all) and does not take economic conditions into account.
When an audience member brings-up the difficulties many may have getting to the only local alternative for Extra - the box store on Lakeshore - and wonders whether one in the Plan's envisioned gateways to the lake might not make access to it simpler, Mr. Wahn suggests there could (not will!) be a bridge across the tracks next to City Hall. Good enough for us, we hear what we want to hear - a general sigh of relief, nodded approval. Like handled! As soon as Extra closes! The slight whiff of guilt dissipates!
Actually, this bridge may never happen, and even if - it would be years! What with currently neither intention nor funds in place for this folly.

In the meantime - those without cars and with much time, mothers with strollers, seniors will walk down Dodgy-Sidewalks-Hall and turn left on No-Sidewalks/Markings-Lakeshore; after navigating difficult traffic-patterns without an identified foot-traffic crossing at their wide intersection; then walking alongside dense and fast traffic in often extreme weather-conditions; through all-over-the-place frequent deep mud-puddles, snow-banks or deep slush. And back and uphill, now also carrying heavy bags, and if they can't manage much in one go - they'll just have to go more often!

There are several clear reasons of need for Extra to remain - there is no discernible need for the Co-op to move (there). As magnanimous as its offer to let Extra remain in the premises for another year may seem: it was made only after a public back-lash - far too late to be considered practically - and also to get some easy money from the place, while contemplating the collective navel.

The Resolution + 75% =
The Special Resolution on the Special Agenda - this evening's heart of the matter - is about whether the administration should be allowed to use more than 75% of its available financial resources for acquisition/improvement of the property in question. Initially the wording was the other 25%. That was changed to more than 75% on this agenda. Sounding less drastic for sure!
Here concerns are voiced openly (and not) about the vagueness of more than 75%; all those speaking-up would prefer to see an amount or fixed percentage of what could be made available or should remain untouched. Finally some tension - they begin to think! Which should be taken as constructive, particularly as input from member/owners supposedly is what we're here for as well.
But somewhat frazzled, not very happy and seemingly in-overwhelm administration is not ready to address these floating question-marks: it matches the resolution's vagueness with more vagueness, in a clever tide-changing move falling back on trick 17 - emotional manipulation - what with having put much hard work into the whole thing for years and responsibly too! Being trustworthy and ready to be trusted. Being co-op, dammit! And the audience - having suddenly got its Co-op-cultish trust on - lets go of yet another sigh of relief. Handled! Not to worry! They promised, will take care of us!

So - seeing the light in a just-like-that group-swoon - over 100 approve the resolution and 6 don't! I am one of the 6.

An audience member declares enough with the questions; audience and administration take another deep breath - it's decided to move on to cookies in the back and signing-up for belonging and team-spirit.

The Developing Development

Thus far there are no plans whatsoever for what to do with the property - now that it's there there. The mantra: buying is more reasonable than leasing does not address: why this uberproperty? Particularly in today's general economic doldrums, with no local upswing now and in the near/far future even remotely probable - and for sure not in property development. On that scale yet.

Supposedly administration has wanted to move - and looked - for years. And those who looked seemingly worked very hard. So a big part of making this decision conceivably was: let's get on with this already! That and a dollop of: the wonderfulness of IT and me!

Why move exactly has never been made clear to the membership; if it were clearer to administration - it might know what to do next! Kind of like KHAOS the opera: many working hard to get there - but once there is where?

If a search for new quarters had indeed been on for a few years: shouldn't there be a vision of it by now?

For additional thoughts see post:

Nelson: Natural Organic Co-oops!

19 Feb. 2012

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KHAOS the movie

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Mickey, I'm so bored! This summer vacation is too long, I don't know what to do with myself!
I know what we can do, Judy, let's put on a show!
Oh yeah, let's! My dad says this year the darn corn won't be as high as an elephant's eye because of the bad weather, and the harvest won't be any good. So we can do it in our barn, there will be lots of room!
Right-on! What should the show be all about?
Well, what about the corn? Everybody sure is worried sick about it in Pleasantville right now! So, I bet they'll come to our show!
But isn't just corn too predictable?
Why, Mickey, here in Pleasantville, the cutest little arts-town in the whole wide world, everybody knows I and you are mighty artistic too, so they'll come no matter what! And we'll call it the opera and put something about Greek gods and tragedy in it too, just for the hoity-toity, and the corn, so it sure can't miss. I mean, all this is really good stuff for opera because it is a big and dramatic form, it is not subtle or understated in any sense. In other words we'll rock this!
Cool, Judy, we're gonna make everybody think they rock too! And if we talk

