More on Hayes Arboretum
The lawsuit filed last week has not slowed the pace of progress. The trees are still coming down: “At this point they are just getting it cleared,” said Richmond attorney John Sayre, a member of the arboretum board. “The trees have been sold so they are havesting the trees.” Sayre said the arboretum will be paid the value of the trees. Tree-cutting goes on despite suit.
The Pal-Item took in some public reaction today to the development: Arboretum neighbors split on development of land
Excerpt:
“There are pros and cons to everything, but you have to allow some businesses to come in and get people back to work,” said real estate agent Cindy Murray, 42. The lifelong Richmond resident hates to see the trees go and commented that people don’t like change. “We may not always like it, but we’ll get through it.”
I like Cindy a lot, but I do not see there being a positive economic impact from this development. I think the arguments advanced in support of the development along these lines only confuse the issue. The development will bring new retailers into town. These new retailers will hire staff, so there will be new jobs, but unless the population gets bigger or more wealthy, we will not increase the local economy by bringing in new retail. Will the introduction of new retail outlets prompt you to buy more stuff? No, you will just spend your money at a different location. Existing businesses will bear the loss of this “development.”
New stores come in and old stores close up. As Wal Mart and Miejer opened grocery stores in town, we lost County Market, Longs, Thornburgs and Cox’s on the East side and North side. As Wal Mart expanded we lost first the East side Kmart and then Target. Has the number of retail jobs in Richmond actually increased?
Recycling the retail market is a fine and natural process. It has had significant impact on Richmond’s economy, as we have lost many of the fairly well-off families that operated local retail establishments, trading them for store managers making decent, but hardly significant wages, while profits are forwarded to distant corporations.
That change in the retail world has been long in coming, and is just a part of life at this point. What is sad about the Arboretum development is that this never ending retail recycling process has claimed a long-standing asset of the community.
The Arboretum is private property, and frankly, the owners are free to do as they see fit. However, for the last 40 years or so, it held itself out as a community asset, and even collected “membership fees” from local patrons. Involving this community in its decision as to how to address its fiscal crisis would have avoided a lot of ill will, and could have even given the Arboretum some different options.
September 30th, 2005 23:31
I don’t know how extensive the cutting at the Arboretum is, but I recall going on nature walks there as a kid. My primary memory is being shown a plant called bloodroot that you could use to smear “warpaint” on your skin. Must’ve stuck with me since I’m an avid hiker. (Or was before the kids, and intend to be once I can take them along.)
Chances are I was never going to go back there anyway. And, certainly, the owners were under no obligation to me. Still, it makes me a little sad. And I’ll bet there are a couple of generations of former Richmond kids who feel like I do.
October 1st, 2005 08:42
Hi Doug.
I cannot share your childhood memories, not having grown up here, but being an avid hiker myself, my 2 older children logged several miles out on the Arboretum trails.
We also had them in the various camps and programs out there, as well as the festivals and events. Every year we would head out for the fall hay rides, often lead by none other than Brandon J. Griffis.
Judge Griffis volunteered countless hours out there, and was a big part of the reason many members of this community supported this place.
The thing that gets me is, I was an annual “member” of this place, I was out there on a fairly regular basis, if someone had asked me for a bigger contribution, I likely would have given it, but the first thing I knew about the fiscal crisis was the announcement in the Pal-Item that they were selling off the frontage.
I have not gone out there since, and probably will not go back, now that the actual “relationship” between the Arboretum and the public has been clarified. It is just a tragic loss.