For the purpose of getting information out to residents affected, Summers reserved the conference room at the Gas & Water Building on Madison Street for January 15 at 6:30 PM. The meeting should run approximately 45 minutes.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in response to a complaint filed by the Clarksville NAACP found numerous flaws in the Clarksville Center Redevelopment and Urban Renewal Plan voted into law by the City Council with full support of City of Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper.

The plan, which effectively “blights” two square miles of downtown Clarksville, has been a center of controversy and triggered the formation of the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition, which is lobbying for its repeal. The ordinance allows for use of eminent domain and provides an assemblage clause for developers seeking to acquire neded propoerties for redevelopment and /or urban renewal.

In a letter requesting an audience with this committee, Urban Resource Center Director, Terry McMoore, stressed the following:

“We are very concerned that this plan in its current form does not protect low income homeowners from losing their homes and that it also violates the voting and civil rights of the citizens of Clarksville – Montgomery County’s only Majority Minority voting ward and district”.

Mayor Bowers commissioned this review committee to look into whether Montgomery County government should partner with the City of Clarksville in this Redevelopment and Urban Renewal Plan.

A 14-member city delegation headed by Mayor Johny Piper is heading to Las Vegas May 18-21 to represent the city at RECon, a real estate trade fair (read “convention”) sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers that attracts an estimated 50,000 visitors each year. According to the RECon website, the convention “has been renamed and branded as ReCon, emphasizing the R-E-tail, R-eal E-state, Con-gress, Con-vention, Con-ference, aspects of the program.”

The last convention attended by Clarksville officials was in Atlanta, Georgia, which saw the Clarksville delegation ill-prepared (or rather, not prepared at all) to professionally market itself. Things have changed, have run the gamut from no kill to overkill.

The city may now have a professional display at the ready and be more prepared to join and compete with 74 cities among the 1800 exhibitors on the roster. But is it really necessary to fund 14 people to staff one little convention? Seems like overkill, and a bit of duplication. For the record, I am not against trade shows and expos. I’ve done them myself, as a presenter and as a journalist, but I’ve never come close to needing 13 people for back-up.

Joining Mayor Piper for this excursion will be the city’s Chief of Staff, Jum Durrett, City Councilors Deanna Maclaughlin [Ward 2], Geno Grubbs [Ward 7] and Wayne Harrison [Ward 12], Communications Director Missy Graham, Public Information/Marketing Coordinator Tonya Steele, Gas and Water Department Communication Analyst Rhonda Fulton, Information Systems Director Scott Oglesby, Regional Planning Commission Director David Riggins, RCP planner Jason Blalock, Economic Development Council President James Chavez, City Webmaster Tamara Streng, and Chamber of Commerce Vice-President Melinda Shepherd.

Is it really necessary to send three city councilors to Vegas? It also seems that having both the information/marketing director and the communications director in attendance is redundant. One member of the planning commission, okay, and a rep from the EDC is logical. But do we need to fund this trip for the city’s webmaster or the gas and water rep? Can’t the Chamber of Commerce fund its own representative instead of taking this out of the city coffers?

When cash is tight, the economy is tanking, and there are so many other issues before the city, it seems that a delegation half that size or smaller should be competent enough to represent Clarksville; if a half-dozen carefully chosen representatives can’t talk about and market the city competently for four days, maybe they need to find other jobs.

Consider the costs for this junket:

• $6,000 in airfare
• $10,000 for lodging (where are they staying?)
• $3, 484 for meals [$64 per diem in food allowances for 14 people]
• $2,250 in individual registration fees
• $600 for the booth
• $664 estimated for “miscellaneous expenses” (surcharges for things like power and even vacuuming the booth area)

There will be ancillary expenses like transportation from the airport to that $10,000 worth of lodging (where are they staying anyway? — for ten grand it must be pretty nice) and last time I was there shuttle fees were at least $12 per person each way (probably higher now, given gas prices), unless they get a limo…which may cost even more. Add the potential cost of taxis to and from the convention center.

It makes much more sense to establish a “team” versed in the vital aspects and field that team with underwriting by the private developers who will ultimately be the beneficiaries of new retail development, which is what this “shopping center” convention is all about.

These workshops are designed to help determine the vision and future revitalization for both neighborhoods and will be facillitated by Nashville Civic Design Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Clarksville Office of Housing and Community Development.

According to the planners, “if you live in or own property in either the Red River or Brandon Hills communities, now is the time to get off the sidelines and actively participate in efforts to plan for the future of our neighborhoods … This your chance to revitalize and transform two historic downtown neighborhoods.”

The programs offered are not just informational meetings but actual workshops for which public input and opinions are sought and welcomed.

The July 30 meeting will review the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated withg revitalizing these neighborhoods. The August 14 session focuses on developing a vision for the community. September 14 offers an assesment of input from the first sessiosn (the opening meeting was held July 24), and a final report will be presented to the public by the Civic Design Center on Sept. 18.

A trolley Tour of the areas in question will be held Monday, July 30, from Marion and Eighth Streets. Reservations are required, but the tour and all programs are free. RSVP for any of the workshop sessions or the trolley tour by calling the Office of Housing and Devlopment at 931-648-6133.