Our country was founded on the ideals of a free market, and I believe our City Council firmly believes in these ideals, as do I. There are times, however, when the free market doesn’t work and government should step in to help level the playing field. I believe our downtown is in that situation.

During the last 20-plus years, for the most part, downtown has been ignored and left to its own devices. Building owners have had little incentive to keep their buildings looking good, and rents have been low, which, to me, says the market has not been encouraging people to take care of buildings in downtown, nor encouraging any sort of redevelopment.

I have been told by one of the big developers in town it costs 15 percent more to do an infill project than it costs to do a green field project, which indicates there is a market disadvantage to investing in a building downtown to create a project vs. investing in open land for a project. That alone tells me there is a market failure.

Furthermore, economic theory says when there is a market failure, in many cases government should step in to help remedy the situation.

Run-down buildings in downtown affect us all, not just the property owners. We all drive down U.S. Highway 287 through downtown, as do thousands of other cars everyday. I don’t know about you, but I want a downtown that will have a glimmer that will make people say, “Wow, Loveland has a great downtown.” There is a positive external effect for all of the community to invest in downtown, to keep its historical value and re-create its charm.

Next week, the council will have the opportunity to discuss the Rialto Bridge and appropriate funds for the project. This is one of many ventures in which city involvement is helping to level the market in our community between infill development and greenfield development -because there is a clear disparity in the market. Government investment in the Rialto Bridge project, and subsequent other downtown projects, will ensure we have a downtown that doesn’t become dilapidated, which isn’t in anyone’s best interests.

Council already has done so much for downtown with the leadership of the mayor and other council members.

There are a few members of council who doubt these projects because of the belief that government should not put any money into the free market and that the private sector should solve this problem. I would encourage these individuals to review some economic principles that say at times it is necessary for government involvement within the market.

I believe we all want to be fiscally responsible with the city of Loveland’s money, and in this case, I believe fiscally responsible means we use the city’s dollars effectively and create a level playing field for downtown redevelopment. If council should choose not to make this investment, many have said, the alternative is grave.

Fast forward to now and it seems people are singing a different tune.  With ArtSpace signing a pre-development contract with the city, with the Rialto Bridge project quickly moving forward, the RFP process happening, and the council passing the Office of Creative Sector Development, the city recently has certainly done its part.  In the last year businesses like Lighting Highbred have come to downtown, Ten Fold Collective is about to open their office on the corner of Cleveland and 4^th St, not to mention all the other great additions to downtown in the last few years.  With all these good things happening there are more and more reasons for people to go downtown and support our local businesses.

Through this Downtown revitalization effort particularly in the last couple years there have been a lot of people who have been relentless, pushed forward towards a goal of making our downtown a destination and a place that attracts people. There has been a shift in our community and I knew there was the will to make it happen.

However, these things don’t happen overnight and without good leadership.  I firmly believe that a community is a reflection of its leaders and currently there are some members of council that fit this description.  These individuals have stepped up and are showing real leadership for downtown, with Mayor Cecil Gutierrez leading the charge. I believe the community now and future generations thank you for having the vision to make something happen in downtown.

People use to look at me skeptical when I said, “I want to help revitalize downtown Loveland,” those same people now ask me what is going on with the efforts, how are things progressing.  I believe in this community, and I know that the community itself believes in being great. We are not people who would let the heart of our city die, but rather we are a community who in a time of make or break stood up and said we wanted to continue our tradition, character and heart.  Lovelanders have worked hard over the last few years (and by that I mean 20+) to make sure that we have a downtown we could be proud of and one that generations to come would know we are a community that believes in reinvesting in what we have to be great!

The conversation has started to turn to action, but we still have a long way to go to make sure our downtown is vibrant and successful—that our businesses and restaurants succeed and we have a place we are all proud of.  We have come a long way, but now is not the time to let up, but keep pushing to make sure we continue to accomplish great things for our downtown.

Will all of that behind us, now is the time to reinvigorate the energy and move steadily forward on many of the Downtown projects.  While there may be a small opposition to some of these projects, I truly believe a good majority of Loveland wants to invest in our city to continue to make it great.  With the current economic climate, now is the time to invest in real estate projects while costs are low, and we can put people in our community back to work.

