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[Spicoli]

The bottom line is that the U.S. can't compete with third-world  countries due to their low wages, no regulations, govt. subsidies, etc.

Tariffs anyone?

Have you noticed how politicians these days never miss a chance to drum into our heads the phrase "we're in a global economy now"?  We are only in a global economy now because our govt. chooses to be, IMO.

You can go to Walmart and pay a low price for Chinese crap or go to Kmart and pay a high price for the same Chinese crap, so it doesn't matter where you go.

Sharon is in a downward spiral and there's not much anybody can do. 

If only Sharon had a piano bar and some lofts, it might be able to turn things around.

[JimV]

I agree with some of what you have posted... but
 
Your 2 visits sucked at the establishment is your personal story.

 
I guess I thought it was relevant to the discussion (the business--like the VGHF--failed because it was a poor business, not because of its location or any government intrusion), but upon further review, it wasn't.  I may have been enjoying a little spiced rum as I was typing last night. 
 

I think it wasn't so much that Lucas was bad in all things....I think we had a history of BAD for decades and MY personal opinion...it will continue, however.... I think the intent was about what I was trying to say.... If the "error" wasn't life threatening..I think some discretion was due. BS regulations as opposed to those that are OBVIOUSLY and Immediate life threatening corrections I understand. I think a business, albeit bad by your standards should have the benefit of the doubt and allowed to do what it does... do business. We get too picky. Hey... I have my druthers as well...I won't eat at Applebees ever again and I know a lot of people who won't eat at the Golden Corral but..I don't think it is because something was 1/2 inch off. How long did we wait for the 3 plus inches on the Viaduct... Someone has to lighten up some of the regs and allow discretion. Even Police will give you a break if you are caught speeding ( unless you are holding a beer or swearing at him or her) That can be the difference of a warning and some definite ARD plus charges.

 
I agree to an extent.  I think the requirements should be relaxed a little bit for the reuse of older structures (for example, I know of some local artisans who are very interested in purchasing and reclaiming the old Reyer's Outlet building but are being prevented from doing so because the accommodations needed to secure occupancy permits for the upper floors are prohibitively expensive).  However, Mayor Lucas's subsequent actions displayed very poor judgement.
 
 

And if it is a SCHOOL thing on Steve's T's, it all goes back to..and I went to meetings...MY opinion on destroying Case and rebuilding. Mentioned more than once was the ECONOMY and also... with money flow being a problem...tax increases, delays and tabling. I understand if that building( where Steve's was) was theirs and in that... forcing another business OUT of Sharon... I guess that makes it alright then?? Fact is... Steve's ts are in Hermitage NOW. Lets see if we can do some more of this... ( remembering Reinhardts and those in the area where the "on again off again" DONNA's DINER (mmmmm shine) is located and don't get me started on the written agreement that WINNER had with the city as to the items and projects he promised for the land formally known as Veterans Walkway. None of it either lasted long, if done at all. Progress?

 
I know of the owner of Steve's through a mutual acquaintance.  My guess is that he looked around Sharon first and couldn't find anything well-suited to his needs (don't forget, just because a space is vacant doesn't necessarily mean it's on the market and/or being offered for a reasonable rate).  Do I wish he were relocating elsewhere in the city?  Of course I do.  But then again, I wish FNB had built the "Emerald City" smack-dab in the middle of downtown Sharon too.  It's a fact of life that businesses move around, and while I feel there's more the city could do to attract them, there's only so much meddling it can do into private business actions.  (Here's one that's actually--gasp!--moving INTO Sharon from elsewhere.)

My thought on the renovation of homes is mixed.... I can appreciate the GOOD intentions of GOOD people, buying homes and fixing for their use or for GOOD Landlordship..... But for every GOOD one there seems to be those...not so much... who will buy several run down houses and PAINT the SKUNK to be rented for max and dumped when they either got their money out of it or... needs obvious repair. Drive through the blighted areas on BOTH sides of State Street Area. That is where this problem occurs the most... And there are many who want to hold onto what is theirs but eventually, those too leave.... Then we have the population..quoted many times... IN the Herald and at meetings... "We don't want poor people living "here"." Oh..I forgot to mention...that wasn't made by someone who lives in Sharon but she    has a business in Sharon. So now, where do we put them? NIMBYs are NEAT don'tcha think.

