Posted: Thursday, January 17, 2008 12:00 am
Retail a good use for vacant theater
Craig Cole's letter ("All we are left with is an empty old theater," Jan. 9) was right on.
It is a shame that a building in the middle of downtown will sit empty instead of being used for retail.
I've lived in Corvallis for over 40 years and it about kills me each time I drive to Albany to shop. I'd much rather spend money in my own community.
The big push in the new development code is for bike/pedestrian-friendly development. You can't get much better location than the Whiteside Theater.
I don't see how we are going to convince people to ride their bikes downtown unless we start letting some retail businesses in.
Knitted hats, leather sandals, coffee, or a slice of pizza isn't much of a draw.
Thank goodness for Internet shopping and UPS. It looks like good retail projects are in the works for Ninth Street.
Boone Hale
Corvallis
Could museum find home in Whiteside?
This is a good time to resurrect the following suggestion that appeared in a letter to the Gazette-Times on Dec. 18, 2006, regarding conversion of the Whiteside:
"The Whiteside Theatre building isn't the only building in limbo; so too is the Benton County Museum. Perhaps an exchange of the museum's intended site, a vacant space that was formerly the Copeland lumberyard, for the theater building would hasten relocation of the museum. It would be necessary for an architect to ascertain whether the unique features of the Whiteside's interior could be retained while providing the museum with an adequate and otherwise suitable area (for museum displays)."
With the museum's new storage building in Philomath, providing a vast and safe area for undisplayed artifacts, there may be less need for the greater space offered by the Copeland site relative to the Whiteside building.
Furthermore, recent developments in the southeast downtown area should have substantially increased the Copeland property's value, thereby making the Whiteside substitution more financially attractive.
The museum board might be wise to consider this suggestion.
Mike Wolf
Corvallis
After loss of child, parents like to talk
Thank you, Mary Prevost, for your "As I See It" commentary ("How to give help when a child dies," Jan. 10).
The loss of a children at any age, any time has such a tremendous impact on a family.
Living without them every moment of the day can be emotionally draining to say the least.
There are times when you feel that people have forgotten your child and you struggle every day to keep them alive around you and others.
I can tell you from personal experience that receiving a note from a stranger, friend or family member for any occasion during the year lets you know that they haven't forgotten your child.
We want to hear as parents how your life was impacted by our son or daughter's life.
Like Mary said, "Don't be afraid to ask about our children. We want to talk about them."
Robin would have celebrated her 22nd birthday on Jan. 9. We ache every day for her and miss her so much.
Debbie Jensen
Corvallis
No growth here? Just take a look around
Greg Campbell's Jan. 10 letter decried a "no-growth, anti-business attitude" in Corvallis and used the Whiteside Theatre as an example.
I would urge Mr. Campbell to look at the major development on Ninth Street, the total clear-cut and development in the hills near Good Samaritan Hospital, and the recently completed development on Northeast Circle.
I would also urge him to watch the City Council meetings on Channel 21. Ninety percent of their work has to do with development and I have never once seen the Planning Department recommend against the developer.
My own fear has to do with the kind of business owner and developer that Corvallis has been turning to in recent years.
Instead of finding ways to support local business owners and developers, Corvallis has begun making the same tragic error that so many communities have made, turning over their business interests to major corporations and outside developers who care nothing for the communities they affect, they truly just care for "the love of money," which they extract from local communities, closing down locally owned businesses, and leaving poverty and low-wage jobs in their wake.
In the past, our community has maintained a high standard of living, even during times of economic recession, by investing in businesses owned by local families, who, in return, care for and support our town.
I would hope that would be the attitude we would now foster, as we look to the future.
Mark J. Weiss
Corvallis
Who is to blame for injury from mower?
I want to thank Eugene lawyer Don Corson for filing the lawsuit against John Deere on behalf of his clients. In a tragic accident, the owner of a riding lawn mower ran over his 4-year-old daughter's leg, causing it to require amputation. The lawsuit is aimed to persuade John Deere to make its product safer, according to Mr. Corson.
A few observations:
A riding lawnmower, in fact any lawnmower, is inherently dangerous.
Children and pets should not be in the area when these are being used.
The mower in question is designed to cause the blades to be disabled when the mower is in reverse. To override this function, the driver has to flip a switch to engage the blades. This was the case when the girl was injured.
So John Deere, and the distributor who sold the mower, are to blame because the father of this girl didn't make certain that she wasn't in the area, he knowingly disengaged the safety mechanism, and, according to his statement, used the mower without knowing enough about how to operate it correctly?
Maybe we should have a law where if the plaintiff loses, their lawyer has to pay the defendant half of the amount that was sought in the lawsuit. After all, they get plenty if their client wins. Perhaps this would greatly reduce the number of these types of idiotic lawsuits.
Dan Watkins
Corvallis