Dr. Steve Laposa from the Eviritt Real Estate School at CSU presented to city council study session last week, and he had some very insightful things to say.  While he gave Loveland an A+ on the direction we are going with our downtown (with Rialto Bridge, ArtSpace, the relationship building and developer interviews, etc.) he posed some very pointed questions—ones I feel I have been echoing for some time now.  With all the great things we have going, one of the slides in his presentation posed:

“The question of the moment is now what.  What’s next given our current economic environment, challenging capital markets, political pressures, conflicting stakeholders, and the ability for out of the box bold leadership?”

Those are some very pointed questions about what is next, and I believe that many of the answers fall behind the ability for out of the box leadership.  I know there are members on council—like the majority who saw the intrinsic worth of the Office of Creative Sector Development at same study session, that fully understand the merits of these projects for our community. These members of council I believe have the leadership to take the risk and do what is right for the redevelopment of our downtown.  Furthermore, they understand the importance of economic development of the creative sector to ensure Loveland moves forward and strengthens what it does best: being a leader in the arts and creative sector.

I have faith in the Mayor and many of his colleges on City Council to make the right, although difficult decisions to help advance our community to ensure the viability and sustainability for years to come.  And for those members of council who fail to see the merits of the projects like Rialto Bridge, Artspace, Office of Creative Sector Development, the outcome of the RFP or any other projects in Downtown or otherwise that will advance Loveland in a positive direction to ensure viability and sustainability, I personally have to question your ability to be a leader in our community

So while this election season might be over—and we can all take a breath and move forward to get things done in our community—one thing we can all count on is elections come like clock work every November, and in 2011 we have a chance once again to shape who our leaders are in Loveland.

Like many people, when I was growing up I didn’t realize how lucky I was to live in Loveland.  It took my going to college in Boston and then living much of the rest of the decade on the East Coast to fully appreciate all that my hometown has to offer.  Moving back was ultimately a pretty easy decision.

And it seems like every year, it’s getting even better.  There have been a lot of exciting things happening lately that will make downtown more vibrant and stronger economically.  We’re moving in the right direction, and I honestly believe Loveland’s best years are ahead.  As we move forward, it’s important that we don’t look past some of the gems we already have in our community.  These are what make Loveland unique, and they are what have and will continue to attract people to this Northern Colorado town.

An organization called Be Local is working to promote these gems, and encourage people to support local restaurants, businesses, food sources and other products.  Sustainability and viability are about more than just being environmentally friendly – they’re about making sure we have the things we need right here in our community.  It’s about improving all aspects of the community – from jobs and economic growth to the food industry to culture to downtown development to an enhanced quality of life.

As someone who lives downtown and spends a lot of my time and dollars downtown, I am encouraged by organizations like Be Local and would urge all Lovelanders to look for ways to support area businesses.  In fact, Be Local is hosting a winter farmers market at the recently renovated Bonnell Building on 4^th Street on Saturday, November 6^th.  It will be a great opportunity to buy locally grown foods and see some of what Loveland has to offer.

I write frequently about large-scale projects and proposals that I believe can enhance Loveland and the region as a whole.  But the small things matter as well.  The combination of larger development projects with smaller individual decisions, like buying locally, will make Loveland a destination.  The sustainable and viable growth that results from people spending their time and money in the community benefits us all.  As they say, a rising tide raises all ships.  So take some time next weekend, to visit the winter farmers market, or come downtown and visit that restaurant or shop you’ve always loved but haven’t been to in a while.  After all, we have so many resources and amenities right here, so why not take advantage of them?  Let’s all be a little more local.

Enjoy… his eloquent take on our current situation.

It seems to me that the catalyst for this concern comes from an individual acting as a self proclaimed victim of the image produced by well respected artist Enrique Chagoya.

It’s interesting to me what one might consider “being a victim” nowadays. The fear of this small piece of paper framed behind glass and quietly installed among dozens of other prints in an exhibition celebrating a regional master printmaking workshop seems to be wholly fabricated by those offended and disturbed by the piece in question. Much like a child who is afraid of the dark and thinks a demon is lurking in their closet, an individual frightened by the print in question needs to be comforted and consoled and to have a night light put on and the closet opened so that they can see that there is nothing to be afraid of – it’s okay to go on with your life and not have this irrational fear disturb your sleep. Of course, we expect children to have such unfounded fears and we, in the best of circumstances, comfort them and help them overcome their fears. Adults who display such acts of irrational behavior deserve our concern as well. Imaginary demons and monsters are not lurking in the threads of the paper and ink that make up the art work of Enrique Chagoya; they are obviously in the heads of those who imagine such things. Adults being guided by imaginary voices and friends should be considered eccentric, at best. We have real problems to solve in Loveland and the City Council should focus its attention on solving real tangible problems not on debating the non-existent threat of imagined monsters in the closet.

