Talk of the Point

Mark Howe, owner of the Bank of Richmond building at West Richmond and Washington, will vote yes on N.I.C.E. He announced it today in a two-page letter emailed to N.I.C.E. supporters this morning by Tom Butt. Here’s the part that addresses objections I’ve heard.

I hear how expensive this will be but this argument does not hold water. For my building, the assessment will be about $200/mth for the whole building. I am sure just one of my tenants would pay this entire amount just to have the town in tidy shape for his clients – but this $200 is shared by all my tenants which means that the real monthly cost for each tenant will be $35 per month. I think they spend more that this for trash service alone. Clearly, the rewards of this district far exceed the costs.

I hear that this district will be taken over by some ineffective city bureaucracy and we will be paying increasing amounts over time and will get nothing in return. This again is not true. This district will be controlled by a local board of property owners who can decide to return this money to the property owners if we cannot find productive uses for it. Yes, we will have to be vigilant and serve on the board if we expect to get out the district the benefits this district so vitally needs.

Together we can afford to improve our community for a cost that is affordable. We need to make an investment in our community if we expect it to change.

Please support our N.I.C.E. district; the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Mark is more than just a landowner. He’s also a CPA. There aren’t many people around town who could envision a restored Bank of Richmond building and how much to bet on the restoration.

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