Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 12:52:13 -0500
From: “John R Dykers”
Subject: Chatham Park Construction Jobs?
Pittsboro Matters raises legitimate concerns. Contracts will be let by “Chatham Park Investors (AKA Tim Smith and Bubba Rawls)” based on the vendors capacity to perform the service, personal relationships/knowledge of prior performance, and price. Builders and realtors locally will be competing in a global marketplace just as we are now. I know a local contractor who wins bids for major water and sewer work in Chapel Hill! So the conclusions of Chatham Matters are an opinion/educated guess?
“The Walmart effect” will operate, but remember Walton started with his one “5 and dime” store in a small town in Arkansas not unlike Siler City and Pittsboro, actually working in the store before buying it.
The benefits and the distortions of having a Walmart Superstore nearby seem similar to what we have experienced also with the many, many, housing developments all over Chatham County. They were affecting those who were born here or moved here before we did (“mortgage hill” or “Dogwood Acres” in Siler City) and Chatham Park will affect those who are here now and will be moving in or born here over the expected life of the project and thereafter.
May we be careful and keep our perspective as long and broad as possible.
John Dykers
and just read Taylor Kish’s post, and that is what money if for; to buy what you need/want from a hamburger to an opinion. Much better that we throw money around than bullets. (e.g. the movement in the early 1900’s to ‘buy’ enough land in Palestine to establish a Jewish state!) But the transition from the power of taxation to ‘politics at the end of a gun’ is dangerous indeed, e.g. The American Revolution.
JRD