Eight empty theaters...
Seven Abominations...
Six Grinches on Council...
No golden rings...
Fourth Ward Foolishness...
Three Evil Websites...
Two-Faced Bloggers...
And the Portsmouth Times in bankruptcy.
A very nice (and rare) success story for the City of Portsmouth in the last several years has been the development of the old "Viaduct" property on the 1600 block of Chillicothe Street. Remember when you had to go to Wheelersburg (to sit in a run down, dingy movie theater) or further to see a movie? Now we have a very nice, clean movie theater right here in town.
Isn't that nice? Who could be against that?
Well, of course, you know the answer to that. The CAVE People. Harold Daub, Teresa Mollette, Austin Leedom and his son Wally, and the rest of their group opposed the project vigorously at City Council meetings and on-line every step of the way: from the sale of the property, the clean-up, and even the installation of a stop light at the intersection.
They objected to the price ($60,000) for which the property was sold to the developer (Mullins Construction). As usual, these Grinches were afraid a local businessman might actually make a profit of something. In fact, for years the City had tried to give the property away (for $1) to Krogers, Lutes, Big Sandy, or anyone would develop it.
They claimed that the property was polluted. For years many of the CAVE people claimed they would not patronize businesses built there because the "toxic chemicals" in the ground. In fact, the State of Ohio certified it to be free of hazards before anything was built there. (As if Buffalo Wild Wings or Penn Station would risk building a restaurant on a contaminated site.)
They complained that the employees would only receive "minimum wage."
In other words, typical CAVE People B.S. As recently as last year, Robert Forrey indulged in more rumor mongering (his stock-in-trade) about the "Toxicity" of the site.
"Residents of Portsmouth may be eating chicken wings, drinking milk shakes, and watching movies on a toxic site without realizing it. Rumors began circulating about seven years ago that the ground under the Route 23 Viaduct site was toxic."
The "rumors" he refers to are those spread by the CAVE People themselves (the Mollette's and "The Shawnee Sentinel," in particular). He acknowledges that there is no truth to the rumors, but apparently, as a CAVE person he is obligated to spread them anyway.
Fortunately, City Council had the good sense to stand up to the Grinches and support Mullins' project, anyway. If they had listened the critics we would have:
No Portsmouth 8 Cinemas!
No Dairy Queen!
No Buffalo Wild Wings!
No Penn Station!
No Penn Station!
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Ryan Salmons Allstate Insurance
would have moved
somewhere else, possibly out of the city.
And finally, we would not be getting a new steak house.
No Logan's Roadhouse
(coming in 2010)
Thank you, Portsmouth City Council. Thank you, Elmer Mullins. We hope you make a handsome profit on your investment. The citizens of Portsmouth are in your debt.
Once again, you are right on the money. Thank you to Elmer Mullins for taking a chance for the citizens of Portsmouth. Sure wish those grinches would hit the road.
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