Posted by Joseph on October 05, 2007 at 23:49:34 (EST):
In Reply to: Re: why can't they just tell the truth posted by L on October 05, 2007 at 10:33:53 (EST):
: If what you print is true -
: My suggestion is for the owner not to sign the release and immediately begin to look to relocate his business to a location which is not only honest with the businesses in the area but is business friendly. I cannot understand why any business owner would locate to Ford City.
Currently OEM is paying $150,000 a year rent which is $150,000 profit to the boro. If OEM leaves the boro gets $0 (ZERO). The taxes that will be due in the final two years of the 5 year lease are about $83,000, meaning the boro would get $67,000 instead of $150,000. The current council seems to think this is a lose of $83,000 instead of a profit of $67,000... remember the boro will get $0 if OEM leaves. The Boro will make $584,000 over 5 years if they give OEM the lease they want. The Boro gets $0 over 5 years if OEM leaves. Which is a better deal?
I honestly don't know why any business owner would want to locate in FC either, even with the Tax incentives. There are 4 built in problems: 1) You have to deal with the local council trying to micro-manage the way you do business & dictate terms to you. 2) You have to deal with the complaints of the town residents ei- there is too mach truck traffic; the exhaust fans are too loud; the lights are too bright; there is too much noise ect. Locating in a town is just asking for problems because there will always be someone complaining about something. 3)FC just isn't in a good shipping location. Rail & river barge shipping are not ideal way to do it any more. Trucking, and to some extend air cargo, is. Butler County is closer to a non-toll road interstate (79) & a major aiport than FC is. 4) The quality of life & standard of living in the Kittanning/FC area is about as low as it gets. There is no entertainment industry here, not even a movie theater. The communities are full of Slandering Gossips, rumour-mongers,Character Assassins & unfriendly, antagonistic people (some of the nicest people I've ever met live here to though, but not enough to offset the negative influences).
FC should be thanking their lucky stars a job producing employer has an interest in them at even $5 a square foot. There is no way the town can expect to charge what other more successful areas do because there is no other advantage for the business to locate in FC.
Ooh, BTW... did anyone else here the story about how the owner of Millers Hoaggies wanted to Put in a gameroom/arcade years ago & was told (be the boro manager?) that he couldn't do it because they didn't want a place that attracted 'all the scum & low-lifes'. Those 'scum & low-lifes' would be your teenage kids. I guess it is better for the kids to sit at home playing Nintendo & shooting up Heroine than to have a place to hang out under adult supervision. I don't know if that story is true or not, but you know, that's just what I heard through the Gossip/Rumour-monger mill. If it is true, I wonder if it was the same Boro manager that told (reportedly rudely) the Cub Scout Den Mother that she couldn't use the Boros recycling drop-off because it was for Boro residents only. Folks like that have to be removed from positions of influence & decision making, people. I'm sure they are well-meaning & like-able people, but they do more harm than good. Change & Growth bring a little Chaos from time to time, but that is much better than stagnation & a slow death. Young open-minded people are better equipped to deal with it than Senior Citizens set in their ways. Open-minded people are something in short suppy around here.