Same Time Next Year
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It’s been nearly a year since I wrote about the problems that come from
having 11 bosses who are not on the same page about anything, as well as
suggestion...
6 months ago
March 04, 2008
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24 comments:
Maybe Zoback should contact all these former companies who have closed or moved on from Worcester and conduct a kinda exit interview.......similar to what is done when one leaves their place of employment.............s/b an easy lead story in Womag one of these weeks.
Or.....maybe the Shame-ber of Commerce s/b doing it?
what is Stowe and Degnon?? what types of business
taht would be an interesting story for Scott...I am all over the place cause of business and lifestyle and I am not seeing so many business leave or go out of business elsewhere..this is not positive stuff that is happpening
OK, folks... we have hit an all time low, there is a dollar store... repeat a DOLLAR STORE on West Boylston Street in Worcester (behind Crown Bakery, across from Gallagher's Pub) that went out of business. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!
Harry Tembenis
Worcester, MA
that has been out of business for awhile Harry..I always go by it on the way back from Home Depot..those half body mannequins looked damn sexy with those skinny jeans on em:>)
Anyway "Urban Padz Real Estate" went under at Chandler & Dewey..they were in buisness about three months
I am now heading to a place that will nevah go out of business.."Peppercorns" on Park Avenue..great local restaurant - clean, colorful, nice eclectic menu, cold beer (Harpoon being my fave), good bar with well positioned TV's..great lookin' & happpy waitress's
Stowe and Degon is an accounting firm
Finally Dollars was the name of the $ store...
Harry Tembenis
Worcester, MA
PS
Peppercorn's is good, but Pippin's ruled back in the day...
picked up three tickets to the Saw Doctors playing at the Hanover Theatre on March 16th...I am directing an event on the same day in Somerville with about 5000 St. Paddy's revelers..so I will be heading back to Worcester feely toasty after many Guinness..but I am looking forward to seeing this new development in the city
I know this is one of my previous rants, but just imagine this built on the old Wyman Gordon property...
Soccer officials want communities to kick in
Cities and towns are asked for stadium proposals
By Sasha Talcott, Globe Staff | July 25, 2006
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The New England Revolution's quest to build a soccer stadium somewhere in Boston or its suburbs is likely to play out far differently from the epic battles of the last decade for new homes for the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins.
The biggest shift, if Major League Soccer's past experiences are any indication: Soccer officials want local cities and towns to submit proposals to host the team, and any public funds for the project are most likely to come from the local governments. In the past, both the Red Sox and Patriots have asked for state money to finance stadiums and the infrastructure improvements around them, and TD Banknorth Garden was built with significant state involvement.
Soccer officials are gauging the interest of local cities and towns. Already, since word of the plans became public several weeks ago, they have received letters from officials in several communities, including Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Menino earlier this month said he will name a task force of civic, business, and sports leaders to determine suitable locations, and he called Boston ``the perfect backdrop" for a new soccer stadium.
So far league officials have declined to name the other cities and towns that have submitted letters of interest.
In Illinois, the newly constructed soccer stadium for the Chicago Fire is a showcase for Major League Soccer's local approach. When the Fire unveiled plans to build its own stadium several years ago, a dozen towns went head to head to woo the team. They called the Fire's offices, wrote letters, and enlisted chambers of commerce.
As the Fire narrowed its choices, the towns became even more creative: Western suburb Hoffman Estates offered up land owned by its local corporate titan, Sears, Roebuck & Co., as well as the opportunity for more partnerships with the company. Hanover Park, also west of the city, said it would not take ``no" for an answer, Fire executives said. Then the village of Bridgeview, the ultimate winner, concocted a stunt that blew its competitors out of the water: It paved over part of the site of the proposed stadium with asphalt, painted an outline of a soccer field on it, and loaded the stunned Fire executives onto a helicopter to see it from the air.
To seal the deal, Bridgeview, located just south of Chicago, agreed to fund the entire stadium -- $100 million -- with public funds. It sold bonds to raise the cash.
Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek said he adopted a simple strategy to persuade the Fire to pick his town: ``Sell, sell, sell."
``I ran it like a political campaign," he said.
Part of what had communities so excited: The soccer stadiums can be converted into outdoor concert venues, bringing in additional money. Villages such as Bridgeview, with an aging industrial base, envisioned the stadium as a catalyst for a broader redevelopment effort -- one that would bring hotels, retail stores, and restaurants to town. With its 20,000 seats, the new Fire stadium holds more than the village's 15,000-person population.
