Letter To The Editor: Our “brand,” built upon years of rich history and tradition, needs to be strengthened and tweaked
Editors Note: The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views or opinions of Oskaloosa News.
A consortium of Main Street and other groups is considering suggestions made by Roger Brooks, an expert in tourism and “branding” who has been paid $82,000 (so far). The group surveyed 1500 individuals online only and does not speak for me or the 1200 who have weighed in on Save the Osky Square and Bandstand Facebook page and elsewhere.
Brooks suggested we rebrand as The City of Lights, and “go big” and become a tourist venue to attract new residents and spur economic growth. He suggested changing the City Square to a trendy plaza, with resource-consuming fountains, lasers and strobes, offering entertainment 300 plus days a year. Until Brooks pranced across the stage singing “You Light up My Life,” he had cleverly painted a mental picture, using images superimposed with colorful lights, with the disclaimers that they, of course, were “not of Oskaloosa.” He has the skills of a rainmaker and the energy of Zig Zigler, and I am concerned that we may be mistaking a slick marketer for an urban planner. Brooks does not offer economic analysis or projections, and has no invested interest in Oskaloosa, but sells ideas.
A leap in logic comes from believing that a single ad hoc improvement project, in entertainment, will create economic growth. A single project, out of context, with no long range comprehensive planning, and with no regard to the more important salient features that make a city a desirable place in which to live, is exactly what got us into this mess. No single project, even revitalizing the entire downtown as an entertainment venue as suggested, will bring in enough revenue to fundamentally alter a future economy. You cannot arbitrarily create an attraction of the magnitude required to be “economy changing” and none of the towns Brooks has worked with have. Suggesting that improving the downtown will revitalize the entire town is analogous to believing that Tulip Time is what keeps Pella growing. A lighted downtown that rivals Dubai is still a one trick pony in the overall context of growing a town.
Real growth comes from providing things that have been identified in solid studies as the things people consider when selecting a place to live. Jobs, industry, manufacturing, affordable and attractive housing, good infrastructure, low crime rates, good schools, shopping, public transportation, and services like affordable broadband are factors people consider. Entertainment is only one item, and, no matter how exciting, is not a deciding factor in determining where to live, especially if the city under consideration is notably deficient in other important categories.
Our “brand,” built upon years of rich history and tradition, needs to be strengthened and tweaked, not altered. History creates a brand, not the other way around. “Repositioning” may capture short term interest, but will leave us with long term maintenance, management, and financial obligations. And as in mall shopping, trends will change.
The downtown is a small part of a big problem, but if change is imminent, a better idea is to enhance store fronts, repair, replace, and recruit new businesses, spend money on marketing, and most important, to forge relationships with a common goals.
Many are reluctant to jump on board, regardless of the project, because City actions have
not consistently inspired confidence since the Mall debacle. Sporadic and successful projects don’t negate what people feel, real or perceived. Well-meaning individuals have been constrained for almost two decades by lack of consensus, consistency, and leadership.
It is no coincidence that the Airport Commission and the Historic Preservation seats have been vacant for more than a year. The words “eminent domain” stop productive dialogue in its tracks. You can’t erase the collective memory of losing 68 small businesses to it, against the advice of the experts, in a similar ad hoc project, and can’t ignore the conditions that now exist because of it. People are not saying “no more” to everything, just “no more of the same.”
Leaders need to earn the support of the community on any new projects. Oskaloosa wants and deserves leaders that consider input from all stakeholders. They deserve leaders who do not cater to special interests, do not engage in ad hoc projects, are strong enough to decline money with strings attached, and who reject projects that are not part of a long term strategic plan.
I suggest the City begin by hosting community forums with platforms shared by all decision makers and that citizens exercise their power by attending and asking the hard questions.
There is a lot of discouragement and resentment about what has happened to a once thriving and beautiful town. Most of it was not the result of the economy or attrition, but of poor planning and special interests. Things will remain the same or deteriorate further, until that is acknowledged and changed.
Carole Kelderman
Editors Note – It has come to our attention that there has been confusion about the identity of the author of the this Letter to the Editor. The author was Carole Ann Kelderman, not Carol J Kelderman, Physical Therapist.
