The Hostel Fight Goes On
This week's North Coast Journal has a niece piece on the controversy over the Eco Hostel vs. Hampton Suites issue. It's written by our very own Hank Sims (You still with us Hank?). Well done. I'm still not really happy with either proposal.
One thing I've seen mentioned, not only Hank's story but other commentary as well, is that HSU President Rollin Richmond supports the Eco Hostel. Duh... and so what? Who cares what Richmond thinks? He's just an educrat and it makes perfect sense he'd support any extension on the Education- Industrial Complex. Nothing personal towards Richmond, I just don't see why his position gives his opinion any weight.
The fight over these two projects goes certainly beyond the merits, or lack thereof, of either proposal. This is more a fight between the Left and whatever other powers are in the fray. Seems to me more of a conflict between polarized sides that oppose each other simply because they're on different sides. I'll go out on a limb and say I lean towards the side of the anti Arcata contingent, as Sims alludes to. While the attempt of the Left to gain power in Eureka worries me, I don't want the Right to gain any more power, either. We need more Libertarians around here.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:44 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
the eco-hostel would likely be the most architecturally significant new building that the city has seen in decades, perhaps since the days of the Carson Mansion and the Eureka Inn.
I must be missing something here, as I don't see anything special with something that looks like every other beach house built in the 70's. In fact, I think there are a few in non-eco-groovy McKinleyville that look just like it. In the fight "Hostel vs Hotel" It's Hotel time, a hotel will bring in tax dollars, unlike a eco-groovy hostel, which will bring in more eco-groovy tofu eating, white people with dreads, panhandlers who drive nicer cars then most of the people who live in Humboldt County. That and the hostel being staffed by HSU students? Gee, that will really help the tax base with their $200 stipend for a year! Speaking of HSU, they have completely muffed up MONSTERTRAK for this area, so now I can't see any jobs in this area unless I have their special code.
The architecture might be significant if only that some parts will be alternative energy types and unique construction methods like hay bales.
As far as taxes, I don't think there's going to be that big a boost in taxes with the Hampton Suites as all it will do, as said in Sims' column (and as I said earlier on) is the hotel will just be one other place for the limited number of visitors we get up here to stay. They may just chose that hotel as opposed to the Best Western, so the the bed tax wouldn't increase just cause we have yet another hotel. I'm sure they'll be yet another property added to the property tax rolls. Then again, I believe this property falls under the purview of the Eureka Redevelopment Agency so much of the property tax, unless I'm mistaken, goes back to the redevelopment agency for something like forty five years.
But, the hostel being staffed and probably subsidized by college students and the like certainly isn't going to be a big boost to the community, either.
I think I'd rather see some new business go in there, rather than the same old sell- trinkets- to- tourists idea. But, it's their money to spend, or is it? Sims' column says something about private grants being used to fund the hostel, but I wonder if those private grants came from government grants somewhere down the line. I can't help wonder if the hostel will even pay its own way? Will they always rely on grants to keep the thing going? What if the grants dry up?
Yes, still here, Fred. Of course!
Anon: "Architecturally significant" in that the hostel would be designed by an architect with a international reputation. The New York Times just did a profile on the guy (Sim van der Ryn) week before last -- if you act quickly, you can probably still get it for free on the paper's archives.
Fred: The grants that they're talking about are only for the planning and construction of the hostel, not for operating funds. And the foundations that they're talking to -- the Ford Foundation and the Kresge Foundation are two -- are private organizations funded by private money.
Ford, of course, is built on an endowment from the estate of that radical Commie pinko Henry Ford, who in the early part of the last century undermined traditional American values by inventing a portable boudoir.
The equally insidious bleeding-hearts at the Kresge Foundation are financed by the estate of the equally foul (and far more foreign-sounding) Sebastian Kresge, who brought Soviet-style "kommissary" shopping to the U.S. in the form of his "K-Mart" corporation. Complete with flashing blue air raid sirens, which, with their random and terrifying alerts, keep shoppers in a continuous state of panic.
And, since I forgot to sign the above post, let me do so now.
-- Hank Sims
Hank,
The collectivist agendas of the foundations which bear the names of many capitalists of bygone days is a matter of record. The Hostel project is merely an additional brick in the edifice.
MOLON LABE
No, Leonidas, I know, believe me!
As a writer, I'm intimately familiar with all the foul work those Carnegie sonsabitches have done to Commie up the publishing industry.
Now, because of them, there's millions of freeloaders out there reading books without having to pay the industry one goddamn cent!
And a lot of 'em are kids, if you can believe it! Where are the goddamn parents?
You want to know when this country started going to hell? You can start right there, with that foul-mouthed Scottish steel magnate. Biggest Red this country has ever seen.
--Hank Sims
Wow Hank, you are really out of touch.
K-Mart hasn't run a "Blue Light Special" in years. But once again, don't let the facts get in the way of your rant, it would just mess up the flow of it. So, Eureka wants it's own take on Redding's Sundial Bridge? Get some fancy-pants Euro-Fruit to draw us a masterpiece of eco-groovy design, like his other masterpieces such as "Old Ass Looking Barn" http://www.vanderryn.com/va/res-3.1.e.html "I've seen this on the way to Eureka Via the 255" http://www.vanderryn.com/va/pub-3.2.o.html or how about "It looks like a 70's beachhouse, but it's euro-groovy!" http://www.vanderryn.com/va/pub-3.2.i.html
I'm not really impressed. But seeing how long everybody dragged feet on the ballon trak, I'm quite sure shit will stall out on this, or the eco-groovy villa will be built and overrun by bums in five years.
Anyway, if you want to see a awesome haybale place, check out the Straw House Coffee place on 299.
Ah yes, the master's "Old-Ass-Looking Barn."
C'est formidable!
--Hank Sims
Ok, Hank, thanks. Private funding for construction and the like, then funds to keep going from...renting rooms? Just like the Hampton Suites, I guess. Oh well.
Funny, I just realized the other day that opponents of the Suites are saying the Suites will compete with existing hotels. Heck, even I'm saying that. But Eco Hostel will do the same thing, although, as I've grudginlgy admitted before, the Hostel would be more likely to draw more visitors.
Of course, we've heard that before, haven't we? Seems to me there was a National Park created north of here back in the '70s or '80s that promised all kinds of increased tourism. Let's look at how well that worked for Orick.
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