Commission Impossible: June 2006 Archives

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June 23, 2006

Frisbees From The Road

Disc golf has been a controversial topic in Chico. Somehow this inexpensive family fun has become a piece of the "growth" discussion. The 40 acre previously-BLM land has been home to unofficial disc golf in Chico for a decade, and the City may be nearing a decision on whether to allow the ~35,000 annual visits to continue.

As the years drag by communities like Oroville have expanded their Riverbend Park disc golf course from 18 holes to 27 holes. Disc golfers, park officials, and environmental groups worked together to lay out the new holes in a thoughtful way. As I travel the country I see disc golf expanding in other communities as well.

Not all of Chico's politicians have yet to embrace this activity. I wonder why?

Santa Cruz has one of the most famous, and well used disc golf courses. A Christian camp near Sequoia National Park operates a private course. Las Vegas has 4 disc golf courses. Moab has a private course at Camelot Lodge that is the most stunning course I've ever played. Everywhere I've traveled there has been a disc golf course within an hours drive. Today, as we prepare to amble around Steamboat Springs, CO one of our first goals is to locate the local courses, which from a local news story we expect there to be 2.

We're on an annual trip with out-of-town friends. Each year we select a new location to gather together and have some fun. What started with 5 married couples has grown into a 17 people as those couples have added kids to the mix. The wives have known each other since grade school, and the husbands were thrown together by fact of marriage. At some point the guys jokingly started calling ourselves the "Husbands of the Grand Sisterhood" (or HOGS for short).

Over the last few years all of the guys have become disc golfers. The locations we select to meet now need to have a disc golf course. We've bonded around our wives and disc golf. The photos here are from Moab, where we took a 1 hour 4 wheel drive route through red-rock canyons, and played along the grand Colorado river.

If Chico can't figure out how this activity benefits it's populace that will be too bad. But in the meantime it's nice to know that disc golf is becoming more and more popular across the country, and bringing more people together to get out and play.

Posted by Lon at 08:46 AM | Comments (2)

June 20, 2006

Black and White Examples

I'm writing from a Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas. I've seen two areas of the country in two days that starkly represent the extremes of the growth vs. no growth question for Chico. In looking at extremes you can sometimes better identify the boundaries of a discussion. I thought I'd do that here.

No Growth:
Two days ago we camped in Sequoia National Park amongst the pines. It's an incredible park and the giant Sequoias are stunning in their massive structure. They look other-worldly with their immense girth, surrounded by toothpick like conifers that otherwise would seem huge. In addition to their giant size they stand out from the rest of the forest with their cinnamon red bark that looks almost sanded in texture. A night by the river and a morning hike past numerous marmots to see a waterfall was a pleasure.

This wonderful park implements the most extreme no-growth policies. The Sequoia National Park cannot survive on it's own. Even with tourism it requires an external infusion of funds to exist. Costs inside the system are exorbitant and amenities are sparse or nonexistent. You cannot relocate to this park unless you're part of an exclusive group of government employees. Areas historically used for human habitation are being removed and natural habitat restored in their place. The park has survived through more extensive periods of commercialization, and I wonder if it has achieved a balance in commerce vs conservation or is still swinging back and forth.

To get to the park we passed primarily Hispanic towns, and large groups of Hispanic families playing in the river that paralleled the road to the park. Once inside the park, after paying $40 to camp, most campers appeared to be Caucasian and drove newer SUVs. I was left wondering if the park had not priced itself into exclusivity, or was my observation a statistical aberration?

All Growth:
Las Vegas is huge and dynamic. Perfectly good buildings are ripped down to put up new perfectly better ones. Public transportation is privately funded. Where the California border meets Nevada new metal power lines connect neon hotspots all the way back to Vegas. On the California side are failing towns that can't compete.

Las Vegas is everything I abhor. The false facade and gaudy representation of everything classic bothers me. The obvious marketing of sex is more laughable than troubling, but not something I appreciate. Even so, you have to look at this economic engine with respect. It has thrown out electric tendrils and created opportunity and growth as far as 70 miles away. Employment, construction, and new homes are all staggering in the magnitude created by this once small desert town.