enough about corn in Pleasantville as the opera with a Greek woo-woo factor and that everybody here can be in on it - they'll even give us money before! But I'm a bit worried too! Will they understand Greek woo-woo?
If people don't understand what's going on through the language, they will be able to tell through the tone of music. It will even bring out some of the subtleties. Listen-up, Mickey, if we are pulling out all the stops and are  determined that we spare no expense to maximize the production values and the theatrical and musical impact it'll be a great show!
My word, Judy, if you aren't just the cleverest girl! Maybe you can also write something for the newspaper about it; that way we know it's gonna be just what we want!
But, dude, what should I say?
Now don't talk foolish, Judy Garland, just you write the way you explained it to me now!
But what if I run out of stuff to say?
I reckon you can say the same stuff over again. Easy! And then you list all the important people we're gonna invite. More easy!
Golly, should we invite the Queen too?
Sure thing, Judy, doesn't matter if she comes, as long as everybody knows she's invited, here in our sweet little Pleasantville!
And Jason over at the radio station can do a commercial for us too!
What's a commercial?
A commercial is when you pay somebody to say something really awesome about you on the radio!
Like what?
Like this is the musical experience of the century! And Classico can just say on his Classical Corner program that it's a classic! 
But we haven't even done the show yet! How can they say that stuff period and already too!
Now you listen here, Mickey Rooney: before, after, whenever who cares! This is bigger than the both of us: today Pleasantville tomorrow ze vorld!
Alright, bring it! Oh, I just remembered, Judy, there still is a bunch of those posters around, you know: from my Uncle Judd's understated high-end Kobe beef restaurant. We can use 'em for our show!
Sure thing, Mickey, and if we make enough money with this, do you think I could maybe perhaps even get a pair of those cute sparkly-red slippers for myself?
You'd look mighty pretty in them, Judy!
Oh, Mickey!
Oh, Judy!

Morning after the world premiere: a contributing editor to a Canadian opera magazine - maybe THE - knowledgeably declares this amazing and that amazing and Nelson amazing and everything amazing. Amazingly - she does not mention the music! Or the singer - who sang Demeter with such a lovely voice - by her real name. Or the composer. Or the librettist. Ever! At all!
Not so amazingly - neither does the CBC host/interviewer mention it/them during his live show lasting hours! But then, he had already - refreshingly - copped to knowing nothing about opera, while several times alluding to most in his show's audience probably not knowing either wink-wink!
Also on this Friday: the on-line Express runs the fattish front-page headline Opera KHAOS outstanding! to then rerun an earlier KHAOS press-release, without actually mentioning anything about Thursday's first performance at all.

Done with my review - stuff in italics are actual quotes - I'm ready for the matinee tomorrow. Bring that too!

                                                                                 
                                                                                           
                                                                                          Amazing Pleasantville!




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Nelson: Waterfront and Downtown Plan, Pages 46 - 47

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More accurately:
Sustainable Waterfront and Downtown Master Plan
Approved by Nelson City Council, Jul. 11, 2011
198 pages very long; here pages 46 - 47 are of interest.

There is a Highlights version - 4 pages - with catch-phrases and you-get-the-gist pictures; tying-in directly with the telling double-whammy of pages 46 and 47 in the long version.
Both versions can be downloaded on the City's website. A hard copy of the long version is available for research at the Nelson Library.

This plan, which is one of Council's strategic priorities, describes a 20 to 30 year vision for developing and linking these two areas of the city and ensuring a vibrant and sustainable future.

Many - if at all - might focus on the Waterfront part of the title/name - having waited for years to see THE waterfront-plan: definitively and safely locking-in protective measures for land-meets-water. As if! But as not that - this plan is pedestrian, with nothing locked-in legally. Soft-focus projections.

Scene 1
The Plan is a massive patchwork quilt, comprising small factoid- and picture-bits, stitched together earnestly. And predictably.
The factoid-bits are of utilitarian - sometimes threadbare - fabric from around here; Grandma Nelson had been collecting them for years in her sewing-basket.
The picture-bits - many but not all from the same basket - are a tad more colorful and give the design some much-needed zip.
There are also fantasy-bits of often flimsy quality - neither particularly creative nor particularly practical. Pretty to look at, mind!
The backing of the quilt is sustainability-fabric of wishful-thinking weight, thus possibly not strong enough to make this quilt last 2 to 3 decades. Decorative on a wall yes, snuggle into for the duration no.

With Grandma Nelson's eyesight not the sharpest (on low income too!), she relied for pointers how to put all these bits and pieces together on some big-city acquaintances. Expecting them to know: just because of their big-citiness. They were helpful for sure - also the ones to convince her to use these fantasy-bits - but their city-flash sometimes overwhelmed Grandma, sometimes did not really relate to her. Like bits 46 and 47.

Scene 2
The Plan - in two parts - is an exhaustive/exhausting inventory of what is: the
                                                                                        appearance of buildings, places,

stuff in between and how to get from one to the other; the second part is: what the appearance of buildings, places and stuff and how to get from here to there could be. This is not very imaginative: some feel-good possibilities, in parts divorced from the reality of Nelson.
Sustainability in the title is a taken-for-granted economic upward movement - on the ground that's not the case now and seemingly won't be in the foreseeable future. By the current look of things, at best Nelson can sustain its flatlining economy - the future may look very much like today, just more dear and more dingy. Supposedly this plan reaches way into years to come, but 1. it's not particularly bold/visionary and 2. who knows how we will think - if we think! - in years down the road.

