It's time for him to go. He eats too much. He's too expensive. The owner wants the final payment next year and we are already in debt to our eyeballs for years to come - we need new plumbing - you know, the water lines that are being built? And how about the old sewer pipes that need replacing? The garage where our old equipment is stored is too small and the equipment is worn out.
So the money is needed to pay for necessities, not the expensive white elephant we bought 7 years ago, thinking we were going to have so much fun with it. You remember what we talked about? All our grand plans? It was such a good opportunity back then because white elephants are rarely for sale. We were going to take rides on the elephant's back, maybe make a visit up to the the old Roslyn Lake elephant reserve for a little social time with his elephant buddies, have the kids play with him during the summer when it's hot and he can can spray them with water form his trunk - better and more natural than going to a water park. But best of all, we were looking forward to the bragging rights for having the only (or at least the biggest) white elephant in the whole area - maybe even the state. Our neighbors were going to be envious! But they aren't, and it was a foolish plan to begin with.
Great dreams, but not very realistic. Better to cut our losses and pay off the debt since we are under water than to limp along, adding to the debt, not being able to do much with the poor old guy. I know, it's sad to say goodby to the old fella. He's got to go.
Where will he go? I don't know. There's a buyer that says he will take good care of our friend, but you can't really tell what that means. He won't be a pet, that's for sure. A carnival maybe? A wildlife preserve or a zoo? I can't say, and it weighs heavily in my mind. I guess it's our fault for buying him in the first place. These days, all anyone wants white elephants for is the money they can make off of them. Cross our fingers is all we can do.
What do we do with all of our buildings that need replacing since we still won't have enough money for everything? We can go to our relatives like we have done in the past, but they won't budge unless we have pared our expenses first. We can fix the buildings and roads up and use other buildings around town if we have to. Anyway, it fits with our values to recycle and reuse. And maybe we won't be needing as much space as we think - I'm sure we can find ways to tighten our belts some more.
Good by old friend. We'll miss you and mourn the loss of all of our dreams, but they weren't really ours to begin with. Sniff.
City Council wants to rezone the WEB general commercial which provides lands for commercial activities. car dealership??? assembly plant???? Local neighborhoods should look into this designation. A buyer (corp) has come forward but won't say what it plans to do with the WEB.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at the Kensington Group website for an idea. There's no guarantee, and until they show their cards I wouldn't dare assume anything. But my personal guess is a hotel with some retail (restaurant, bar?). Whatever it is, the neighbors next door may be in for a rude surprise if it is large and noisy.
ReplyDeleteI indeed disagree with your characterization of the West End Building property as a "white elephant". As you may know such was the name given by the Ask Me First opponents.
ReplyDeleteRegrettably, soon after its purchase the economy took a nose dive; and, most would acknowledge during such times of hardship, one does not ask the citizenry to increase their property taxes for other than necessities, if warranted.
Additionally, unfortunately, our elected leaders have failed to appropriately utilize the potential of the fourteen acre site-one with almost 90,000 square feet of usable office space, sitting very near the city's population center, and providing acres of forested and wetland open space in one of the most dense areas of our community.