Mimics of the New York skyline jut dramatically out of the desert entwined with a roller-coaster. How much money did that take? This is capitalism at its best and worst. But anyone who comes here has opportunity. And there is no end to the amenities you can access.

I saw all walks of life employed as well as visiting this city. There were no panhandlers or homeless people present on the "strip". Vegas has a purpose and knows what it is, and is moving ahead full throttle with no concerns for those in the way.

Summary:
If I had to choose between visiting either Las Vegas or Sequoia National Park a second time it would be a hard choice. That's a difficult thing to admit. But an afternoon in the "wave pool" "lazy river", IMAX 3D, and shark reef aquarium with a 5 year old stands up pretty well to the wonders of nature. I'd like to think I'd pick the Park because of the quiet opportunity it provides to talk.

Choosing where to live would be another hard choice. Communing with nature and roughing out a life amongst the giant sequoias has a romantic quality. But they don't build homes or schools in a National Park, and the opportunities for employment are nil. So I'd have to pick Vegas.

Luckily I live in Chico and only have to worry about it's future. Chico cannot be closed to growth. That's stupid and not the policy being followed by the liberal majority Council. Boundless growth (which is not being proposed by anyone) is also out of the question. Do the preservationists really expect to stop all growth? Do the developers really expect to build everywhere?

The answer to the second question is no. I've talked to developers. Some of them have lived here longer than the preservationists who despise them, and want to do good things for Chico. I think the answer to the first question is also no. I assume most preservationists just want to make sure our natural assets are protected.

Beyond these two interests is a bigger question. Since growth IS occurring through new development and annexation why hasn't the Council been funding infrastructure? Build roads, build parks, and build jobs. If you haven't been doing that maybe you shouldn't be running the city.

There's no doubt that we're far from either the extreme of a National Park, or a Las Vegas, so maybe we should start acting like it.

Posted by Lon at 10:58 PM | Comments (3)

June 17, 2006

Enjoy Your Father's Day

I haven't been a professional baseball fan since I was 10. There was no great transition where I turned from the sport due to a failure of the league, players, or owners. I simply discovered professional football and Earl Campbell of the once glorious Houston Oilers (okay they were never glorious, and a California boy had no reason to be an Oiler fan, but it happened anyway). I think I also tired of baseball cards.

When Steve Nettleton brought the Chico Heat to town I was happy to have something new to do in Chico. It's unfortunate that the Heat's league didn't make it. But the replacement league brought us the Outlaws, which is a near identical experience. I even like the name.

Back in the Heat days I had a customer fly in from England, and he brought his young son. I took them to a Heat game on a whim. They had no experience with American baseball. At that game the Heat won with a homer in the bottom of the 9th. After the game the team signed the boy's ball which might still rest on a dresser in the UK. That night was an expression of American culture, and I hope a wonderful moment in a father and son's trip to our fair land. I wasn't a parent then, but now I see the value that dad placed on making sure his son was part of his entire life (work and play).

We went to an Outlaw game last night and I counted 5 trains passing behind the outfield. Each one saluted us with a whistle. For those of you looking to do something fun with your kids, and seeking reinforcement that Chico is still a small town, consider a night with the Outlaws. The experience made me look back on the visit from my customer, and look forward to tomorrow.

With Father's Day around the corner families across America are preparing for a little celebration of Dad. I'll take a little time to think of how important I am to my son's future. He counts on me as a role model to teach him right from wrong. It's my job to show him how and when to stand up for yourself. I have a responsibility to save for his college needs and give him opportunities that money can buy, as well as those it can't.

My family is embarking today on a trip to Steamboat Springs, CO for an annual meeting of friends. We'll be overnight in Santa Cruz, Sequoia National Park, Las Vegas, and Moab on our way out. It should be lots of fun and reminds me of trips my father took me on as a young boy. It also gives me a great opportunity to do the things that dads need to do. It's going to be a great Father's Day, and I hope the rest of you dads have one as well.

Posted by Lon at 11:11 AM

June 15, 2006

More Trouble in Little Chico

As a business owner there are a number of things that make me want to stay downtown. There's the vibrant life that the college students inject into the community, the variety of eateries, and the close proximity of lower Bidwell Park (including the opportunity for a lunchtime dip in Sycamore Pool).

Of course there are a number of things that have occurred in the last few years that have made the area less desirable.