 
Agreed.  There are two big reasons for Sharon's blight issues: (1.) too many houses to begin with and (2.) bad landlords who were ENABLED by lax government (see: SEWER DEPARTMENT, 1978-2009).  There's no quick fix for either, but demolitions are helping as well as the city actually beginning to collect what it's owed.  These folks have also bought dozens of homes in the city--many from banks as well as from the most offensive landlords--and significantly improved them.
 

I do seem to agree with the rest..and it was good that Laurel stayed in Sharon if just to move into downtown.... The hall that occupied the building before, I guess had problems and now it is filled but.... now we have Hadley..... Hmmmm a SCHOOL Building  ... Oh well.

 
I remember reading that the owners of Laurel attempted to buy the Hadley building, but the sale fell through.  I have no beef with their purchasing the Rosemont--they made a huge investment in the building and their students and staff are now traveling downtown everyday rather than elsewhere.  In a nutshell, this is why I'm also supportive of Penn State Shenango growing through additional four-year programs and the development of residences (neighboring institutions like YSU and SRU are enjoying significant growth right now; I see no reason why Shenango can't go after a piece of that action).

[JimV]

The bottom line is that the U.S. can't compete with third-world  countries due to their low wages, no regulations, govt. subsidies, etc.

Tariffs anyone?

Have you noticed how politicians these days never miss a chance to drum into our heads the phrase "we're in a global economy now"?  We are only in a global economy now because our govt. chooses to be, IMO.

You can go to Walmart and pay a low price for Chinese crap or go to Kmart and pay a high price for the same Chinese crap, so it doesn't matter where you go.

Sharon is in a downward spiral and there's not much anybody can do. 

If only Sharon had a piano bar and some lofts, it might be able to turn things around.

Due in a large part the reasons you've outlined, much of AMERICA is in a downward spiral right now.  It's far from just Sharon, or Pittsburgh, or Detroit, or Vegas, or any other town.

[Lifetime]

Someone could have knocked it loose as it had been ok for all those years until now...problem solved by putting it back together.... and airing the place out...back in business in one day. I don't think it was structurally unsound so much as maybe whacked by something or somebody and not reported if known...So..Golden Corral..up and running...but what i was getting to was people feel the GC is a what they call a "tough".... so they don't care for buffet type eateries. I avoid one like the plague...I gave it two chances and ended up with food poisoning both thimes... a third is un-needed....but I do like GC.
 
And I wasn't talking about vent pipes..but I did seem to mention floors and counters...
 
 
 
The Viaduct... Well say what you will but too damned much worry and regulation to go back to the original plan...SHIM the damned thing. WE have gotten so caught up in regs and crap, we can't even use COMMON sense so time, money and manpower were WASTED. It kept someone in money but kept a part of the city almost quarantined while these "braintrusts" came to the ORIGINAL fix. DOHHHHHHHH!
 
 
And yes it is the LANDLORDS right to NOT renew...never said it wasn't. I just questioned the reasoning as per the "new school" and you are right. Many open store fronts were open in Sharon. Can you be sure that the Owner of Steve's didn't look and couldn't find a place that would suit his plans and business location??? Maybe the buildings wouldn't or couldn't support his equipment... Lotta heat and has to be a lot of electricity. Now he is on Snyder road... could be it served him as well or better than his original location before being forced to move. I don't know..I wasn't there but fact remains...Steve's is NOT in SHARON anymore. Not blaming the "landlord" just trying to figure out this need to push established business out of the city or out of business. Seems a bad BUSINESS system to me but... what do I know, I don't own a business or rental property. Just my observations, nothing more. I am still stuck on the NEED for a new school to begin with, after all it is only ...some of my tax money going into it.
 
Some plans just don't work....I saw the New Walmart being built on 18 and had to almost laugh... We lost a bank, in our Mall to have it moved near Walmart and Walmart has a bank IN it. I saw stores pop up in the plaza next to it in hopes the "rub off" factor helped... Well we can see where that business plan is... at least one empty store and not seein a long line or full lot at the others but maybe for dental work and hair done. Not to mention no one buying or leasing that huge chunk of land across the road... I thought Target might have wanted it Oh well. Sometimes the Rub Off factor doesn't work as well as it is hoped. But... that isn't Sharon so that is their problems and successes.
 
