Where Do We Stand Now?

Now that the Council has passed the Scribner Place plans, we can only sit back and wait to see what the outcome will be. The clause that requires the county to make a contribution to the costs is questionable. Will the project be abandoned if the county doesn’t come through with the proposed share of dollars? I doubt it. I think the commitment to see the project through has been made.
I am still hopeful that the YMCA & the City administration will hold public meetings on the costs of memberships and usage of all the facilities made available to anyone who wishes to partake in the physical recreational programs the project has to offer.
Until the facility is completed, we will only be able to watch as millions of dollars are poured into the construction of what is supposed to save our downtown business district. I would still like to see a statement from just one business that would say they are coming to downtown New Albany because of the YMCA -Scribner Place project.
If they are so convinced that this will spawn significant economic development, why don’t they already have even one business signed on as ready to operate in downtown New Albany? I’ll ask again, where is our Economic Development Director, and what has he been doing? This project has been on the table since 2002, that’s 3 years of planning that has not resulted in even one commitment.
Still, it is time to move on, and we can only hope that additional business investments will come to fruition.
Meanwhile, the Clean Up New Albany campaign should be taking center stage as the most pressing order of business facing our community if we are to realize a revitalization of the inner city and downtown.
There are too many homes in disrepair, there is too much trash in the alleys and in yards, and there are too many “low-income neighborhoods” that are less than desirable places to live.
If we are truly hopeful of attracting new businesses, we must convince them that there is a viable marketplace here with households that have expendable income to support such investments.
We must take proactive measures to stop the out-migration of families and individuals that creates more and more rentals, which attracts a transient population. A transient population will not take pride in the appearance of their living space, because they won’t be there long.
Now, I’m not saying this is true of all renters. Some renters have very nice homes, and invest in making their environment attractive. Seniors, young families, and singles all make rentals a necessary portion of housing in any city. But, when a portion of these renters are ready to become home owners, are they purchasing homes here in the inner-city? Or are they moving to the outlying fringe areas where new home developments are attracting buyers?
Look what is happening to the once beautiful older homes. They are becoming multi-unit apartment houses and we have nothing in terms of enforcing standards of upkeep and safety for all these rentals.
There is no reason we should still be without a Code Enforcement officer. Once the codes are enforced, a huge job for a brave soul, the fines collected will almost certainly fund the position. What do we have to do to get the ball rolling on this issue?