Thursday, February 10, 2011

CAC Business Brainstorming Meeting

I was at the business brainstorming meeting last night. It seems that because the mall is still standing, people are hesitant to build new. "What if the 'Old' Resurrects?" is of great concern. What's keeping many from re-building our town is the belief that if the mall re-opens it could possibly kill any new business outside of the building.

Is the Mall in our future or not? That question belongs to our Leaders and we need them to answer it before we can move on. What I believe is presently being communicated is "we don't believe anyone is going to purchase the mall, but if that hero appears, then it's still possible." It's a slim chance, but it seems to be enough to deter new business builders. Is the Mall in our Future or not? "Maybe" is no longer an acceptable answer, we need a "Yes" or "No". If we say "Yes" then lets have a plan to support that, and if it's "No" then lets move in that direction. Hornepayne could possibly remain stagnant until we go in one direction or the other.

What's needed is clear vision of what our New Hornepayne will look like. The business meetings themselves are being held to try and establish that. So be encouraged because we are on the right track.

What was pointed out at last night's meeting, and I found very encouraging, was how much Bonnie Claveau and Randy Brown have invested into Hornepayne. They are the forerunners of the NEW HORNEPAYNE. They believed! Let's follow their lead!! ☺

8 comments:

  1. copy and paste from facebook:

    Melissa Chenier
    Hey Bev...I read all your blogs (had to catch up from November, haha) good job..way to be open minded and say it how it. Seems you have confidence in our new council that they are leading our town in the right direction. Also seems like the mall is holding us back from moving forward, "shit or get off the pot" type of deal, lol I'm sure our new council will see the problems as they are and make the right choices for our town. Keep up the good work bev! :D
    Thursday at 9:39am ·

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  2. copy and paste from facebook link:

    Bev Allen
    Morley, Willy, and Paul always attend the business meetings, so they are aware of all this stuff too. The Mall hindrance was just made known. You're right. I think they're going to lead us into the right choices.
    Thursday at 9:45am ·

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  3. copy and paste from facebook link:

    Bev Allen
    You and Noah should attend the meetings. There's nobody there speaking for the First Nations People.
    Thursday at 9:48am

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  4. copy and paste from facebook link:

    Melissa Chenier
    OMG... I think that would just put up more blocks if anything...I think first nations are making steps and moving forward in their own direction. They have to go back and smooth out the edges of their historical past before they can move forward with current issues.
    Thursday at 9:58am

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  5. copy and paste from facebook link:

    Morley Forster
    The mall is a dead issue and will never open again, it is just too costly,,,people just have to get it through their heads. Its like saying you wont go for a walk because you will wear out your shoes. Dumb, Dumb, DUMB!!!!
    As for Melissa and... Noah attending council, I think it would be a step in the right direction...First Nations people have to find a way to have their feet in both the past and the near future so they can live in the present. No one is going to go away, we all have to live and work together so we all have a future despite our differences...See More
    12 hours ago ·

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. copy and paste from facebook link:

    Bev Allen
    On the one hand we need a Hotel, a restaurant, a bar, retail spaces, a space for our weight room, our library, Contact North, and a place to put Fields Department store. The first hurdle to jump is the land issue; we have nowhere to rebuild.... Yet, we have this giant building that seems to have all that we need. I think it's a valid question for the average person, like me, to wonder about the true feasibility of the mall, after all we've all seen the HEDC save a large chunk of it. So why is it so "dumb" for one to wonder about the rest of the building?
    I, (and others), can't help but think that it's all somehow possible, we just haven't come up with the creative answer yet. I'm not attached to the building, my thoughts are not emotional ones. So, if you really believe it's dead then let's pay the $1.00 so we can take it down and free up all that land. If the town owned it, then Field's Department store could move into the the old Northern store and a new Motel/ Restaurant could be built where the old YMCA was. Let's start looking at what we can recycle and use for fill around town. Could we crush up the concrete and make sidewalks?
    Making a move in that direction will put an end to the fear in the business builders. It will also free up the land that seems to be lacking.
    Just my 2 cents.See More
    10 hours ago

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  8. Here is a Facebook Message that I received from Debbie Smith today:

    Hey Bev, Brian and I have been reading your blog today (current & past posts). We think that you are doing a great job keeping us informed!
    There was a post from, I believe February, about businesses investing (Bonnie and Randy) and the mall closing and bringing in a Fields store. I tried to comment but could not.

    I think that is is great that Randy Browne and Bonnie Claveau receive recognition for investing in our community, but if you are going to recognize one you better recognize them all!
    Cindy Mackie (St. Louis) has been in business in Hornepayne for more that 10years, starting in the mid 90's, first out of her house and then she moved to her current location on Fifth Ave in 98/99.
    In early 2008, Cindy began the planning stages of expanding her store, due to glitches and bumps in the road the actual construction did not begin until the Fall of 2008. Cindy added a second floor to her store, which the cost of was great!!! It was during this time the the world economic situation was at its worst and in January of 2009 Haavaldsrud's laid off most of their employees, followed by CN. This devastated our town and Cindy was forced to put a hold on finishing her renovations.
    I am sad to say that she is still suffering and the local support is just not there!!!
    I think that we need to stop whining and worrying about what we have lost and start paying more attention to what we still have and are at risk of losing! Our local businesses tried to accommodate for the loss of the mall and the Northern Store and for what? People just buy it out of town anyway! Residents of Hornepayne take for grated what we have and just assume that we will not lose it! Our local businesses cannot compete with the prices of Walmart, and they should not have to! It is fine to shop out of town, but shop local first!

    The Northern Credit Union is another business that has investing in our community since the mall closure. They are currently renovating our Hornepayne Branch. This has included installing a night depository to accommodate our many small business and organizations. Albena should be recognized for this push, she goes over and above her job description! This includes helping to clean the branch at 5am on a Monday morning, after the ceiling was dry walled (and then working until 5pm)! I am sure that there are others who have put themselves out there for our community and should be recognized for that!

    I have not posted this on your wall because I feel that Facebook is not the place for this! Feel free to repost on your blog. I am not one to speak out (much, LOL) but this is an issue that is near and dear!

    Thanks Bev!!!!

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