Astoria City Hall is a baffling building. Built as a bank, it was adapted sort of to be the headquarters for Astoria city government. 

Renovating our City Hall and reorganizing its spaces is the smart thing to do. It will produce many efficiencies and, best of all, it will become far more accessible to the public. One of the biggest gains will be a reoriented City Council chamber that will be much more comfortable for citizens who come to observe the Council and voice their concerns. The present Council chamber is cramped and claustrophobic. 

Chelsea Garrow noted this city initiative among others in her Wednesday profile of City Manager Paul Benoit, whose to-do list is long and freighted with large items such as the hole in the Safeway block, restoration of the Astoria Public Library and the deteriorating Waldorf Hotel. In Garrows story, Benoit and Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen acknowledged they might have laid better plans and thought more about contingencies for the Safeway block.

In conversation, Benoit has said the choices and opportunities that confront Astoria make this the most promising of the citys rebirth. That is saying a lot for a town that has already had so much renovation and addition of civic furniture such as the Astoria Riverwalk.

All of this relates to economic development. In post-Industrial, Information Age America, professionals enjoy mobility that was inconceivable just decades ago. The key to beckoning those creative people is making ones city attractive physically and providing an atmosphere that nurtures arts and culture.

In the midst of a deep recession, it can be difficult to recognize the gains that Astoria has made. It is also an incorrect response to halt all spending and investment during this downturn. In fact, now is the time to invest and retool for the future.