The latest on a Cabelas Store in my town

[Washington Hunter]

Cabela’s in Lacey confronts long odds

BY CHRISTIAN HILL

THE OLYMPIAN

LACEY — The city faces long odds in its effort to secure state grant money to help land Cabela’s, the popular outdoors outfitter and tourist attraction.

Officials seek nearly $10 million from a pool of money the 2005 Legislature set aside to help pay for road and utility projects to attract new employers or retain existing ones.

The grant program has $49.5 million available starting next year. The state agency managing the program received 154 initial applications last month requesting a total of $424 million.

Formal, more detailed applications are due April 3, but the initial requests show there’s far more demand for the grant money than actual dollars.

“There’s a huge spread on the amount of requests,” said Matt Ojennus, program coordinator for the Job Development Fund. “At this point, I wouldn’t hazard a guess on how many would be going forward.”

Lacey’s request alone would commit 20 percent of the available dollars.

City Manager Greg Cuoio said the agency reacted positively to the city’s application, and he’s confident that momentum will move it forward despite the competition. The city’s staff is working on the formal application for submittal.

“I feel we have a good chance, and we’re going to give it our best shot,” he said.

A state board will review the applications and create a ranked list of the requests deserving of grant funding. Those requests will be included in the 2007-09 proposed budget for the Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development. An alternate list for $10 million also might be developed, Ojennus said.

State lawmakers will review the $49.5 million list and have the power to strike projects off, but not reorder the list.

If lawmakers decided to strike a project from the list, a project on the alternate list could move up, Ojennus explained.

The money will be distributed starting in September 2007.

Cabela’s has expressed a strong interest in property in Hawks Prairie for a $40 million store. The city is proposing $29.7 million in road and utility improvements as incentives to attract the retailer.

The state grant would cover nearly $10 million of that amount. The city and a private developer have offered to pick up the rest, with possibly Cabela’s chipping in some money. Cuoio has said the project can’t go forward without the state grant money.

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[noharleyyet]

...would this not classify Cabelas as welfare retailers?

 

[Washington Hunter]

nhy, yep I'd say you got that right!

 

[Whiskers]

I don't understand why cities court these big companies with tax breaks, free roads and maintence paid for by US. Do they really create that many good paying jobs that the locals are willing to have their taxbase raised to pay for it. Suppose all the towns would say NOPE, AIN GONNA DO IT! Would Cabelas, Walmart, KMart, etc. just quit opening new stores? I don't think so! How many acres does a Cabelas take up? Over a 100 from the stores I have seen. Even at a farm tax rate the towns would have money in their accounts, rather than spending millions, and getting nothing for several years. When the tax exemptions expire on these mega stores, what do they do, ask for more or threaten to shut down.

 

[noharleyyet]

What about pro sports stadiums?... definitely extortive...there's even super bowl facility criteria that must be met in order for a city to be selected as a game site...rich getting richer?

 

[MarvB]

...how about the cost of hosting the Olympics

 

[noharleyyet]

...or the Nat'l Endowment for the Arts, welfare research, Pissants for the Ethical Treatment of Attorneys...etc.

 

[A-con]

I think the primary reason citys court stores like cabela's is the tourist draw. People will drive for hundreds of miles just to go to a Cabela's, Pro Bass ect. While in town, they buy lunch/dinner/stay in a hotel and pay TAXs.

 

[wyomingtim]

Whiskers:

I don't know about other places, but in Cheyenne County, Nebraska (Sidney) where the headquarters is, they need to do all they can to keep it all based there. The number I heard was that approximately 40% of the county is employed by Cabela's. Don't know of the validity of the number without getting all the info and crunching it myself, but I do know that there are a LOT of people of that county employed by Cabela's.

That being said, I don't think that the larger cities need to offer all of the incentives to attract businesses, but I think that if the states want to attract biz to the more rural places for economic development, do it responsibly, not just doling it out willy nilly. Scottsbluff just got burned on a failed airline. I still don't understand what the excitement was all about. Airlines are bad business for the major carriers, let alone a company that just wants to fly from Scottsbluff to Lincoln and Omaha. Paid out about $850,000 to them.

NHY, I like that...ethical treatment of attorneys. Good one. for most in my profession, ethical treatment should be put them out of our misery.

 

[noharleyyet]

"put them out of our misery."

wyotim...well said.

 

[Elkmtb]

Bunch of people in Arlington, TX got thier house yanked from under them to build a new Cowboys stadium. I have to call BS on a corporation being able to sieze my property for private business. Many of the houses were somewhat poor that inherited or owned thier houses for over 20 years. The market rate plus $20K would even begin to buy these people a new house.

 

[wyomingtim]

But Elk, the US Supreme Court said that private property can be seized to make improvements for the good of the public. And we all know that the Supreme Court is always right, although not Right.

On a personal note, I think that if private homes are seized or forced to be sold, then compensation should be the cost of a brand new comparable (i.e. 3 br/2 ba for a 3 br/2 ba) home, plus an extra 50% just for the hassle of moving. I can understand if it was for a legitimate public purpose, but just so the city/county/state will get more revenue in taxes is not good enough in my book.