Alldat
The delta service ended in 2007 when pretty much everyone around here still had jobs. In fact, back then some employers decided not to come here because they couldn't recruit to their satisfaction with such a low unemployment rate. How times have changed...
Bob/toy boy,
Not sure if bus service works based on time/money/schedule with all the flights out of rdu but it is worth looking at. Just saying that there were good things (purely from a consumer perspective at least) about the delta deal.
I know the economics of the Delta deal weren't good and the one-flight-a-day option left some to be desired, but I did fly out of SOP a couple of times and found it overall to be a good thing for the passenger.
While RDU is 1:15 away, that's not the whole difference. When you get there, you have to park. Even if you park next to the terminal, you are looking at 15 minutes to find a spot and get to the terminal. since they usually recommend getting there an hour early, you are looking at leaving home 2.5 hours before your flight is schedule to depart. Oh, and if you do park at the deck next to the terminal, that will cost you $12/day. Other lots are cheaper but they take more time on both ends. don't forget what it cost you to drive the 140 mile round trip.
At SOP, you were 5 minutes from your house, the parking was free, and with only one gate and one flight, there was no way you would get stuck in a long security line and miss your flight. When arriving home at SOP, you could be back at home within the time most people would still be waiting for their bags at RDU. Obviously the financial side didn't work and Delta would cancel the flight at the drop of a hat, but it was a nice service while it lasted.
The Pilot knows what sells papers and drives traffic. Check any online story about (x) Restaurant chain coming to the area. Any of them will have ten times the comments of the average "real" news story. The Facebook page "Moore County Needs a Target" has 3,742 "likes" while the Moore Coalition for Human Care page has 481. It would seem that, for better or worse, the Pilot is giving most people what they want.
This is certainly one of the better efforts at trying to make a new commercial building "fit" with Southern Pines basic guidelines. If only more businesses made the effort instead of arguing to the Council that anything other than their generic corporate prototype from "Anywhere, U.S.A." would not work or how it is such a hardship that their sign can't be a couple square feet larger.
Most people don't choose to live here because it is just like everywhere else. They choose it because it is a special place. Once we become like everywhere else we are nowhere special. So much for "Progress" at that point...
If the article told the whole story instead of having only a single Council quote from a 15+ minute conversation, the context would be much more clear. The whole story would include the fact that there was more discussion of the building color than the awning color. The whole story would reference the Town’s existing guidelines, which would be largely disregarded by approving the application as submitted. The whole story would reference the numerous photos of other Waffle Houses I brought in showing that there was significant precedent among the chain’s own restaurants for having more locally-consistent brick colors and less garish awnings.
The suggestions I made were reasonable, consistent with our ordinances, and quite consistent with a number of other existing Waffle House restaurants.
Finally, as the Town's architectural review body, it is the Council's job to provide feedback on submitted plans. If the only acceptable feedback to a chain restaurant's one-size-fits-anywhere "standard" plan is to thank them profusely for honoring us with their presence, then I'll just leave that to other Councilmembers.
6 lane= 4 travel lanes plus a center left turn lane just like Morganton west of the bridge. I believe the 6th lane is a right turn lane on the north side of the bridge. I don't believe there are any current plans for widening Morganton east of the bridge (they tried it before and found great protest), but it is certainly a good idea it you are building a new bridge to account for that possibility.
Mr. Fields is deflecting legitimate inquiry into a flawed process again by attacking me for doing my job- looking out for the people’s interests, not special interests.
Mr. Boles has been asked this question and he gave an answer at our September worksession recorded on video. Bill Cochrane posted the video on his website in case you want to hear it for yourself. His reply basically suggested that I run for office and try to get it done as he did not think bringing that issue up was politically expedient. There are a lot of voters in Belle Meade, Overlook, and Penick Village. They certainly figure heavily in Town elections.
It’s funny you make accusations of "straw man” yet you are the one suggesting I want to tax church affiliated hospitals (of which I believe we have none here, by the way).
The main justification the develop-at-any-cost crowd brings up over and over is how we "need additional tax base or we'll have to raise taxes." Read the meeting minutes and the newspaper articles if you don't believe me. If the main "benefit" to the Town of a development is added tax base, a tax-free retirement resort doesn't seem to be very beneficial.
Again, RUIPA, which I have read and which allows churches to pretty much do whatever they want regardless of community wishes, has nothing to do with our tax-free "Resort Retirement" facilities in Southern Pines that are subsidized by every taxpayer in town. If they really provide that much "community benefit" then I would assume they'd have no problem knocking on the door of every home in town every year expecting every homeowner to enthusiastically write them a check for more than $50. Oh, and they’ll need to stop at every business too. Their competition over at Southern Pines Gracious Retirement Living would need to write them a check for over $3,000. Elmcroft assisted living gets off easier at under $2,000.
And yes, we can afford a new fire truck when we need one, but you can bet that it costs every TAXPAYER in town a little more because "Resort Retirement"-valued at well over $130 million- is tax free.
CSmithson 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Airport Busy With Improvements, Pursues Passenger Service
Alldat The delta service ended in 2007 when pretty much everyone around here still had jobs. In fact, back then some employers decided not to come here because they couldn't recruit to their satisfaction with such a low unemployment rate. How times have changed...
Bob/toy boy,
Not sure if bus service works based on time/money/schedule with all the flights out of rdu but it is worth looking at. Just saying that there were good things (purely from a consumer perspective at least) about the delta deal.
