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From a reader:
If completely full 5 days a week this "new" deck will yield a return to the taxpayers of Florence on the $12.65 MILLION DOLLAR investment of $283,920.00 per year. At 70% occupancy which is the standard rate for parking decks it will yield $198,744.00 per year. It will take 63 years for the citizens of Florence to recoup our tax money. Not a very wise investment given the current deck is declared unusable at 40 years old.
We agree with 90% of this. The deck is around 45 years old. The extra parking will increase retail traffic, but how much? Most of the deck parking will be employees of downtown businesses.
But here's the biggie. Think concrete is stronger now than 50 years ago? It seems not since coal ash is not as readily available. Decreased coal ash means earlier and more cracks.
Oh, well. It's only money...our money...
The "old" deck is 45 years old. The google machine does not give the original cost of the deck but you can rest assured it was not $12.65 million even in 1979 dollars. The COST of this "new" deck is the main point. It was built at a time of unprecedented building supply cost in the middle of a pandemic. There was not an immediate need. The "old" deck had enough "parking life" left in it until it was useable until building prices stabilized. These points were made to this council and fell on deaf ears. The timing of this deck and use of Florence taxpayer money is a total waste. THIS is the point being made it seems to me. Not that another deck was unnecessary. Also, the above statement could be applied for comparison to the taxpayer cost of the proposed new city hall and the drive through station just completed for the Florence utility department too. YOUR FLORENCE TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!
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