Back To The Future (part 1)

 

In 1985 Dr. Emmet “Doc” Brown created a time machine that sent him and Marty McFly back to Nov 5, 1955.  The DeLorean DMC-12 was modified into a time machine powered by nuclear fission and using plutonium as fuel which generates 1.21 gigawatts of power into a device he called a flux capacitor.

 

Upon the release of the movie, much of this language was considered sci-fi jargon. Today, we speak of cars running on fuel cells, solar power, hydrogen and electricity. Automobile companies have progressed significantly and continue to research ardently toward bona fide alternatives to the petroleum based automobiles.

 

But some leaders seem content to move large sections of Norristown not forward, but “Back To The Future”.

 

I recently purchased a property unbeknownst to me in what is referred to as the “historic district”. I’m slightly familiar with the Historical Architectural Review Board and the process involved. I didn’t think there was any way this house fell into that category especially when you look at some of the other houses on the block.  

 

The plan was to replace the old, drafty, energy inefficient, wood windows with new white, clean looking, energy efficient, properly functioning windows that would enhance the living conditions for the occupants and enhance the value of both my property and surrounding properties alike. The house would be going “green” as they say.

 

Upon acquiring permits for work to be done I was enlightened about the bureaucratic quagmire of paper work and time constraints I would have to go through in order to put new windows in this house.

 

I budgeted my money for putting the windows in. I wasn’t asking for any government subsidy or program to supplement the expense. HARB has made the conversion too confiscatory to pursue. There are pages of forms to fill out, multiply copies to make and present. Then I get to wait for those in power to unleash their awe inspiring doctrine from on high bequeathing the permission to perform the task sequestered. I’m a businessman. I have to produce a profit or I go out of business. If something costs too much, I change the plan. So I’ll replace a couple of those 1/16” glass panes in the old windows, spray a little WD-40 on the sash sides and voila! You’re back in the future.

 

But that’s what we’re going for here isn’t it? HARB wants that worn out, beat down, dilapidated look that says, “Look at me. I haven’t changed my posterior in 120 years”. That’s a good look, especially when the front storm doors are missing and you get to look at raw lumber that’s been pulverized by the elements for 40 years. Don’t want to change that. The R factor on a door like that could easily be -2.3 as opposed to a new efficient door with a minimum 5 or 6 R factor.

 

This has made the decision on which mode of transportation around Norristown much easier. Instead of economical hybrid or economically gas friendly sedan, I’ll just purchase an old DeLorean DMC-12. It’ll fit with the rest of the décor in the town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back To The Future (Part 2)

 

Continuing our “Back To The Future” theme, one scene in the movie has Marty McFly playing a Chuck Berry tune while mimicking his stage antics. Chuck Berry gave us music that has stood the test of time and carved out a niche in American music history. What exactly is HARB trying to preserve on some of these streets in Norristown? Instead of a clean, modern, sleek new look and forward thinking approach, Norristown leaders are hanging on to the past. We have photos, film and museums for that.

 

Council members talk about plans to revitalize the town yet the very people that are actively trying to produce results are presented with political and financial obstacles. Seven years ago I replaced four windows and put a new storm door in the same block with the house I just purchased in the “historical district”. It was easy and produced a wonderful result. Now I have to fill out paperwork equaling the size of “Gone With The Wind” and wait for the remaking of the movie to get approval to do the same because it been deemed by someone to have historical architecture. Mission accomplished, you’ll have a house that looks just as old and worn out as it did in 1900.

 

Historical preservation shouldn’t be shunned altogether. Does every house in the HARB district have to go undergo exacting circumspection when it is visibly apparent to a blind person that some blocks have retained no historical architecture? Prudent thinking might inquire why a single person knowledgeable in this area couldn’t streamline the process and award dispensations rapidly to promote the progress so many speak about.

 

The old Ports of the World complex is now an inviting, vivacious looking piece of architecture. Would a business owner rather operate out of that building or a historical building complete with drafty windows, and cold concrete walls on a street filled with houses that will only be associated with renovation if the words occur at the same time on a scrabble board?

 

Renovations now have to have historical value, meet today’s rigorous engineering specs, be conservation friendly and still look awful enough to pass the HARB test. This task sounds better suited if we brought in Frank Lloyd Wright, Picasso, Rembrandt, Andy Warhol and Green Peace. The world around us is moving away from current and past energy addictions. This country and others around the world are looking for energy alternatives.

 

World leaders think it’s worthy to pursue alternative energy even to the point of rebates from the government to those who participate in energy conservation programs. But there are leaders in Norristown who are willing to sacrifice that path, by creating political and financial barriers with little consideration to the entrepreneur who is investing his time energy and money into improving the appearance of the town.

 

Millenials are the next generation to move through our society. We’ve all heard about the baby boomers. We’ve all seen the impact they’ve had on our country. They created and moved an economy for decades. That’s the power and influence generations can have. The Millenials generation is three times the size of the X generation and have more disposable income than previous generations. They are accustomed to new, upscale, high tech residences. How is Norristown and HARB planning on adapting to the Millenial generation? Creating complicated, time consuming, fiscally burdensome protocol in order to do the simplest of tasks will make investors look elsewhere to satisfy the wants of the next generation.

 

Is this Norristown’s leadership way of saying, “We’re just not interested in them and want to stay back in the future”?