Thursday, August 03, 2006
Destination Resorts, Developers, and Big Money
Meanwhile, back in the boondocks. Around Central Oregon, “destination resort” is a magic phrase; it sems like whenever some hot-shot developer presents a plan to county commissioners that will authorize another damn destination resort, the commissioners fall on their backs and pant enthusiastically. Sometimes, I've heard, they even pee on themselves from excitement.
The jobs those places offer are not particularly good jobs: janitors, maids, gardeners, servers. Each resort gets at least one golf course. Here, in the hot dry summer, think 1,000,000 gallons of water a day. From somewhere. Traffic. Pollution. Seems like the drawbacks are very numerous.
But an article from the Big O—well, originally from the Medford Mail-Tribune—helps explain why commissioners like destination resorts so much. The last two paragraphs in the story read,
County Commissioner Dave Gilmour said he supports the concept of destination resorts, and said the county has fielded a number of inquires about them in the past year.
"There's a lot of money behind them, and if done right it could be a benefit to Jackson County," he said.
Yes, and once that money starts moving to the front, it probably gets very palsy-walsy with politicians.
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/travel/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1154589555124220.xml&storylist=ortravel
Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/
The jobs those places offer are not particularly good jobs: janitors, maids, gardeners, servers. Each resort gets at least one golf course. Here, in the hot dry summer, think 1,000,000 gallons of water a day. From somewhere. Traffic. Pollution. Seems like the drawbacks are very numerous.
But an article from the Big O—well, originally from the Medford Mail-Tribune—helps explain why commissioners like destination resorts so much. The last two paragraphs in the story read,
County Commissioner Dave Gilmour said he supports the concept of destination resorts, and said the county has fielded a number of inquires about them in the past year.
"There's a lot of money behind them, and if done right it could be a benefit to Jackson County," he said.
Yes, and once that money starts moving to the front, it probably gets very palsy-walsy with politicians.
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/travel/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1154589555124220.xml&storylist=ortravel
Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/