Of course, on one level, it’s nice to see that artwork can stir the emotions of people and that the art is not being ignored. In my opinion, the worst possible life for a work of art is for it to be ignored and to have no existence in the consciousness of those who might pass by it.

Providing opportunities for people to encounter a diversity of expressions and ideas through the arts is one of the important roles of our public cultural institutions. These creative intellectual achievements are not solely decoration (although there is nothing wrong with being surrounded by beautifully made decorative objects) or just there for escapist entertainment. Many of humanity’s greatest achievements have been those aspects of material cultural that have questioned the dominant paradigms of any given time and place. A function of the arts as part of the human condition has always been to question and represent a range of social, cultural, political, economic, and theological issues and positions.

The current concern reveals Mr. Klassen’s, and those he has riled up, intentions and political ambitions, not those of the specific artwork or the artist’s intentions. One has to ask – What are Mr. Klassen’s intentions? Does he really feel someone is being victimized here (other than the artist)? Is this a first step for him to stop the public from access to a diversity of aesthetic and intellectual ideas and expressions? Is his next step to head over to the public library and start suggesting we remove books he is offended by? Is his next step after that looking to see how we should remove people from our community he doesn’t like? Where does it end Mr. Klassen?

In my opinion, public institutions such as museums, libraries, performing arts centers, recreation centers, and other such institutions and venues are with us to provide a wide range of opportunities for a broad and diverse public audience and not to solely represent the views of one person or one political bloc.

Personally, I grew up in a community of Holocaust survivors (many of them artist who survived the harshest form of oppression and censorship) and escapees from the pogroms of Eastern Europe and later Stalin’s oppressive dictatorship of the Soviet Union. I have studied in and worked in countries where censorship and oppressive political agendas were and are the norm and where artistic and political freedom has been squashed and eliminated from the public arena. Access through public institutions and discourse to the wealth and complexity of a diversity of ideas and expressions through civil means is a hallmark of a democratic society. This year I spent three months working in a former Soviet republic where the narrowness of ideology still lingers and where true freedom of expression in the public arena is a dangerous business.

It is heartbreaking for me to witness someone in our city government express intolerance for an inclusive community and for intolerance of diverse opinions in the public arena. His victimhood is a sham and truly misguided. If Loveland is to exist as one place, one community, it must be tolerant of the diversity of voices and visions that make up that one community. Mr. Klassen has made a mess of things. When a child makes a mess, most parents ask them to be responsible for that mess and to clean it up. Mr. Klassen needs to find a way to clean up his mess.

So what is it that attracts talent and creativity?  Florida says (and has data to back it up) that one of the biggest indicators is tolerance.  Places like New York, Silicon Valley, Syndney, Australia, and Austin, Texas are thriving because they have an openness and tolerance that attracts the best and brightest minds in the world.

Fortunately, Loveland’s at an advantage over many cities our size when it comes to attracting creativity, because we have an art scene that’s second to none in the state of Colorado.  Unfortunately, we have some old-fashioned attitudes among some of our city council members that make Loveland appear far less tolerant and welcoming than I believe it to be.

Recently Councilman Daryle Klassen called for the removal of Enrique Chagoya’s Les Aventures des Cannibales Moderistes from the Loveland Museum because it was “smut” and was “foul, disgraceful, and even, pornographic.”

The artist, an assistant professor of art at Stanford, explains, “My artwork is a conceptual fusion of opposite cultural realities that I have experienced in my lifetime.  I integrate diverse elements: from pre-Columbian mythology, western religious iconography, and American popular culture.”

Whatever you think of Chagoya’s art isn’t the point.  Art is about getting you to think, getting you out of your comfort zone, and generating a conversation.  But it’s a respectful conversation.  Councilman Klassen’s diatribe against the piece of art completely misses the point.  And it’s certainly not tolerant.

