NEVER A DULL MOMENT

     Never a dull moment in the Village.  Take, for instance, our new marketing scheme: Discovery Center. Open a store-front in downtown Hot Springs. Invite vacationers out for a look. It was so successful we closed it. Probably too many people waiting in line. They moved it out to the East gate. That should help with the lines. Called a huge success by management. Gives success a whole new meaning. No numbers or any meaningful data. Just a success.

     The gate fiasco is solved. Someone apparently didn’t do enough due diligence. The company couldn’t deliver. The question becomes: did management? Deliver? I’ve heard rumors they couldn’t decide which cartoon figure to put on the sticker.  I would have suggested Goofy.

      As described in an e-mail, our long and short term decisions will be met by: 1. Protecting current value. 2. Building new value. 3. Meeting day to day service needs. Clearly a corporate agenda. Raise stock value and spend the dividends on anything that looks like progress.  A Chamber of Commerce declaration of intent. And as described, our biggest success to date regarding the CMP: reflective strips down Desoto. I would have made that suggestion for half the price.

     Now a group of people putting together “We the People. For the People.” Concern over the comprehensive plan and its implementation. Three public forums scheduled:  August 23, Sept. 26, and Oct. 24, 5:30-7:30 at Coronado Center. I hate to express doubt in something we just paid $500,000 for. But I totally agree. Running Hot Springs Village as a corporation is wrong. On many levels.

      To share a quote: “Unity is not the opposite of division. Collaboration is.” Actually, unity is the opposite of division. (Webster). Unity is not some type of abstract sameness. It is forged in solidarity for the common good.