PAXTON'S FOLLY IN PADUCAH!

Well, they have dragged out the old wind-bag and inflated it up for the 2012 Quilt Show in Paducah, KY. NO, I am not talking about old mayor Piehole Paxton. I am talking about that million dollar FIASCO of a FOLLY that Paxton orchestrated when he led the city of Paducah to purchasing that inflatable "tent" for use in the Quilt Show in Paducah.

Piehole has never shown restraint when it comes to spending the taxpayer's money, but this folly that he led has cost thousands upon thousands of dollars, all paid for by the good taxpayers of Paducah. It cost more than a million dollars to purchase this "tent" and that was just the start of it. A huge, very expensive, concrete foundation had to be constructed for this flimsy thing and specially constructed entrance/exits had to be built that cost really big bucks. Then there are huge fans that have to run constantly to keep the whole thing propped up. Also special portable bathrooms have to be used for the structure. And it costs thousands of dollars to put it up and thousands of dollars to take it down according to the Paducah Sun! Money, money, money down the drain.

The thing was damaged last year and that cost thousands of bucks. In fact, every single time it is put up or taken down damages the thing according to published reports in the Paducah Sun. A new permanent metal (or other type) building could have been built on that site for a lot less money complete with inside bathrooms.

What in the world was Piehole thinking about when he came up with this cuckoo idea? What where the rest of those in charge thinking about when they agreed with him on this? This is mismanagement and stupidity to the highest degree and gives new meaning to the word folly. That is exactly what this is and that is Paxton's Folly. It's a big one that will be long remembered!

This "tent" has been laughed at, ridiculed in just about every way possible. But wait, perhaps it did help keep the Quilt Show here. The problem is at what cost???

Paducah has a long history of crazy schemes and mismanaged decisions. The Executive Inn was a prime example of that. That building was constructed in the 1980's and that is far from old for a building and the Paducah Sun was cheering the decision to tear down the "aging" structure which should have never been built behind the floodwall (or even in Paducah) in the first place. You are talking about millions of dollars wasted with that fiasco and we still see the same kind of crap going on with this dome, the failed artist relocation program, etc.

Piehole tried hard to go against the vast majority of citizens and push (and I do mean PUSH) his vision of how the Paducah riverfront should be. He wanted to close off the end of Broadway which was overwhelmingly opposed by the population and that was prevented only by the discovery of endangered mussels along the shoreline at the riverfront. What else Paxton and his crew have planned for the riverfront remains to be seen, but you can be sure they have an agenda!

The Paducah Sun leaped to the defense of the Mayor by trying to minimize the value of the aquatic marine life and saying in effect that progress should not be held back because of some "dubious" life-forms. Now that project has had to be moved further down the riverbank but from what I understand is if anyone complains about the threat to the river mussels, then this could delay the Paxton agenda with the riverfront. That would be a shame wouldn't it?

Mayor Piehole is now trying his very best to get "a hotel or two" for Paducah in order to keep the Quilt Show in Paducah. If that is accomplished we can only hope that those structures last longer than the Executive Inn which was only 20 some odd years old when it was razed.  That is hardly old for a building.

In any event, when the Quilt Show ends, after a certain amount of time it will be time for thinking about retiring that quivering, flapping old wind-bag and let it rest once again. And NO, this time I am NOT talking about the "dome!"