Maybe Councilman Klassen’s not really interested in the social, cultural, or political commentary Chagoya and other artists are trying to convey through their work.  Maybe he doesn’t see how art brings people together, and connects people across races, religions, and classes.  That’s fine.  But in that case, I would think he would certainly be interested in the people, jobs, and businesses that art can bring to Loveland?

At a time when ArtSpace, the Rialto Bridge, Loveland Arts Economic Development Center and other such projects are just getting off the ground, and Loveland is gaining recognition as one of the premiere arts communities in the country, comments like Councilman Klassen’s and the attention they attract are not helpful. We are trying to encourage, attract, and develop our creative class—and the recent conversation was not helpful.

Mr. Klausen, this is not radio Loveland anymore—this is the next generation of Loveland, and I can’t speak for all of the new Creative Class here, but I imagine I can speak for a majority when I say, intolerance is not a reputation I want Loveland to have. While that may have been how something a few in this community wanted 30 years ago—it is 2010, and it is time that the values of the next generation of Loveland start to be represented.

As I have argued repeatedly on this blog, investments in the arts are investments in economic growth.  They cannot be separated.  Bringing talented and creative people to Loveland, and the jobs and businesses that will come with them, is going to require our elected officials to get on board and support the arts community.  Not calling it “smut” would be a good place to start.

I was reminded of this at a recent City Council meeting, where members of the Council debated the ArtSpace project, ArtSpace is a non-profit real estate developer that is coming to Loveland because of the hard work of the people at NOVO Restoration, who formed partnerships with the Erion Foundation, Community Foundation, Mueller and Associates and the City of Loveland.  ArtSpace will create affordable space for artists to live, work, and show their art in Loveland.  It will both benefit local artists and attract others to our community.  The project has been in the works for some time, and they have gotten to the point where they are close to signing a predevelopment contract with the city.  In fact it the final vote is expected to be Oct. 4^th.

The project will bring people, culture, and the potential of 55 new businesses that are interested in locating in the ArtSpace project, making it a win-win-win for Loveland.  I think this is one of important projects the City Council is working on right now.

Now, I know that not everyone agrees with me, and I’m always interested in hearing other ideas and proposals.  And like anything we invest local tax dollars in, it’s important to have an honest and thorough discussion about the pros and cons of ArtSpace.  But what struck me during the recent Council meeting was some of the questions council posed for the project.

The one councilmember who voted against the project said, “the timing isn’t right.”  I don’t know when the timing could be better to bring people and economic opportunities to Loveland.

The reality is that if we don’t invest in things like ArtSpace, other communities will.  And they will be the ones to benefit from the cultural, economic, and quality-of-life advances that come with it.

I know that City Council can’t do everything on its own.    Businesses, non-profit organizations, and private citizens have done much of the legwork on ArtSpace and many other projects.  But just as City Council can’t carry the ball on every play, its members can’t sit on the sidelines the whole time either.

Some have argued that all government investment or incentives to bring new development to Loveland is wrong because doing so creates “winners and losers.”  Not every project can qualify for an incentive or is worthy of investment, and that’s not fair, they argue.  Well, welcome to the real world.  Some projects are going to make more sense for the community than other projects, and sometimes leaders have to make difficult decisions.  But that’s not a reason to do nothing.  The only loser then would be Loveland.

So I urge the leaders in our community, elected or otherwise, to work towards something.  Let’s come together in the coming weeks to support projects like ArtSpace and the Rialto Bridge that will bring economic and cultural benefits to our community.  Let’s find a way to build on what we’ve already got downtown, and make it even better.  Let’s move forward when we agree, and find common ground when we disagree so we can move forward again.  Let’s all step and up and lead in developing downtown.  If we do, Loveland will be the real winner in the end.

In July, I participated in a community stakeholder group for the Community Marketing Commission.   The commission was put together to advise City Council on how to best utilize the Lodging Tax in order to bring tourists and conventions to Loveland, and more than two dozen community leaders, business owners, and citizens came together one Saturday to offer their insights as to what direction the commission should go.