CSmithson 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Airport Busy With Improvements, Pursues Passenger Service
I know the economics of the Delta deal weren't good and the one-flight-a-day option left some to be desired, but I did fly out of SOP a couple of times and found it overall to be a good thing for the passenger.
While RDU is 1:15 away, that's not the whole difference. When you get there, you have to park. Even if you park next to the terminal, you are looking at 15 minutes to find a spot and get to the terminal. since they usually recommend getting there an hour early, you are looking at leaving home 2.5 hours before your flight is schedule to depart. Oh, and if you do park at the deck next to the terminal, that will cost you $12/day. Other lots are cheaper but they take more time on both ends. don't forget what it cost you to drive the 140 mile round trip.
At SOP, you were 5 minutes from your house, the parking was free, and with only one gate and one flight, there was no way you would get stuck in a long security line and miss your flight. When arriving home at SOP, you could be back at home within the time most people would still be waiting for their bags at RDU. Obviously the financial side didn't work and Delta would cancel the flight at the drop of a hat, but it was a nice service while it lasted.
CSmithson 3 months, 4 weeks ago
Changes Afoot for Southern Pines, Pinehurst Restaurants
Bob,
The Pilot knows what sells papers and drives traffic. Check any online story about (x) Restaurant chain coming to the area. Any of them will have ten times the comments of the average "real" news story. The Facebook page "Moore County Needs a Target" has 3,742 "likes" while the Moore Coalition for Human Care page has 481. It would seem that, for better or worse, the Pilot is giving most people what they want.
(For the record, I "like" both pages.)
CSmithson 3 months, 4 weeks ago
First Citizens Relocating Southern Pines Branch
Matt,
This is certainly one of the better efforts at trying to make a new commercial building "fit" with Southern Pines basic guidelines. If only more businesses made the effort instead of arguing to the Council that anything other than their generic corporate prototype from "Anywhere, U.S.A." would not work or how it is such a hardship that their sign can't be a couple square feet larger.
Most people don't choose to live here because it is just like everywhere else. They choose it because it is a special place. Once we become like everywhere else we are nowhere special. So much for "Progress" at that point...
CSmithson 4 months, 2 weeks ago
New Waffle House Means 24-hour Dining in Moore County
If the article told the whole story instead of having only a single Council quote from a 15+ minute conversation, the context would be much more clear. The whole story would include the fact that there was more discussion of the building color than the awning color. The whole story would reference the Town’s existing guidelines, which would be largely disregarded by approving the application as submitted. The whole story would reference the numerous photos of other Waffle Houses I brought in showing that there was significant precedent among the chain’s own restaurants for having more locally-consistent brick colors and less garish awnings.
The suggestions I made were reasonable, consistent with our ordinances, and quite consistent with a number of other existing Waffle House restaurants.
Finally, as the Town's architectural review body, it is the Council's job to provide feedback on submitted plans. If the only acceptable feedback to a chain restaurant's one-size-fits-anywhere "standard" plan is to thank them profusely for honoring us with their presence, then I'll just leave that to other Councilmembers.
CSmithson 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Morganton Bridge Work Gearing Up in January
6 lane= 4 travel lanes plus a center left turn lane just like Morganton west of the bridge. I believe the 6th lane is a right turn lane on the north side of the bridge. I don't believe there are any current plans for widening Morganton east of the bridge (they tried it before and found great protest), but it is certainly a good idea it you are building a new bridge to account for that possibility.
CSmithson 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Morganton Bridge Work Gearing Up in January
I don't think they'll be taking down the light before Saunders is realigned with Murray Hill.
CSmithson 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Large Crowd Turns Out for Annual Christmas Carriage Parade
I kind of miss the days when it was a renegade parade. A few carriages would slip into town, do a lap around Broad St., and head back out.
CSmithson 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Smithson Critical of Council on Knollwood Rezoning
Mr. Fields is deflecting legitimate inquiry into a flawed process again by attacking me for doing my job- looking out for the people’s interests, not special interests.
CSmithson 6 months, 4 weeks ago
SP Council To Take Up Major Rezoning Next Month
Irishman,
Mr. Boles has been asked this question and he gave an answer at our September worksession recorded on video. Bill Cochrane posted the video on his website in case you want to hear it for yourself. His reply basically suggested that I run for office and try to get it done as he did not think bringing that issue up was politically expedient. There are a lot of voters in Belle Meade, Overlook, and Penick Village. They certainly figure heavily in Town elections.
It’s funny you make accusations of "straw man” yet you are the one suggesting I want to tax church affiliated hospitals (of which I believe we have none here, by the way).
The main justification the develop-at-any-cost crowd brings up over and over is how we "need additional tax base or we'll have to raise taxes." Read the meeting minutes and the newspaper articles if you don't believe me. If the main "benefit" to the Town of a development is added tax base, a tax-free retirement resort doesn't seem to be very beneficial.
Again, RUIPA, which I have read and which allows churches to pretty much do whatever they want regardless of community wishes, has nothing to do with our tax-free "Resort Retirement" facilities in Southern Pines that are subsidized by every taxpayer in town. If they really provide that much "community benefit" then I would assume they'd have no problem knocking on the door of every home in town every year expecting every homeowner to enthusiastically write them a check for more than $50. Oh, and they’ll need to stop at every business too. Their competition over at Southern Pines Gracious Retirement Living would need to write them a check for over $3,000. Elmcroft assisted living gets off easier at under $2,000.
And yes, we can afford a new fire truck when we need one, but you can bet that it costs every TAXPAYER in town a little more because "Resort Retirement"-valued at well over $130 million- is tax free.