Sunday, January 29, 2017

Eureka's New Packing And Bottling Plant

Kiem TV's news quiz of the day asks whether you'd like to see a packing and bottling plant come to the area. This being related to a recent news segment they had on a packing and bottling plant being started on the north spit in one of the old mills, if memory serves me correct.

What's not to like about that idea? Yet as I write this 12% of respondents voted No. I'm well aware that most who answer those quizzes lean left, judging from prior answers, but I still don't see why anyone would oppose the idea of such a plant that would package not just locally produced products, but those from elsewhere.

Certainly most readers here lean left. Perhaps some of you could enlighten me as to why someone would oppose this idea. I realize most lefties oppose nearly anything that would develop commerce and the only good jobs to support here are government ones.

Fortunately, this plant seems to be in the works regardless of local opinion. I'd just like to see some reasoning as to why we shouldn't support it. Seems to me what this area needs is industry, whether light or heavy.

8 Comments:

At 9:25 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds like a good idea. I remember when Eureka had a Coca Cola bottling plant near the Main Post Office, a Pepsi Cola plant near where Ward's, now Target, is located, and a 7-Up plant near the Coca Cola plant.

 
At 9:31 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

Yeah, whatever happened to the Coke and Pespi bottling plants?

 
At 10:28 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's conservatives who most often oppose new business at the local level.

The top types of businesses opposed in America are, in this order, strip clubs, adult product shops, bars, and shops heavily focused on selling alcohol. Progressives tend to have a live-and-let-live attitude toward those things.

The most often cited reason for a progressive to oppose a new business is not actually about the business, but its choice of location.... namely, whether the location presents harm to the environment or quality of life. But on that second point, conservatives also oppose based on quality of life issues (the 'not in my back yard' contingent who don't want increased traffic, to have their natural view out their window ruined, etc.).

The idea of helping local food producers with a bottling plant would be loved by local progressives. Just look at Arcata's food incubator in Valley West, and its Foodworks Culinary Center. Arcata went out of its way to attract food manufacturers.

Progressives also love the idea of infill -- creating a new business, or new subdivisions, on land that has previously been developed, instead of mowing more of nature down to build stuff. Progressives would love repurposing an old mill site.

As for why progressives would oppose this type of project, I'll take some guesses. The KIEM article doesn't mention the North Spit, but assuming the North Spit is the location... maybe progressives dislike the idea of industry on the North Spit (I've never heard that to be the case), or maybe the idea doesn't involve using an old mill site. Or maybe there's some aspect of bottling plants creating excessive pollution for the bay. All of those are just guesses though. I doubt them.

I think the most likely explanation for 12% of respondents opposing a bottling plant is just that at least 12% of the voting population is just disagreeable by nature.

 
At 11:09 AM, Blogger Julie Timmons said...

Anyone who comments on a Ch 3 poll is a low-information voter.

 
At 7:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree that liberals hate capitalism & the free market. They are the ones who always vote to put businesses out of business, people out of homes, farmers off the land & cattle farts to be taxed.
I would love to see jobs created. I'll go vote for it.

 
At 7:04 PM, Blogger Henchman Of Justice said...

A yes or no poll, seems kinda straight forward, even for liberals and proggies.

Yes, but properly regulated.

 
At 12:14 PM, Blogger beachcomber said...

I can't figure out why someone would be against the bottling plant either unless it was planned for a spot they didn't want to see it and, since it's just an idea at this point, that can't be the case. I truly think people choose "NO" on these polls, just to be contrary.Though I would be considered "left leaning", I'm not a "low-information voter" as Julie has decided. I often respond to the Question just to balance the contrarians. I have to say that it irritates me that it's referred to as "voting"...If they're asking if I'm going to attend an event, or even how I feel about a bottling/packing plant, my "yes" or "no" is not a "vote" but a "response". There's no follow-up to see WHY anyone chooses one or the other and, as usual with "anonymous" responses, there's no buy-in, just spew.

 
At 1:43 PM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

" since it's just an idea at this point, that can't be the case."

I don't recall if it was just in the planning stage or they were already doing it. They did have a segment alongside that one of some guy in the same building, I believe, who has started a salt business, if you can believe that. He takes water from the bay that he claims is really pristine, and dilutes it to get the salt. Where he sells the salt I don't believe they mentioned.

 

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