Members of the commission have put in hundreds of hours, and they deserve credit for the work they’ve done.  While to commission had successfully done exactly what council had asked, and created a grant process to get dollars out into the community, the group that came together did come to a consensus on the next steps moving forward.  Rather than rush into anything, in order to ensure the responsible use of taxpayer dollars and do things the right way, it was important to create a broader strategic marketing plan, before moving forward on anything else. A strategic plan would ensure that Lovelanders get the most out of the grant process and other local initiatives.

It can be easy to focus on attracting large conference to the Ranch and other facilities at the 25 – 34 Corridor.  And those will always be a major part of any plan to bring people and businesses to Loveland.  But if we keep our focus so narrow as to ignore the rest of our community – downtown, the sculpture park, west of town – then many Lovelanders will never see the benefit of the Lodging Tax that they voted to implement.

That’s why I was glad that at the July meeting, the consensus was quickly reached that a strategic marketing plan should focus on the whole community, and not just part.  Most in the group, including myself, came to the conclusion that bringing in an outside consultant would ensure we had a robust and effective plan.

Now, I know consultant can sometimes be a dirty word around here.  But I’m not sure why they’ve gotten such a bad rap.  Maybe if we called them what they really are – experts in their particular field, who can provide much needed knowledge and experience in cases where hiring a full time person doesn’t make sense (like designing a marketing plan!), all while saving taxpayers money in the end – people wouldn’t turn their noses up at consultants.

A strategic marketing plan and, yes, an expert consultant, are critical components to making sure the funds raised from the Lodging Tax are used wisely and invested in bring people, businesses, and jobs to our community.  We all know Loveland’s a special place to live, but we already live here.  If we want to attract more people here and grow our economy, we have to sell all the great amenities we have here, and attract people to visit our community.

With the right plan and the right people, I think we can do it.   We have a lot of things that make Loveland attractive – great business opportunities, a thriving arts community, excellent golf, good convention space, and we’re the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.  It shouldn’t be a hard job, so let’s get to it!

A few weeks ago a team of us presented the Loveland Arts Economic Development Center (LAEDC) proposal to City Council, and the reception from most of the Council members was largely positive.  It seems clear that they recognize the importance of the arts as an economic driver for our community.  The numbers back this up – as of August of 2009, 2,766 workers in Loveland, out of a total workforce of 33,401, were employed in the arts and design and related cultural occupations.  LAEDC would go a long way towards helping that 8% of Loveland’s work force, which is about what HP was at its height here.

The important thing about LAEDC is that the artists stakeholders themselves have guided the effort.  Back in January, a large group of the art stakeholders from Loveland came together and in two short hours came to a consensus on the four areas that needed to be addressed in order for Loveland to remain a prominent arts community:  infrastructure, economic development, education, and branding/marketing.

Over the last eight months, it has become evident that there are existing organizations or projects that help fill the gaps necessary in the four identified areas, with the exception of economic development.  The LAEDC will help fill this void, and help ensure that the creative economic sector in our community continues to grow.

The Center would work in partnership with AIMS Community College in Downtown Loveland and coordinate with the City of Loveland to develop an Economic Development Policy specifically for the creation, retention and expansion of jobs in the cultural occupations.  The key word there is “jobs.”  As I’ve said time after time, an investment in the arts is an investment in the local economy.  It also seeks to help Loveland with artist retention, artist recruitment, and artists’ resources.  The center would provide a “one-stop” shop for artists, business owners, consumers, Loveland residents, and those interested in moving to and/or starting a business in Loveland.  The center will also form and maintain funding partnerships with the City of Loveland, private foundations, state and federal agencies and others in order to maintain the long-term financial stability of the organization and bring more dollars into our community.

One of the goals of the LAEDC is to increase jobs in the creative sector by 10% by 2013 (this would be about 270 new jobs).  Name me another industry that’s growing at that kind of rate right now.  The city’s investment of $100,000 a year for three years would more than pay for itself.  The city’s policy has been to invest approximately $2,000 a job – the LAEDC would only need to create 150 jobs to break even.  And that doesn’t include the businesses, tourists, and cultural attractions the project could bring to our community.  All in all, it sounds like a pretty good investment to me!

Loveland is a unique and wonderful place to live.  We are fortunate to have a friendly community, growing opportunities, and a robust arts community.  Our quality of life is one of the highest in the nation.  Let’s make the investments necessary to keep it that way.