On Tuesday, while standing in front of my office with my 5 year old son and wife we had one of those less than desirable experiences.

We were approached by a young man who was bloody, crying, and asking for a ride to the hospital. He had been mugged (beaten and robbed) in Annie's Glenn. He seemed to be one of the young transients that now occupy much of the downtown park areas. If I had to guess his age it would be somewhere between 16 and 18.

We gave him a chair and some water, and phoned the police. We let him speak with them on the phone about what happened. He was in bad shape and had been walking down 1st street dazed and injured. His hands and scalp were covered with blood and his eyes were swelling shut. We were happy to help him out.

Police, fire, and ambulance service showed up promptly, strapped the kid into a gurney and hauled him off. It's got to be rough enough when you're homeless, but we seem to have imported some violence into our downtown community as well.

At some point this violence won't be limited to other transients. The consultants that conducted the recent downtown planning charrette (see results of charrette here) based some of their assumptions on the fact that we have a clean, safe, downtown area that would invite people to walk 1000' to experience the ambiance.

Let's have another look at those assumptions. And while we're at it we should ask why the downtown planning charrette failed to talk about some of the real issues we've got in this community. The money spent on that charrette could have gone to the police. City staff, who are already well paid, could have managed any downtown discussion. What a waste of $170,000 dollars that was.

Downtown Chico is attracting crime, including the recent tagging of COBA, and the policy makers need to start taking this issue seriously. Let's not wait until somebody gets beaten to death in our downtown parks or streets.

Posted by Lon at 12:15 PM

June 14, 2006

State of the Art in Chico

It's easy to question the value of public art. I can guarantee there are people out there that don't approve of any of the city art projects. But you can't really hold city officials responsible for the specific results of art they fund. Art opinions are subjective. You can hold them accountable for the direction of public art in Chico.

Every Chicoan should question the way money is spent by the City. You may recall that at an Art Commission meeting several weeks back one commissioner felt that associating the cost with specific art projects was not relevant to the "art discussion". Keep in mind that the art projects using RDA funds are diverting tax increment income from paying down bond debt, so the actual cost to the community of an RDA funded project increases over a period of decades. In other words, some of these projects realize a much larger cost than the purchase price shown as the RDA debt goes unpaid.

It's my understanding that art staff (at the City) get some portion or percentage of the art contracts they manage. For example, the $250,000 Game Tables project for the Park Plaza originally had overtime for City Staff as part of the project cost. I don't recall the exact number but I think it was in the $10Ks. I don't think this element made it through to the final budget. But the way that entire project snuck into being is troubling. City staff promoting increased overtime pay to manage a project they proposed is also an eyebrow-raiser.

There is also a move afoot to create a cadre of artists that the City can draw from to bid on public art projects. If you're not on that short list then you'll have to get your big "art break" in some non-City venue. It seems that policies are being made that will force public art to be bigger in cost and smaller in its representation of the many artists in our community. I would be very wary of the doors being closed to new artists in the community, especially if I were an artist. That cadre of selected artists is likely to be made up of "yes" men and women with regards to Chico's art policies. Dissenters will be frozen out of public art opportunities.

In this post I've listed some of the bigger public art projects and their cost. Lastly, since art is about opinion, I've added some opinions to the projects descriptions that follow. Which projects do you like? Which ones do you dislike? Does the cost of the project change your opinion of it?

“The Silver Plow”
Cost: $130,000 RDA funds.
Artist: John T. Young
Completed: 2001
Location: median at Park Ave. and Meyers.

Opinion: Very expensive and not aligned so that it is visible to the the public driving by. This art was designed to enhance a median and can only be seen by the few stores in proximity to it. This money could have been better spent on a charrette...or a frisbee golf course.

“Our Hands”
Cost: $65,000 Municipal center construction budget.
Artist: Donna Billick, Davis CA
Completed: 2000
Location: Municipal Building 411 Main Street

Opinion: Don't like them for $65,000, might like them for $30,000. Still waiting for someone to cut off three fingers as an act of political vandalism.