If Sharon's empty storefronts are such a bargain...why is it that what I am seeing is Tattoo Shops in and out of them.... if anything at all. All I can say is that they either cost too much for what they are or it is the area. I know a piece of land with a building ...near the Campus that had inquiries as to lease or sale. The owner wanted WAY too much and the building needed too much in repair and it sits empty and has been for years.... right on Silver... by the bridge. Wonder what the price was that was asked for the Silver Hot Dog on the bridge. I understood there were offers but... too much money. We can say things are good and it makes front page news but there is an undertow in this stream and it isn't as nice as the surface may look.
 
We can see the silver lining but we also need the tarnish removed every so often. We just don't seem to have the right rag and polish.
 
 

I know a lot of people who won't eat at the Golden Corral but..I don't think it is because something was 1/2 inch off.

The vent pipe that filled the place with CO recently was probably only a half-inch off its connection, too. Or maybe it was installed with the wrong angle or one screw too few.

How long did we wait for the 3 plus inches on the Viaduct...

Long enough to settle on an engineering solution, no matter how simple, that would assure that the defect wouldn't cause a severely shortened lifespan for the concrete deck.

I understand if that building( where Steve's was) was theirs and in that... forcing another business OUT of Sharon... I guess that makes it alright then?? Fact is... Steve's ts are in Hermitage NOW.

Fact is, a landlord exercised its legal right not to renew a lease, in this case because it apparently has a need for the space, which happens to be convenient and adjacent the existing campus.

Considering the scores of vacant buildings throughout sharon that we are always moaning about, he could have moved within the city to any of dozens of places that could be had for a song. For whatever reason, the business chose not to. Don't blame the landlord.

the written agreement that WINNER had with the city as to the items and projects he promised for the land formally known as Veterans Walkway. None of it either lasted long, if done at all.

That was a true travesty -- legit businesses WERE forced out using eminent domain, the promised development never occurred, and what did eventually go on the site has been vacant longer than operating ever since.

[Lifetime]

JimV ....we are closer than we think 

[Jayhawk]

Not blaming the "landlord" just trying to figure out this need to push established business out of the city or out of business.

Sorry, i had inferred you were saying the school district was pushing him out by (within their right) not renewing the lease.

My contention -- and you touched on it -- is that some other force is at work if a business like that can't find suitable quarters ANYWHERE within the city of sharon.

After all, Snyder Road in Hermitage is the next best thing to being in a light-industrial park with zero pedestrian traffic and next to no vehicular traffic. So either the business no longer depends on any window traffic or there is some reason why he would move to that obscure location when there has to be something suitable -- probably with retail window exposure, too -- somewhere in Sharon. (And the needs can't be THAT intense considering the T-shirt shop started in one floor of and old house then thrived in a small ex-Dairy Mart.)

It may very well be landlords' vastly overinflation vision of what their properties are worth to rent or sell. If it's that or something similar, the situation for keeping or attracting businesses in sharon can only get worse.

[JimV]

Saw in today's Herald that Council is being propositioned by an expensive consultancy firm to help with the city manager search.  Also enjoyed Councilman Palanski's lament that the search so far has only turned up two kinds of candidates: "those who have been fired and those who will be fired."  Apparently he forgot that Tom Lavorini was fired from his position in Ross Township before Sharon hired him.

[Jayhawk]

two kinds of candidates: "those who have been fired and those who will be fired."  Apparently he forgot that Tom Lavorini was fired from his position in Ross Township before Sharon hired him.

Good point. And it's not necessarily a black mark when you consider it is an at-will hiring at the will of what is often a highly political body in any town.

[Beans and Cornbread]

Why did they fire Lavorini?

[Lifetime]

Ya need to hang around more often..... He was KINDA fired.... Seems his year to move INTO Sharon came and went and his address remains ...OUTSIDE OF SHARON...and in the scheme of things, he was hired back part time as our present Council Head's "instructor". Go figure Huh?
 
 

Why did they fire Lavorini?

[Beans and Cornbread]

Sorry I meant before Sharon.

[Lifetime]

 
 
No problem....what I have been able to gleen .... he didn't work out in his last position in part because of not being able to work and play well with the Unions. I had picked up that he loved Arbitration to the point of huge bills for the service. It was the right of his last employer to tell him they no longer needed his services.... so they did. I don't think he did anything illegal, just not in line of what the Community felt it needed. He wasn't the City Manager they felt they needed.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sorry I meant before Sharon.

[Beans and Cornbread]

meanwhile he's still getting a check from us taxpayers. However we're not good enough to live next door to.