Do the Right Thing

After Sunday, for some reason, I just didn’t have a lot of energy towards my work, which was not all there that day.

Meeting John Cavanagh, the guy I help unload and load up his plants, which all together takes about one and a half hours, pays me $50 cash. He was gone to Miami to meet with his old lady’s mother from Cuba to bring back to California for a two week stay.

Wasn’t too happy making $50 less on my take on Sunday but I do respect him and his wife and what they were doing.This week, he will be back so my enthusiasm will be back on line.

The other thing that makes me mad is that our area downtown parking lot was taken away by the owner at a rental dispute with the city.

After investigating the whole situation, the city is not doing the right thing. That lot not only has our dumpsters, extra trash cans and a dolly during the Campbell Farmers Market, our road barriers for the market are stored there. Also, a lot of the farmers use that lot Sunday for a good reason, let alone other businesses using the lot during the week.

They still have the on the wall, which is nice.

But because of this, not only were my trash cans stolen, my job required me to take care of excess garbage, which  I had to haul an extra two blocks, near the station without the extra cans to do it with. Makes my job harder. Hopefully we will resolve this matter soon. The city claimed they didn’t have the revenue for that lot. Bull.

I understand the rent was $2,200/month, which comes down to $725 a week, which comes to $104.50 a day. They could easily make that on tickets or put meters or have an attendant collect hourly fee and peole won’t mind because that lot is very convenient for many reasons.

An idea that I have is to have a Saturday Flea Market or community-type Garage Sale in that lot. Not only in that lot, but the gate near the fire station would have enough for 40 sports. At $15 a pop, that could bring in $600 a Saturday, plus some, times four Saturdays a month would be more than enough for the rent.

This thing would work because the way the economy is at right now, the little extra people could make on their junk and everyone is looking for a bargain in any way. Besides, the makes a bundle with Oktoberfest and , which uses this lot.

Here are the positive reasons the city of Campbell needs that lot:

1. Farmers Market.
2. Boogie on the Bayou.
3. Oktoberfest.
4. Other events throughout the year they use that.
5. The retailers that deliver, use that lot.
6. Customers use that lot.
7. And Sundown Cinema.

This is enough good reason for the city should consider getting this lot back. Believe me, there’s nothing but negative feedback. A petition from the people might do the trick. If you were to ask the people of Campbell if they had any ideas how to generate $104 a day, the response would be overwhelming.

How about a dollar an hour parking, $10 a day. People wouldn’t mind. It beats getting a ticket. A small donation awareness around town on the situation on the lot would probably generate more than enough, plus some and extra to repay the lot.

Come on, there are too many ways to make this thing work. It will just take a little bit of creativity. And people, good lord this is Campbell! If there ever were a close-knit community that would come together and make this vacant lot back to a positive state that would make so many people happy.

The bottom line, there is a way. Let’s do it.

The opinions expressed here are the blogger's and not necessarily those of the local editor's or anyone affiliated with Patch.