“Soaring Star”
Cost: $55,000 RDA funds
Artist: James Russell, Lomita CA
Completed: 2001
Location: Chico Municipal Airport

“Chico Foothills”
Cost: $45,000 Municipal center construction budget.
Artist: Elizabeth Devereaux, Chico CA
Completed: 1999
Location: Municipal Building 411 Main Street

Opinion: This artist received the ~$70,000 of the $250,000 chess table contract for the downtown Plaza Park art project. She was also the artist contracted to help (consult) on the Plaza Park design before the big new chess art project was approved. There were no competitive bids for the chess table project, and I think it was against Art Commission policy to select the project artist (project = downtown park) for a separate art project in the park.

Something just doesn't seem right about the process used for artist or project selection in that case.

That being said, this stained glass is nice, but hard to see at the City building. You'll notice this photo was taken at night outside of the building with the internal lights on. That's probably the best way to get a good view of the final product. The artist is very successful and has created a number of fine projects outside of the comunity.

“Diamond Alley Arches”
Cost: $30,000 RDA funds
Artist: Kathleen Nartuhi & David Barta, Chico CA
Completed: 2003
Location: Downtown Parking Structure & Salem Street

Opinion: Funky, but fun.

“Chico Open Board Art Project (COBA)”
Cost: $15,000 first year, $30,000 each year after (5 years, $135,000 total)
Artist: ~100 local artists submitted work for display downtown
Completed: Ongoing
Location: Varied over the years, some older (larger format) entries can be seen across the street from the council chambers. Ongoing entries are hung outside of Zucchini and Vine on 2nd and Main streets.

Opinion: This was one of the most successful public art projects I've seen. It had fallen off the face of the earth for a while but looks like it's back. I used to look forward to the changes in wall art that would occur when new submissions happened, and then to see which of the many art pieces was voted the best.

The high cost of this project was unexpected (to me), but if you break it down by the number of artists that contributed work it seems to have some of the highest opportunity value for the art community and the public. Of all projects on this list, this art project probably best exemplifies how to provide local artists with opportunity, and engage the public in public art.

The change from larger boards to the smaller ones (shown here) has reduced the impact of this art. It's not as cool as it once was.

“Skaters Gate”
Cost: $20,000+ RDA funds ($20,000) and Humboldt Ave. Skatepark Construction Budget
Artist: Eddy Martinez Hood, Paradise CA
Completed: 1999
Location: Humboldt Avenue Skatepark

“Salem Street Art Walls”
Cost: $20,000 Salem Street Parking Structure Construction Budget
Artist: Dayton Claudio, Chico CA
Completed: 1996
Location: Downtown Parking Structure & Salem Street

Opinion: I didn't much like this when it went in, but compared to the "Silver Plow" and "Our Hands", I don't think you can beat the price.

“Compound History Compound Images”
Cost: $20,000 Municipal center construction budget.
Artist: Lynn Criswell, Chico CA
Completed: 1998
Location: Municipal Building 411 Main Street

Opinion: I think I saw this on "Trading Spaces" the other night. Frank was the designer.

“A Century of Flight”
Cost: $16,000+ RDA funds and Parking Lot Expansion construction budget
Artist: Susan Larson and Patrick Collentine, Chico CA
Completed: 2001
Location: Chico Municipal Airport

Opinion: Easily converted to a single engine aircraft landing strip when future expansion of the Chico Airport is required.

“Downtown Luminary Benches”
Cost: $16,000 total , $3,200 each (5 benches), RDA funds
Artist: Jenna Mae Hepworth, David Barta, Robin Indar, Christen Derr, Dylan Tellesen
Completed: 2004-2005
Location: Downtown Chico

Opinion: The low "cost per piece" and the usefulness of this public art (put your hiney on it) really add to the feel and unique nature of downtown Chico. The fact that one of the benches had to be moved because it became a homeless camp is telling. Of course of all the homeless I've run across downtown the guy who was using the bench was the one of the more considerate. Maybe he should get it back?

“Ancestor Gates”
Cost: $15,000+ RDA funds ($15,000) and private donations
Artist: lead artist Jenny Hale, with David Barta, Ameera Bay Laurel, Robin Indar, Stan McEtchin
Completed: 2003
Location: Community Park (20th Street)

Opinion: Use of private donations and multiple local artists in conjunction with relatively low cost enhance the value of this project. The park setting, number of pieces, and unique/ diverse design of the sculptures also add appeal. Good public art project.

