July 28, 2006
. . . And The Reek Goes On
Okay, maybe next week. Or the next . . . Photo taken July 22, 2006.
[What follows is an update to this posting.]
by Jerome du Bois
Told ya, told ya, now we gotta scold ya.
From today's Arizona Republic:
DOWNTOWN - The Bentley Projects, one of the city's prime examples of downtown redevelopment, will remain closed at least through this weekend.
Big surprise!
The city shut down the historic building last Friday because of concerns about the building's safety, including serious electrical and structural problems and exits that are not clearly marked.
"We aren't going to be open this weekend, but we are working with the city . . . moving ahead as quickly as possible," a Bentley Projects spokesman said Thursday. "We've been able to get permits for some of the work the city requires."
Who is this spokesman, and why is he hiding behind, as the cliché goes, a cloak of anonymity? And if they have been able to get some permits within a week, why not eighteen months ago, when they should have? I'll tell you why: because they didn't think they had to bother. They thought they could shine the city on.
But the downtime is taking its toll on the business owners at the complex at 215 E. Grant St.
The Poisoned Pen bookstore and the Arcadia Farms City Bakery share the space with the Bentley Projects, one of the largest art galleries in the Southwest.
"We're losing sales every day," said David Strang, manager of the Poisoned Pen. "That's a tough one."
Brother, you asked for it; now you have to eat it.
Strang said he has events scheduled for the coming week and hopes the bookstore can open by then.
But it's unclear when the complex will reopen.
"We really don't know," said Anne Sobczak of the Development Services Department. She said city staff members have been meeting with the owners and their contractors every day this week.
Every day. Talk about special treatment. So the DSD, which probably has a lot of other work to do, must cater to these spoiled brats, who apparently couldn't find their asses if you gave them a mirror on a stick. "Listen carefully: this document is called a Certificate of Occupancy. Repeat after me . . ."
Mayor Phil Gordon said the Bentley Gallery is a "great asset and exactly what downtown Phoenix needs . . . We'll be working diligently to make sure they open as soon as possible without sacrificing public safety."
I guess Bentley Dillard --or sometimes Bentley Calverley, it depends on who you read-- got on the horn to the mayor, who obediently stamped out this boilerplate. Why should the city be working diligently? It's the gallery which should have done its due diligence before it opened. Again, they thought their cachet could carry them. The mayor may be impressed, but the inspectors see past the shine.
It wasn't until the owners applied for sign permits last year that city officials noticed that the building did not have a certificate of occupancy.
No matter what city officials "noticed," and when, the point is not to see what you can get away with; the point is protecting your patrons. Jeebus, even the Ice House, another "historic" building, manages to be in compliance with city codes. If they can do it, so can Bentley Projects --and should have been, for the past eighteen months. Instead, every time they hosted a party there, they put the occupants at risk. They could have used some of the $3500 they charge for each event to get up to code, but instead they used it for other things more important to them than public safety.
Posted by Jerome at July 28, 2006 01:40 PM | TrackBack