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| Eco-Hostel
Trumps Strip Hotel |
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Eureka shouldn't pass up long-range
success for short-term infusion of cash
Editorial
|  While
some good might come of the higher construction costs
and collection of minimum-wage jobs that the proposed
Hampton Inn would provide on a redevelopment agency-owned
waterfront space adjacent to the Wharfinger Building,
these and the bed tax dollars they would support pale
in comparison to the unique attributes the Humboldt
Bay Hostel and Sustainable Living Center would provide
for Eureka. |
While tourism of any variety is very unlikely to provide
the economic salvation the county has long sought following
the depletion of natural resources such as timber and fish,
it is certainly clear that the Eco-Hostel will be a tourist
attraction, instead of merely more beds to facilitate tourism.
Mayor Peter LaVallee is absolutely right when he says the
City’s first priority should be to get the historic
Eureka Inn up, running and at full capacity before leasing
out such a valuable chunk of city land to duplicate these
efforts with yet another chain outfit offering little in the
way of original architecture, much less the cultural attributes
the eco-hostel would provide.
Perhaps most important among these is the Weott Interpretive
Center, which would provide a vital link to the original and
continuing Native American inhabitants of the Humboldt Bay
area. Coupled with the City’s unprecedented return of
Indian Island to the tribe last year, this would make good
on Eureka’s commitment to preserve our historical heritage
and respect the cultural diversity ever-present in our community.
Additionally, the state of hostelry in Humboldt County isn’t
much to brag about, with a single, small house in Arcata only
available for traveling students or overseas visitors in the
summer. It is in keeping with economic justice to make more
affordable options available, especially in ways which contribute
to developing a sustainable local economy. The Council clearly
has the duty to overrule the advice of three members of the
Redevelopment Advisory Board and pursue the eco-hostel project.
On that note, it’s a real shame to see the same troubled
RAB take the quick and easy way out in satisfying the short-term
interests of local developers, who could build their strip
hotel in a variety of locations within easier walking distance
of the Old Town commercial district that is supposed to get
a boost from all of this. With the recent resignation of Charlene
Cuttler-Ploss after she was hounded over a DUI arrest by conservatives,
not to mention the ongoing Taxpayer’s League/Brandenburg
suit, the Mayor has an opportunity to take the RAB in a different
direction, but only if a majority of Councilmembers are willing
to break out of their subservience to a handful of narrow-minded
interests. |
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Vol.
I No. 6
Friday,
December 2, 2005
From all corners of the
county:
NewStory
A Crisis of Confidence
Doubt cast on security of local elections
Pulp
Mill Approaches Showdown
Monday public hearing at Eureka City Hall may force monitoring
Valley West Critical of
Service Center
Arcata narrows location list to Samoa Boulevard and South
G Street
Feds to Fund Controversial
School Surveillance
Department of justice funds programs that
track students
EPD Critical of Critical
Mass
Chief Douglas defends use of force against
bicyclists, protesters
Brinton, Clickner
Deliver Arcata Upsets
Schwarzenegger-driven state initiatives trounced
In the Know
What's the Buzz?:
Has Beans on the Yellow
Brick Road
Saturday Open Mic a goldmine of talent
Lost Coast Cuisine:
An Oasis for Your Taste Buds
La Chaparrita a hidden treasure on 4th Street
Artistic License:
Bauhaus Exorcizes the Filmore
Halloween night spent with legendary spirits
Artistic License
DV Indeed:
Fighting the Onslaught
Catch, Club join a re-edited Apocalypse
in realm of classics
Film in Focus:
Goblet of Fire Runneth Over
Masterful sorcery in Harry Potter, Volume IV
Opinion
Editorial:
Eco-Hostel Trumps Strip Hotel
Eureka shouldn't pass up long-range success for short-term infusion
of cash
Guest Opinion:
Save Tookie
Life offers something that death never could: Hope
Guest Opinion:
Like Undermining Motherhood and Apple Pie
Why are California Dems in local government embracing eminent domain
abuse?
Perspective on Globalization:
Let’s Talk About Iraq
Republican-Iranian connections renewed
Brick Burner:
The Tempest Cometh
Jack Abramoff’s Bipartisan Sleeze
Media Review:
Lipstick on a Pig
The folly of media reform
Getting Graphic:
Torturing the Torturers
How does official policy reflect personal pecadillos?
Calendar: 12/2-12/9
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