Dance,little puppet,Dance!

http://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/news/144471575.html

Changes in the works in Penticton as well. Wonder what KPMG is going to report with respect to economic development and tourism.

Global TV had a report on this morning because there are a high number of “for lease” signs up in Penticton. Also the ImaginePenticton web site was taken down, but is now back up. The head of the economic development organization was fired a few months ago, but the site still does not show that change and the other pending changes.

That’s fantastic. Now let’s shut the organozation down, or at the very least bring it back into the City fold to save costs.

Under Heather(+Shari)the focus of IPG will be on the downtown core, a completely backwards approach. Any major improvements to the core will be as a result of economic growth in the region, not dumping in tax dollars to the benefit of a few.

I see in their April newsletter that construction WILL begin this summer on the $40 million hotel/condo. Maybe they should wait until a permit has been pulled and a shovel has hit the ground before making a big announcement. Have not heard much about this project since it rolled out. Did they over estimated the demand for $800k condos in PG? IPG will have egg on their face if project is postponed or cancelled.

Enough tax dollars are funneled into promotion and development of the core through DBIA, City Center Prospectus and MYPG(plus all the past ones such as Mayor’s task force etc).

IPG should be a regional development body and I hope the new board will steer them in that direction.

IMO It should not be brought back to city hall…there is too much political influence as it is… closer ties would make problem worse.

Some parts of the downtown are pretty normal, but there are some areas which are a total embarrassment and something needs to happen – can’t leave it like it is now! Even if there is economic growth in the region (!), nothing will happen in the rundown parts (!) of downtown without some meaningful stimulus! It has to come from incentive based ideas and co-ordination from a central agency with power, like a mayor (and council) directed task force with a vision and a city manager who manages accordingly.

IPG should promote both the core area and the region, in fact I would be expecting them to be already fully involved in both.

The more different agencies we have the more the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.

That’s my opinion.

“Any major improvements to the core will be as a result of economic growth in the region, not dumping in tax dollars to the benefit of a few.”

That is far too simple a notion. It is so simple that it only relates two parameters – regional economic growth and tax incentives – when, in fact, the thing is much more complex to the extent that the key determinants are often not identifiable.

To keep it simple for this site, the appearance of downtown or the size of its economic activity or that of any other part of the City, has virtually no impact of whether someone will open up a mine in the region. However, if we want to court something like a northern mining and associated businesses research centre attached to a research/business park at UNBC, then an active, attractive downtown will have a significant influence on the decisions of opening up a location here rather than somewhere else. In that case, the raw materials are not ore, but people. Just as ore is found in a geographical areas favorable to finding it, people are found in geographical areas favourable to finding them. Dead downtowns are not one of the indicators of finding people.

The chicken or the egg ….. ?! ;-)

The answer??

The chicken AND the egg… !!!! ;-)

One drive around town and you would have an omlette :P

An Insite drug injection site downtown would not be a plus in favour of “downtown revitalization”. But that’s another story for another day. Be cool, PG. A $300 thousand dollar condo with a panoramic view of the side of Connaught Hill. Oh joy!

Having every single marketing and development arm of the city focused on one area is shortsighted, bordering on OCD. Even the link I had bookmarked for City Center Prospectus now goes to an IPG site.

IPG should remain a regional development body and act as a conduit to CC Propectus or DBIA for anyone interested in downtown development. We have a unused runway extension and a logistics park that is not logical with no freight. The build it and they will come sales method won’t work, someone needs to keep selling it to potential users.

As far back as I can remember every plan to redevelop the whole downtown in one fell swoop has failed and I don’t see any reason current one will be any different. Looking for a place to locate a businesses research centre…..The Gateway….this small group of businesses have more sense than anyone using air at city hall.

“Heather Oland has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Initiatives Prince George.”
Was there ever any doubt?
“A $300 thousand dollar condo with a panoramic view of the side of Connaught Hill. Oh joy!”
If you build it, they will come.
Market conditions will dictate selling prices for any units unsold by end of construction.
metalman.

New mayor-new Board Chair-same old disrespect for the taxpayer.
Where else but in PG could you get a $200,000 a year government job without having to apply? IPG and this lame Board is well past its best before date and needs to be shut down.

I agree the $2.5 million a year they spend would go a long way to fixing our roads shortfall in the budget. The mayor and council should do their jobs. Maybe the next mayor and council will get on will closing IPG down and doing their jobs.

Maybe she should quit now and get the generous 2 yr severance package and moving allowance before IPG is cut back.

Moving from L&M to IPG is extremely expensive these days. Just the damage alone from driving through the potholes can set one back a thousand or more bucks. ;-)