The stadium also serves as a central meeting point for youth soccer teams, and a potential host site for state soccer tournaments. Major League Soccer teams play roughly three dozen regular-season games from April through October, half of which are at home.
While the rest of the world obsesses about soccer, the sport has struggled to gain a large following in this country. For many years, all Major League Soccer teams played in football stadiums, generally half empty or more. But in the last several years, teams in four cities -- Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Columbus, Ohio -- built their own stadiums, and a half-dozen others have plans to do so, including Toronto , Denver, and New York.
The new soccer stadiums are critical to the growth of soccer in the United States, both because they are much smaller (crowded stadiums make for a better fan experience than half-empty ones), and because they boost the teams' finances. The new stadiums generally seat between 20,000 and 30,000 fans, less than Fenway Park.
Playing in a football stadium ``is not a soccer experience, it's soccer borrowing an NFL experience," said John Guppy , chief executive of the Fire, which previously played at the Chicago Bears' home, Soldier Field. Guppy said his team played some games with football lines still visible on the field. ``The fans want soccer the way it should be experienced," he said.
With their own stadiums, teams can control the revenue from parking, sponsorships, and concessions. In soccer, teams that play in their own stadium generally make money, while those that do not tend to lose money, the commissioner said. (The Revolution's situation is somewhat different, however, because Robert Kraft controls the soccer team, the New England Patriots of the National Football League, and both teams' home, Gillette Stadium.)
In Boston, early reviews from public officials have been good. City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina , who represents East Boston, Charlestown, and the North End, said he is ``excited" about the idea, while City Council President Michael F. Flaherty said he is open to any and all locations, provided that they are supported by the community.
``Look at the great dividends that it could provide the city," Flaherty said.
Unlike professional baseball or football, Major League Soccer does not promote separate ownership of its teams. Instead, its investors, such as the Krafts, operate a particular team but really own a piece of the league. The league often plays a strong role in developing soccer nationally; its commissioner, Don Garber, has been the point man so far on the Revolution's stadium project. Garber sent a letter to Menino earlier this month to gauge Boston's interest in hosting a stadium, writing that ``the League informed Kraft Soccer" that it would begin a search for a new home for the Revolution.
The Revolution has publicly backed the efforts, deferring to league officials. While the commissioner has promoted some public funding for new soccer stadiums, the Revolution's chief operating officer, Brian Bilello , has said that the team has not decided yet on the issue. ``We think it'd be a great facility for the city, and for the youth of the city," he said.
The Revolution's operators, the Krafts, have been burned by stadiums before. When they sought public funds for the Patriots' new home, Gillette Stadium, the Krafts ignited an uproar in the state Legislature and ultimately wound up financing it with private money.
The Fire's new stadium, which opened earlier this season, is built with an overhang that magnifies the sound of the crowd. Inside the stadium, fans sit far closer to the field.
``It's awesome -- they're so close you could hold a conversation with them," said Ian Pozdol, 16, watching the players warm up at a recent Fire game. Pozdol, who has been a Fire fan since the team's inception in 1998 , said he is convinced the atmosphere of new stadium will attract more fans to soccer.
``You're right on top of it," he said. ``You see the pain and the sweat, and it's a lot louder."
Sasha Talcott can be reached at stalcott@globe.com.
Harry Tembenis
Worcester, MA
Anybody catch the city council meeting last night. One of the items read was concerning a vote on grant money for the Worcester Airport. Unfortunately to a cat nap and missed the rest of the meeting to see what this was about
my two cents (after inflation)
Harry, stadiums partly or wholey funded by gov't are a bad idea.....and they say history has shown this to be true time & time again over the long run.
Does anyone remember Bob Kraft back in the late 90's going from Boston to Providence to Hartford to wherever.....with his tincup ...begging for a taxpayer subsidized stadium......all the while paying his employees millions of dollars to play a game....while the local citizenry is clamoring for re-paved streets and more teachers?.
A municipally subsidized stadium is a bad idea and brings back memories of the red ink bleeding Centrum............of course you could argue that what's good for The Hand It Over Theater or the Canal District or low income housing is also good for a minor league stadium.
Folks, I am sorry to sound like a broken record......i guess maybe insanity is saying the same thing over & over again and expecting some action to be taken.
they have been looking real hard at a site in Somerville on the Cambridge line towards Lechmere..lot of chatter in Somerville about it..Kraft officials have been in the city alot lately..
a real "City on the Move"...good mix of ole school townies and new comers on the Board of Alderman & School Committee..the At Largers are scattered throughout the city NOT all in one neighborhood-the toney one...the Mayor is young like Tim is..and he listens like Tim does..where is Tim..I think we need him back???
