Nik Wallenda is quite possibly the most famous tight rope walker ever.
He holds 11 Guinness world records for his exploits navigating a tight rope across spans including Niagara Falls, a volcano, and a portion of the Grand Canyon.
Wallenda’s resolve to never fall on either side of the metal high wire is legendary and admirable.
Perhaps the Town of Highlands should call Wallenda for a consultation.
During the February workshop prior to the board of commissioners meeting the topic was business/town relations and there were many opinions. The trouble for the town is simple, how does the town promote business growth in general without playing favorites for specific businesses or sectors?
It’s human nature for business owners to want what is best for their individual endeavor. A business owner may want a bigger sign, some fancy lights, better parking, outdoor seating, or any other number of things that do not fall within current town regulations.
The town can not simply start granting “variances” or bowing to those individual requests. Whether a business is a mom-and-pop shop or a multi-million-dollar corporate entity, the playing field needs to be level.
If the town were to allow one business to paint its building flamingo pink, for example, they would not be able to deny the next request for another unapproved paint color. If one business gets a big lighted sign, every business can then get a big lighted sign, etc.
Does the Town of Highlands have rules and regulations that are too stringent? – Very possibly.
Can the town do better when it comes to listening to concerns from the business community collectively? – Absolutely.
There should be continued dialogue between business owners, the town board, and town staff, and the board should be open to ideas that foster a more positive business environment as a whole, without making exceptions for specific businesses.
It’s a tight rope the board stepped onto during the workshop, now they must maintain their balance.