It was disheartening to learn this morning that the owners of the Holiday Inn Executive Center and EXPO have turned their property over to their lenders and will be leaving Columbia permanently.
This is, perhaps, the biggest economic casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic in Boone County. Some will undoubtedly shrug their shoulders and say, "no big deal...I never stayed there." But if you take a closer look, I think any rational person would conclude that our community is going to be impacted by this development in significant ways:
-the owners of this hotel paid $336,052.38 in Boone County property taxes last year.
-86% of these taxes, or $289,005.04, went directly to Columbia Public Schools. That's right, a nearly $300K hit to our local schools.
-the Executive Center paid nearly $30,000 a month to the City of Columbia for utilities, alone.
-the Executive Center which employed 250 employees at this time last year, now only employs 30 people.
-many of the conferences and conventions originally scheduled to be held this year at the Executive Center moved their events to Jefferson City and the Lake of the Ozarks because these types of events were not allowed in Columbia due to the health orders issued by the Health Department and the Columbia City Council.
-one of the owners of this hotel, Ed Baker, told me that he had attempted to meet with City and Health Department leaders but they had refused to meet with him. This is unfortunate, because whether or not you agree with Mr. Baker, he deserved the opportunity to express his grievances with elected and appointed officials. He actually has a constitutional right. Did you know that most of your elected officials, including your County Commissioners, are sworn in to uphold the Constitution of the United States?
-the economic impact from this hotel and its conventions on our community is estimated to be $72 million annually. Meanwhile, city leaders are scrambling to find the money necessary to put more police officers on the street and pick up curbside recycling.
The question that I think deserves to be asked is this: Has Boone County and the City of Columbia overreacted with their health orders as they pertain to local businesses?
You must decide based on facts, not emotions or fear.
Let's give this conversation some important context by looking at the infection rates of the counties who have taken away tens of millions of Boone County's convention and meetings dollars in recent months:
Cole County (population of 76,745 with 2,477 COVID cases) 3.2%
Miller County (population of 25,336 with 749 COVID cases) 2.9%
Osage County (population of 13,615 with 397 COVID cases) 2.9%
Now compare those numbers to Boone County:
(population of 180,463 with 5,600 COVID cases) 3.1%
If you follow SCIENCE, study the numbers and listen to the medical professionals in our community, what conclusions can you draw from the numbers above?
The most egregious point in this entire story is that elected officials and appointed officials refused to meet with Ed Baker. In spite of his enormous economic contribution to our local economy, he was ignored. (I confirmed this fact, once again, this morning.)
In early May, I was sharply criticized for meeting with 105 local business owners to hear their grievances and concerns about the impact the health orders were having on their businesses.
I was FALSELY accused of conspiring with these business owners to sue the City of Columbia and the County Health Department. Nothing could have been further from the truth, but my anti-business opponent in the upcoming election and a group of far-left, Socialist Democrats here in Boone County continue to push the false narrative that I was "out of line" for meeting with these business owners.
I didn't apologize then and I won't apologize now. Someone needs to stand up for the very people who sponsor our childrens' little league teams, high school band concerts, the ballet and the symphony. These same people employ thousands of our neighbors. They deserve a voice in local government. We all do.
I'm afraid we haven't seen the end of this. The worse may be yet to come. Isn't it time to have an open, well-reasoned conversation about the risks vs. the rewards of re-opening our community and dropping the restrictions on local business?
Please share this message with others. The next business to close may be your favorite local restaurant or downtown boutique.
Fred Parry
This is, perhaps, the biggest economic casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic in Boone County. Some will undoubtedly shrug their shoulders and say, "no big deal...I never stayed there." But if you take a closer look, I think any rational person would conclude that our community is going to be impacted by this development in significant ways:
-the owners of this hotel paid $336,052.38 in Boone County property taxes last year.
-86% of these taxes, or $289,005.04, went directly to Columbia Public Schools. That's right, a nearly $300K hit to our local schools.
-the Executive Center paid nearly $30,000 a month to the City of Columbia for utilities, alone.
-the Executive Center which employed 250 employees at this time last year, now only employs 30 people.
-many of the conferences and conventions originally scheduled to be held this year at the Executive Center moved their events to Jefferson City and the Lake of the Ozarks because these types of events were not allowed in Columbia due to the health orders issued by the Health Department and the Columbia City Council.
-one of the owners of this hotel, Ed Baker, told me that he had attempted to meet with City and Health Department leaders but they had refused to meet with him. This is unfortunate, because whether or not you agree with Mr. Baker, he deserved the opportunity to express his grievances with elected and appointed officials. He actually has a constitutional right. Did you know that most of your elected officials, including your County Commissioners, are sworn in to uphold the Constitution of the United States?
-the economic impact from this hotel and its conventions on our community is estimated to be $72 million annually. Meanwhile, city leaders are scrambling to find the money necessary to put more police officers on the street and pick up curbside recycling.
The question that I think deserves to be asked is this: Has Boone County and the City of Columbia overreacted with their health orders as they pertain to local businesses?
You must decide based on facts, not emotions or fear.
Let's give this conversation some important context by looking at the infection rates of the counties who have taken away tens of millions of Boone County's convention and meetings dollars in recent months:
Cole County (population of 76,745 with 2,477 COVID cases) 3.2%
Miller County (population of 25,336 with 749 COVID cases) 2.9%
Osage County (population of 13,615 with 397 COVID cases) 2.9%
Now compare those numbers to Boone County:
(population of 180,463 with 5,600 COVID cases) 3.1%
If you follow SCIENCE, study the numbers and listen to the medical professionals in our community, what conclusions can you draw from the numbers above?
The most egregious point in this entire story is that elected officials and appointed officials refused to meet with Ed Baker. In spite of his enormous economic contribution to our local economy, he was ignored. (I confirmed this fact, once again, this morning.)
In early May, I was sharply criticized for meeting with 105 local business owners to hear their grievances and concerns about the impact the health orders were having on their businesses.
I was FALSELY accused of conspiring with these business owners to sue the City of Columbia and the County Health Department. Nothing could have been further from the truth, but my anti-business opponent in the upcoming election and a group of far-left, Socialist Democrats here in Boone County continue to push the false narrative that I was "out of line" for meeting with these business owners.
I didn't apologize then and I won't apologize now. Someone needs to stand up for the very people who sponsor our childrens' little league teams, high school band concerts, the ballet and the symphony. These same people employ thousands of our neighbors. They deserve a voice in local government. We all do.
I'm afraid we haven't seen the end of this. The worse may be yet to come. Isn't it time to have an open, well-reasoned conversation about the risks vs. the rewards of re-opening our community and dropping the restrictions on local business?
Please share this message with others. The next business to close may be your favorite local restaurant or downtown boutique.
Fred Parry
