Fighting a culture of inaction: Voting against... CONSIDERATION of a development?

If you wonder why certain things don't move forward in Franklin, perhaps the following will give you a taste of the sort of attitude that creates municipal inertia.

An interesting sequence of events at last night's Economic Development Commission meeting. With just enough members present to create a quorum, we addressed the following agenda item:

Presentation by Hitters Baseball Academy concerning plans for a new baseball facility located on South 27th Street near County Line Road

The pitch was straightforward enough: Hitters Baseball Academy, currently operating in Racine, sees an opportunity to create a year-round, indoor/outdoor baseball facility on what is now a soybean field on the edge of town. An 80,000 square foot building would be built on the land along with four full-sized turf baseball fields (turf ballfields remain green year-round). The owners of the land are ready to fully finance the project; they could break ground tomorrow. They are asking for no financial support or incentives from the city.

When presented to the Common Council, there was evidently a hang-up with "27th Street Corridor design standards" -- not very relevant, as the complex would be set far back from 27th Street (one might conjecture that restaurants and even hotels might locate on 27th street to support the baseball facility, and they would have to conform to the design standard).

Hitter's has a business plan that includes past performance. They've grown steadily in their Racine location, and have consistently brought in traveling teams and visitor traffic that rent rooms and use restaurants. Franklin would be home to an attraction that would fuel surrounding commercial development.

No-brainer: Whether or not you think Hitter's is right for the area, let's take a close look at this possibility, right?

Wrong.

One particular EDC Commissioner said the following:

"Just to remind the commissioners, about a year and a half ago we set forth direction for the southeastern quadrant of the city to be high-value business development, and this is one of the parcels that is recommended as part of the Comprehensive Master Plan that is going on. The dollars-per-acre that we would yield in high-value business development would be different from this; totally different concept."

Then:

"If we're looking to build tax base in the city of Franklin, this will not build the type of tax base that this portion of the city was talking about doing a year and half ago."

Valid points.

However, further questioning of the Hitters rep revealed a very, very significant factor: The landowners would lease the land and buildings to Hitters Baseball Academy. If another Northwestern Mutual or Wheaton Medical Center were to express interest in the land -- of course, creating a greater payoff for the owners of the land and higher dollars-per-acre value for the city  --the baseball faculty would vacate. They could roll up the fields in a weekend, evidently.

Furthermore (the substance of my comments at the meeting): Any economic development assumptions made a year and a half ago (or, indeed, six months ago!) are, frankly, worthless today. I've said it before: The road that got you here won't get you there. We either remain flexible and creative, constantly re-assessing conditions and outdated notions, or stand like a jilted groom at the altar, waiting in vain for the sort of early-90s style development that is now past history.

EDC Chairman Skowronski said it best: "A bird in the hand...".

The EDC is an advisory body; we can only recommend action to the Common Council. So the motion was made that the EDC recommend to the Common Council that they investigate the potential of the project. 

Read that again: The EDC voted on nothing more than whether to recommend further study of the project in light of changing economic conditions and the unique parameters of the project.

The motion does not say, "Yep  - BUILD IT!" It says, "Let's look into this - we're not necessarily for or against it, but it may have potential."

Let the record show that every commissioner voted "aye," except for the commissioner I quoted at length above, who voted "no".

He left before I could ask him, with all due respect, exactly what he was voting against.

Comments

[Scott Thinnes]

"So the motion was made that the EDC recommend to the Common Council that they investigate the potential of the project." - repeat - "...investigate the potential of the project." ??? Isn't that what the Common Council asks the EDC to do? If the EDC is unable or unwilling to do what is their charter, then disband.

If, by a majority vote, the EDC was able to make a recommendation either way, then that is the recommendation that should be made. This inaction because of the lack of unanimous consensus is what keeps Franklin developmentally stagnant.

Vote the issue and let the chips fall... The EDC should do what their there to do and stop passing the buck.

[John Michlig]

As you know, the EDC is an UNFUNDED, ADVISORY body.

in other words; we meet and talk and vote and pat ourselves on the back for our selfless efforts. And, unfortunately, that's "what they're there to do."

As a member of the EDC, I'm at the front of the line of people who would like to see it disbanded or DRASTICALLY reconfigured.

How much influence does the EDC wield? At the meeting last month, I asked Alderman Olson, chair of the 27th Street Steering Committee, to come back from the next meeting of that group with a tally of total marketing dollars spent on 27th Street by the committee.

The answers I got on Tuesday night?

A) Alderman Olson was not present for the meeting Tuesday night

B) Brian Sajdak, who attended the 27th street meeting, reported that "they didn't understand the request" and instead compiled some sort of "money spent per mile" gobblygook.

So much for that. Yet, evidently, the EDC is responsible for the Franklin half of the 27th Street Steering Committee.

I am submitting for the next agenda a discussion of whether it's worth continuing the EDC in its present configuration. As I said in the meeting, the EDC has become a headless, toothless beast unable to take any sort of action, and we definitely need a bias toward ACTION in this economic climate.

And don't get me started on the goofy concept of "consensus" ....

[Fred Keller]

I love it!

Alderman "500 Grand" Olson was not present for the meeting Tuesday night. How convenient. Must have been card night at Hanley's.

And Brian Sajdak, Franklin Assistant City Attorney, couldn't explain your request to the committee, for a tally of total marketing dollars spent on 27th Street by the committee? Seems pretty straight forward to me. Was this a real steering committee meeting or a clown convention?

[Bryan Maersch]

To Quote my favorite EDC commissioner:

"Now, a few words about RESPONSIBILITY versus BLAMING EXTERNAL FACTORS:

For my part, as a member of the Economic Development Commission I have a “to-do” list of items I think the EDC should accomplish (or at least UNDERTAKE).

In my opinion, the EDC — for whatever reason (no budget, few meetings, etc.) — does not accomplish a great deal.

I could choose to blame any number of external factors, but, instead, I choose to ignore “blame” and instead take responsibility; I’m seated at the table, so I am empowered to motivate the group.

Therefor, anything on my list that is not accomplished is something the EDC WAS/IS UNABLE TO DO; and, since I sit at each and every meeting, I consider it something I WAS UNABLE TO ACCOMPLISH.

Sitting on the mayor’s desk? If I can’t get it off his desk, then it’s MY failing. Chairman Skowronski doesn’t put my item on the EDC agenda? Then I fell short; I’m not going to waste time blaming him.

Reasons, not excuses. If you write about the something the EDC or Trails Committee can’t/didn’t get done, for example, I won’t be pointing the finger elsewhere. If it’s stuck on the mayor’s desk, I DIDN’T GET IT DONE."

JOHN - YOU DIDN'T GET IT DONE!

[John Michlig]

Not that I necessarily disagree with you, Mr. Maersch, but what specifically did I not get done?

And, did you assume I'd quit when the meeting ended?

[Bryan Maersch]

John,

I hope you do not take offense to my previous posting. I just sounds like you are giving up. I am just trying to say DON'T GIVE UP no matter how insane it may seem or else the insanity wins!

[John Michlig]

No offense taken. I am indeed pursuing remedies "outside the box" since the EDC seems impotent by design (read the statute); whatever it takes, as they say. It doesn't end when I leave that meeting room...