The Columbian blows it on the Amphitheater: In Our View - Amphitheater Woes

In the sock-puppet world of The Columbian, up is down and down is up.

Q-Prime got hosed on the deal; an outcome Paul Allen apparently foresaw when he pulled out of the fairgrounds project.

Now, Q-Prime is sniveling about the deal they agreed to and they want it renegotiated.

I say, bull. As I stated here: The people in the area… who ARE important… who DO matter… don’t want the damned thing there anyway. If Q-Prime can’t live up to their contract terms, then the county gets a free Amphitheater. And then, hopefully, the message is sent out: when you make an agreement with the people of Clark County, you’d better expect to live by it. Because you do NOT get any do-overs.

The Columbian, BEING The Columbian, one of the organizations cheerleading FOR the Amphitheater, are now loath to admit how wrong they were… how bad this idea, in fact, was; how shortsighted their support was. You know, not unlike their idiotic support at the expense of the people of this county for the downtown hotel and convention center? Kind of like their idiotic support of loot rail? Support for public stupidity like that?

There is only ONE way this contract can be renegotiated, and that is AGAINST the best interests of the people of this county generally and the Fairgrounds Neighborhood specifically.

The County has already reneged on their “no-traffic-through-the-neighborhoods” promise. ANYTHING else they give up can only hurt the people of that neighborhood further… all in the name of enriching a few out-of-area owners.

The neighborhood association was RIGHT, the Columbian and the commissioners were WRONG and the only remaining question is this: can they be adults and admit it?

The County has shown their incompetence in the Cowlitz MOU, the County has shown what great managers they are by having the foresight to take the Ridgefield golf course off that city’s hands… so the County can lose $600,000 per year running it.

When it comes to the County running or negotiating with business, they’ve shown a remarkable capacity for, well, bad juju. And this case is no different.

Q-Prime agreed to the terms of the contract. That they were stupid enough to do so isn’t our problem. And the Commissioners have no need to MAKE it our problem.



In Our View - Amphitheater Woes
Tuesday, May 3, 2005Columbian editorial writers

After learning how bad things have been for The Amphitheater at Clark County, it's tempting to say, "Tough luck. But you made your bed, now sleep in it."

After all, the amphitheater is a private, for-profit business owned by New York City-based Q Prime. No one held a gun to anyone's head forcing the company to enter the bidding war when Clark County wanted someone to build and operate a first-class venue at the fairgrounds one that would attract patrons from at least five counties in two states to see and hear big-name national entertainers.

But the bubble never really formed before it burst. Last year, the first full season for the amphitheater, was "a complete disaster," its chief executive officer, Dan Braun, said. He told reporter Brett Oppegaard for an eye-opening story in Sunday's Columbian that 2004 "was as bad as bad can be. Less strong people would be out of business."

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