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October 10, 2005.
The Llano City Council Friday morning met to decide about the renewal of the terms of Llano Economic Development Corporation members Bryant Ratliff, Dusty Durst, and La’Nell Scott. Their terms have expired and each has signed on for reappointment. The Council decided to “wait” until more applications could come in before the new appointments were made.
The Council, and specifically the Mayor, Roger Pinckney have not had the backbone to address the reappointments of the above threesome. In private and now in public venues such as the podium at the Corner Drug Store, the services of these three will no longer be needed. The mouthing of one City Alderman has become an embarrassment to the City, and it is no longer in the realm of dignity and respect for the members not being asked back. For the Mayor to go out and solicit new members without being upfront with the members whose terms have expired reflects the worse leadership seen in the City of Llano in decades. These members deserve better treatment, and Llano deserves better leadership.
The Mayor and at least two Aldermen, Jerry Brewer and Cheryl Crabtree, cannot tell you the path they think the LEDC should be going down. The clear path by the LEDC reflects growth, and placing funds in venues with “sustainable” income for jobs, and tourist growth. Such as an Expo Center and Arena. Alderman Brewer, an appointed member of the Council by Mayor Pinckney, has made fun of the “cowboys” and even the need. Anyone involved in the Llano County Community Center, the existing arena, and the livestock shows in Llano have known for years we have an antiqued facility, with little room for growth, and no room for safe parking. Neither Brewer nor the Mayor would have any knowledge of these needs, nor do they understand economic growth, and worse, they do not care.
One thing for sure, if the Council continues to have their fingers in every
aspect of the LEDC, and if they do not reappoint the sitting members of
the LEDC, you can
bet that new appointees will go on to a Board with a gutted agenda, and will be perceived
to be lap dogs to the Mayor. Council members that need to stand up and be counted
on, need now to find compromise in these positions. But destroying a very solid group
of LEDC members will reflect upon the City Council, not the LEDC.
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Two years ago, when I was on the Llano Economic Development Corporation,
Duckwall-Alco Stores, Inc. approached Llano about placing a retail store
here. There first choice for a location was next to the present Super S Food
Store, on the West side along Pittsburgh Street. Scores of man-hours were
put into trying to place a 35,000 Square Foot building in a small space.
Pittsburg Ave. would have had to close, and Arrowhead Bank would need to
sell part of their property off the corner of their Drive-Thru Bank location,
in order to put the store in the number one location for “Alco”.
The cost of removing hundreds of thousands of dollars in utilities might have happened, but maybe best, as Arrowhead Bank decided not sell any of their property.
Alco’s second choice was the property in the 1300 block of Ford St. The
property belonged to Bryant Ratliff. The representative for Alco worked with
the city for
several months but many reasons is why Alco backed off making the Ford St. property
their new home.
And while not really enthusiastic about the location, the third choice was the
property across the highway from the present day junior high school on Highway
71.
A feasibility study by a large company cost many thousands of dollars, and at times takes months to finish. And while a written study was not done, Alco wanted to come to Llano. Then they started to have strange reservations.
About ten years ago I called every large grocery chain in Texas…..Winn-Dixie, Brookshire Grocery, Albertson’s, Safeway, HEB…I talked to them all. None had an interest in coming even to look at Llano.
I think about 5 years ago while I was on the LEDC, we invited the head real estate man for HEB to come to Llano and speak. I personally had known him for over 10 years. He was very nice, and very matter of fact. HEB would not be coming to Llano. At that time, he asked, “why would HEB come to Llano?” We already have close to 65% of the Llano grocery business now, with our stores in Marble Falls, Burnet, and Fredericksburg.
After I resigned from the LEDC in May of 2004, I stayed in contact with the Alco people. In talking one day, Alco suggested that their interest would be enhanced if Llano could attract a large grocery store chain.
I got back on the phones. Called several, but one suggestion was to call
Brookshire Brothers out of Lufkin, Texas, a well run regional chain. They
are not part of
the Brookshire Grocery chain.
After a year of telephone conversations, Brookshire Brothers agreed to have feasibility
study done on Llano. Surveys were sent out. You may have gotten one, filled it
out and sent it back in. Maybe enough of you didn’t though. Brookshire Brothers
said the report was both good and bad. But, two bottom line answers came back.
One…at this time it is not feasible to come to Llano and put a $3 million
dollar facility. Two…we agreed to talk quarterly. They were very nice, and
they see at a point soon in Llano’s future, there will be a large, competitive,
aaaaaand…attractive new store in Llano.
And to my knowledge, but not first hand, Alco too will wait.
Brookshire Brothers is sending me a copy of their study. I will
share that information with you when I get my copy.