Column -- 'Dead Mall' Drama Won't Die

No matter how hard they try, the Board of Supervisors can't rinse away the soap opera.

The public just won't let go of Linn and Dale West and Steve and Barry.

They're captivated by the plot, and all that free parking.

No matter what our supervisors do to convince folks to fall in love with the idea of spending $12 million fixing up that sturdy old Administrative Office Building, the “dead mall” won't die. It's like a spacious, convenient zombie.

The Gazette's Adam Belz caught us up on the plot twists Sunday. The public and a fair number of county employees would like to make temporary Linn West, in the old Steve and Barry's store, into Linn Permanent. They like that one-stop county shop.

But most supervisors see Linn West as a decaying boondoggle. They want to add a new floor to a reconfigured AOB. And they're hoping to get a fat state I-Jobs award to help make it happen.

Option one is popular. Option two? Not so much. So why are popularly elected supervisors so intent on picking not popular?

“Most people who come through this building and most people who see this building don't have all the information that the board has,” Supervisor Linda Langston said.

If only people were as smart as the board, they'd immediately see the folly of Linn, Steve and Barry. If only we had more insight into what the insiders know is lurking inside that mall.

But just how smart is the board? There is no comprehensive analysis on how much - exactly - it would cost to make Linn West into Linn Permanent.

Instead, officials keep applying a $100 per-square-foot AOB renovation cost to Linn West.

But what does that tell us?

Not much, but it provides a big price tag and a quick excuse for option dismissal. Supervisor Brent Oleson has, correctly, questioned the accuracy of this fast and fuzzy estimate.

You may remember that supervisors also were careful not to mention Westdale in a citizen survey on county buildings. And it's this game of keep-away that is really why Westdale won't die. People know when they're getting the brush off. They don't like it.

And if they don't have enough information, who is to blame?

Dismissing a popular option without solid analysis is going to come back to bite this board, especially if I-Jobs doesn't come through and local tax dollars come into play.

The unyielding may be asking the uninformed to pay for the unpopular. What a plot twist.

Todd Dorman's column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Contact the writer at (319) 398-1452 or todd.dorman@gazcomm.com