Summary: I like public art when it is inclusive of the public and the artists around town. The Chico Open Board Art (COBA), downtown Luminary Benches, and Community Park Ancestor Gates are examples of public art that can include a lot of artists.

I don't think it's a good idea for the City to form a group of "pre-approved" artists. I'm wary of attempts to consolidate power by limiting the number of artists that have access to public funds. What would an artist need to do to get on that list? What would happen to an artist that did not approve of the city staff decisions? It would be easy to freeze out dissent.

It's necessary to question the appropriateness of using redevelopment funds for public art. The recent city mailer suggests that RDA funds are like a home mortgage allowing large capital projects to be built and used today, since we don't have the cash on hand. That's true. But funding small projects with RDA funds is like buying a TV on a 30 year loan. That's stupid.

The city needs to have a real discussion about fiscally sound policy. We need public art, a built park system, and maybe $100-200 million in road/neighborhood improvements. I doubt we can continue to dip everyone's cup into the RDA bucket. It's pretty much empty as is.

Finally, the public art arm of the City of Chico does more than select large art projects. Lots of money is paid out to existing non-profits. Funding for art comes from a variety of sources. All critisisms and joking aside, art is an important element in our City. It needs to be managed effectively to generate diverse and exciting art opportunities for the creative people in our town. We will all benefit from their hard work.

Posted by Lon at 08:02 AM | Comments (4)

June 07, 2006

Chico Five-O

A recent sweep by the Chico Police in the Lost Park / Children's Playground area caused some consternation amongst the denizens of those lovely creek side / park experiences. The crowd of park goers could be heard yelling, swearing, and likely drinking well into the afternoon after the men-in-blue left.

The increased interest by the Chico Police was also accompanied by a television camera at Children's Playground and occurred the day after the Children's Playground discussion at the City Council. It would seem to be an example of astute PR, but not knowing the exact reason for the influx of officers it's possible they were responding to an incident (there were about 15 officers, and a half dozen police cars/trucks, so this seems unlikely to me). The young man shown in the photo was not arrested.

The flood of police activity was the topic of intense discussions amongst panhandlers outside 7-eleven. In fact I had to wait for a pause in their conversation before I got my "got any change dude?", and was able to hand over my third charitable contribution of the day.

The large number of Panhandler Toll Booths and the newly announced Downtown Police Squad all lead to a need to discuss how we want to be policed downtown.

The press will rightly latch on to issues of moms, crime, and city money. And the Chico Police are correct to use public relations efforts to get a message out, since they are recipients of public support or ire depending on their image. But what are the real issues with downtown and crime related problems.

Panhandlers are a nuisance and I think lead to other crimes of greater severity. The presence of panhandlers in great numbers shows a lack of law enforcement. No law enforcement will attract people willing to commit car break-ins, vandalism, and potentially violence. It's not unusual to cross the street to avoid a ranting-swearing "shopper" while downtown. In most cases they are only acting out in juvenile behavior, or are mentally ill, but either way it's always best to have them across the street from you. As an adult, I find this behavior annoying, but not threatening. As a child or elderly person it would be more threatening.

Some downtown areas, like Children's Playground, Lost Park, and Ringel Park are almost wholly owned by the homeless or near homeless during the daytime hours. The police cannot incarcerate or detain people for loitering. So to be effective downtown I think the police need to loiter as well.

The police chief seems to recognize that the problem is severe. When speaking of the $375,000 budgeted for the new squad, Chief Hagerty is quoted in the ER as saying "That will allow us to fill a complete patrol team. We will actually create a new beat for that team," said Police Chief Bruce Hagerty. "It will allow us to put constant pressure on the undesirable elements that plague the downtown area."

I would ask the chief to concentrate on community policing and get the officers out of patrol vehicles. They should know the downtown business owners and employees. They should know the people that are causing trouble, because some are mentally ill and can receive help in the community. Others need to be told to go away.

Too aggressive policing can cause problems of its own. So in order for this new squad to work there needs to be community interaction between the people that regularly use downtown Chico and the new downtown squad.

What do you think about being policed? What problems do you see downtown? Do you see any problems with an increase in police activity downtown?