Paulie, we dont need a Mayor back who has sold his soul to labor.
Labor-friendly Mayors cannot also be taxpayor friendly, too. You cannot have it both ways.
The biggest probelm this city has is that 9 or 10 of our city coucillors are in labors back pocket and the only thing that will ever solve that problem is receivership.
I think Tim is an adaptive Pol-when in Woostah one sometimes might have to do what is done in Woostah..and I don't pick a guy or gal cause I agree with everything..Tim's pluses way out weigh any negatives from my perspective..replace 30,000 takers in this city with 30,000 white collar workahs in the urban core of the city and you may see some changes from Pols and of course the dynamics of the city..
Anyway was just at a meeting at the Vernon Hotel..the Executive Director for "Destination Worcester" was in-house..nice little briefing on what they are doing, have accommplished
And lastly...got my Saw Doctors tickets for Marsh 16th at the Hanover Theatre..just ordered Monday and got today..quick turnover
Paulie:
Fill us in on Destination Worcester?
Bill
still in an upstart mode..just hired two salesman..it was a (1)man show for a wee bit..
pretty much told us that Worcester was a drive destinantion - that if a group had to fly into Boston or Providence to get here that they would mostly likely wanna stay in Boston or Providence so they are focusing on New England based organizations..trying to get on yearly meeting rotations ex: New England "Realtors" Association...
Looks like they secured the 2009 AHL All-Star Hockey Game..expect the big wigs in the AHL alone to take up 500 hotel rooms in the city and are hoping for a spill over of another 500..then of course the meals, cafe sales locally..they are actively seeking these types of sporting events also-professional & college (no the Superbowl will not be happening at Foley Stadium anytime soon)
Most of the work he is doing/may achieve is 18-24 months down the line as groups plan that far out for their annual meetings.
He was upfront that Worcester has a long way to go in that it is still difficult to sell the city as a destination but he see's much potential..the gentleman worked for the city of Boston & Providence in the past..Providence has become a real sell:>)
You can tell that he has seen the resistance to change that many see in this city when new things are mentioned/presented but he did not state this..my observation and conclusion after asking a few questions.
One thing I came away with from it was "what took so long" for the city to have an organization like this?? I just never realized how far behind this city is in doing things..no wonder the Chamber of Commerce never got back to me..they just do not do business with anyone that doesn't hold their hat for them??
Shit..I just had 1000+ rooms rented in Barnstable, West Yarmouth and packed restaurants, cafes and pubs and all I brought in was a little ole marathon??? And I financed and promoted myself:>)
A young guy...well dressed..seems to know his stuff..we all wished him well:>)
Good to hear some good things about Destination Worcester. Paul, can you believe the Worcester Chamber of Commerce said nothing about absentee landlords needing to register their properties and have annual inspections?
Think about it real estate may be one of the biggest business in Worcester and the Chamber is silent.
it was a low key good introduction.. it was just very surprising that it is in the "early stages"..I just assumed this was something that was happening and on-going..what does the Worcester Chamber of Commerce do?
I once suggested to some of the powers to be that they place a billboard on the southeast expressway...
Cost of a three deckah in Greater Boston $500K+, Cost in Worcester $200K
Commute to Boston from anywhere in Boston during rush hour 1 Hour, Commute from Worcester during rush hour 1 hour:>)
Worcester does a horrendous job of promoting itself..it is as if they really do not want anyone coming here..one of Tim Murray's strengths
Paulie:
Once per year the Chamber stand up at tax time complains about the dual tax rate and how it hurts the commercial base. Every once in a while if you flip through the channels, you catch their informercial.
Other then that they do absolutely nothing to help the businesses in the City of Worcester.
Bill;
drive up and down Chandler..it is a disgrace..maybe two business's out cleaning up in front of their places..some of these business should be having a difficult time..who would want to walk into any of them when it looks like a shithole outside..I understand that the debris is not generatated from the local biz most of the time..but making sure that the entrance to ones place is spiffy is the cost of doing business..plain and simple!
Go to vibrant business districts and you don't see this..go to dumpy ones and you do..Chandler Street is a dumpy business zone
Rumor mill says Amity's joining the exodus.
They should after what they did to George Macuen and Aero Connection
They both got taken to the "CLEANERS"
They both got taken to the "CLEANERS"
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