I ran-off copies of about 120 pages, initially thinking this would make interesting reading. Being a visual person, I looked at the pictures first, many of which are not local. And came to a full-stop with pages 46 and 47. I have not moved beyond them, except for a desultory peek here and there.

Scene 3
These pages - put side-by-side - show a rather realistic computer simulation of the City Hall plaza, as envisioned by those who put all this together. Superimposing Master Plan in bold lettering.
The view is head-on from the middle of Front St. On the plaza itself it shows trees (nice), a children's playground, some parasols (nice) over to the right end a kiosk selling coffee (soon bankrupt). Along the Front-St. curb we see more trees (nice). There are children playing on the sidewalk (!) - parents are involved (!!) - and to the very left a young couple - with a baby in a stroller - is just about to cross the street on a diagonal (!!!). Front Street! In front of City Hall!
You get the picture: small children running loose on the sidewalk of the busiest and most complicated street-situation in Nelson. With the worst air-quality. One of the fastest too, often with loaded logging-trucks barreling up on Front, passing City Hall to turn right onto Vernon. And definitely the most dangerous street in Nelson, where to the immediate right of the pictured scene a young woman got killed by - yes - barreling up and around just before City Hall! Dead Man's Curve!
This general construct is fixed by lack of alternatives.

The Highlights version - also in bold lettering - says The proposed plaza in front of City Hall is an ideal location  and size to become the city's primary 'outdoor living space'.

Whereas in reality it surely is the worst in Nelson - for a playground. And seeing that this simulated playground - with little children spilling out onto the sidewalk right along Front and families even crossing there - is the Master Plan's double title-page, one has to wonder about the depth of the consultants' knowledge of Nelson.

Neither do these experts come-up with a concrete proposal for how to get across Front at Hall easily - while talking about linkage and gateway in the plan. Leaving it at that!

Anyway, just reaching City Hall with a stroller nust be a quest: Two sets of traffic-lights may have to be maneuvered. The shorter crossing from the traffic-island to the Court House is a must for everybody - but not part of the lights-system and without even an elementary cautioning sign. That on top of the white pavement-bars repainted only in mid-autumn and faded most of the year. In winter its two ramps are often in deep slush.

Well, actually there is a cautioning sign, but not before the crossing - where it should be - but about 10 meters behind it to alert drivers to traffic merging on Vernon. An alert before the crossing to possibly disastrous merging with pedestrians is unnecessary.

I have never seen anyone with a stroller down here: Why would mothers want to bring their children into all this - they can go to the park and park! And be safe! And breathe! And have quiet! With a huge playground for the kids!

So I haven't gone past pages 46 and 47.

Scene 4
The planners stated an obvious positive point though with proposing that the City Hall plaza become a social focal point/area: much seating, exhibits, food, performances. I wrote about that extensively farther below in post: Nelson: (T)arting-up the place, Sep. 4, 2011, including giving the plaza a real name and opening/brightening-up City Hall itself. But hold the playground!

In the meeting of the Committee of the Whole (COW), Feb. 20, Leah Best of Touchstones brought-up a plan to light the outside of the Touchstones building.
Not brought-up was this as a step towards introducing brightness and life at night to this downtown area, with 3 significant heritage buildings in a tight triangle. Touchstone's single-focus idea of lights seems to be myriads of clear light-bulbs stuck to the facade in Christmas-lighting fashion. Not only would that blindingly polarize the area and hide the building's facade visually - energy-costs/waste would make it prohibitive.

Idea
Open-up the area, expand downtown - with the City Hall plaza as active go-to even in the evening - by painting Touchstones, the Hume and the Court House with colors in light! As is now done in many European places - consistently drawing crowds to their heritage buildings. And a bit around the top of the Hume already!
This surely of economic benefit: offering Nelson itself as a tourist-attraction even at night - now dark and closed-down and because of that a missed  economic opportunity.
See also previous post farther below: Nelson in Living Colour, Dec. 1, 2011.

Of course, the immediate predictable reaction to this may be: Leave this sort of thing to the Cultural Development Commission (CDC) and the Community Heritage Commission (CHC), and there's no money!
Well, neither the CDC nor the CHC is looking at Nelson as a whole - and the heritage sector specifically - as in need of rejuvenating/revitalizing to initiate an economic upswing.
And City Hall has yet to come around to realizing that in order to make money - it has to spend some first.

Bring-on color: in paint on Baker and in light in this triangle!

The Sustainable Waterfront and Downtown Master Plan does not deal with our economic reality deciding: sustain exactly what. The plan lacks creative spark, and the City needs to consider that economic growth will not happen by itself or through more procedure - but through creative thinking only!
Creative thinking welcomed (and filed) from all - money or not - not just that of those seeing themselves as local arbiters of culture, art and taste.

                                                                                                                         Alive!