Nickerson, Ne and the Cost of Progress

[TGHusker]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tiny-nebraska-town-1100-jobs-citing-life-38807185

 

The fine people of Nickerson, NE (I haven't been there but I assume they are fine because they are from Nebraska ) voted down the building of a poultry processing plant (and its potential 1100 jobs) in favor of keeping the status quo - a quiet, livable small down of 400 or so. The article goes on to state that not too many in the community would work at the plant. The citizens were concerned about truck traffic, smell, and immigrant workers.

 

So, if you lived in Nickerson, how would you have voted. For the plant and jobs or for the status quo.

[Moiraine]

For the 3rd question it depends on the situation.

 

I've been there. There's a reason the people who live there live there. If they want to live in a place with that type of job then they would already live there.

[C N Red]

I saw this story this morning. Good for them. I think it may be a good thing as long as it's in the contract that they have to hire people from within a certain reach of the area to work there. I wouldn't want my small town changing much either with a bunch of outsiders coming in and leaving constantly.

[TGHusker]

I go back and forth on the need for progress vs keeping the old town charm. It depends on the specific town I guess. The town has lost its school already so maybe the town is fine wt just being a bedroom community close enough to Omaha for the things it needs and yet far enough away to 'keep trouble away'. If I was responsible for growing the town and providing for the next generation of workers - then vote for progress. It appears this town is beyond that point - it has seen its better days and they just want to preserve the quality of life for those who remain and the few who may want to live there in the future. Maybe "quaintness" is progress.

.

[BigRedBuster]

I'm coming about this from a different view point. I work with local economic development.

 

On one side, I hear people in the community say....

 

1) Why can't we attract jobs?

2) Why don't kids want to stay here?

3) How can we attract people back to the area?

....etc.

 

But, then an opportunity like this comes up that would change the community and they don't want it.

 

Well.....if you want those other things, then things are going to change in your community. Communities that are 400 people and don't work to recruit jobs to the area are going to have an older and older population and ultimately keep or attract the people they want to.

 

Another thing about this is....sure, maybe the locals don't want to work at a chicken plant. However, when people come to the community that do, they will use goods and services of businesses that you WILL want to work for.

 

So....the people who voted against this, need to reconcile that yeah....their town isn't going to change but....yeah....their town isn't going to change.

[TonyStalloni]

I grew up in a small sleepy community of 1000 and when I was about 12 yrs old, IBP put in a processing plant similar to Lexington NE. It is now Tyson Foods. I remember all the fanfare of a brighter future for so many and for awhile it was rosy. Then the union asked for higher wages and IPB tried to break the union by bringing in illegals from who knows where. There was considerable violence for a year several times. Now all the Execs live in South Dakota and the town and many around there are 50% or more Hispanic, Laotian, and Vietnamese.

[HuskerShark]

I'm coming about this from a different view point. I work with local economic development.

 

On one side, I hear people in the community say....

 

1) Why can't we attract jobs?

2) Why don't kids want to stay here?

3) How can we attract people back to the area?

....etc.

 

But, then an opportunity like this comes up that would change the community and they don't want it.

 

Would you want your son or daughter to work a job like that? I know I have much higher goals for my kids than trading their whole lives away working in a factory.

[Omaha-Husker]

 

I'm coming about this from a different view point. I work with local economic development.

 

On one side, I hear people in the community say....

 

1) Why can't we attract jobs?

2) Why don't kids want to stay here?

3) How can we attract people back to the area?

....etc.

 

But, then an opportunity like this comes up that would change the community and they don't want it.

 

Would you want your son or daughter to work a job like that? I know I have much higher goals for my kids than trading their whole lives away working in a factory.

 

 

Those people working at the plant will go out to eat, shop for clothes, need their cars fixed ect. The economic impact and opportunities created go well beyond the 1100 immediate jobs at the plant.

[BigRedBuster]

 

 

I'm coming about this from a different view point. I work with local economic development.

 

On one side, I hear people in the community say....

 

1) Why can't we attract jobs?

2) Why don't kids want to stay here?

3) How can we attract people back to the area?

....etc.

 

But, then an opportunity like this comes up that would change the community and they don't want it.

Would you want your son or daughter to work a job like that? I know I have much higher goals for my kids than trading their whole lives away working in a factory.

Where did I say I did?

[JJ Husker]

All jobs are not created equal. I don't blame a small community like that for refusing a a large poultry processor or beef packer or pretty much any primarily low skill, high turnover assembly line type work. Those types of places have a detrimental effect on the quality of life in a larger town, it would absolutely destroy it in a small town. If they can get by economically with the status quo in a town of only 400, more power to them.

[funhusker]

 

I'm coming about this from a different view point. I work with local economic development.

 

On one side, I hear people in the community say....

 

1) Why can't we attract jobs?

2) Why don't kids want to stay here?

3) How can we attract people back to the area?

....etc.

 

But, then an opportunity like this comes up that would change the community and they don't want it.

 

Would you want your son or daughter to work a job like that? I know I have much higher goals for my kids than trading their whole lives away working in a factory.

 

Whose sons and daughters are going to work at all these factories that Trump will bring back? If not "ours" then it must be "theirs", but if "theirs" aren't allowed past "the wall" then it shall be "ours".

 

If it was "our" sons and daughters doing these jobs, Nickerson most likely would have approved the plant. This facility would have paid better than the local gas station. It would have paid better then the waitress at the bar. It would have paid better than most hourly positions in the entire community.

 

Not to mention the dozens of management and skilled labor jobs that are adequate for "our" children.

[Scratchtown]

I would not have voted for this. Have you driven through Gibbon before? That place smells of burning blood and nastiness daily. It's horrible. So I understand not wanting the smell.

 

This is probably more about immigrant workers than is being led on. Look at Schuyler, and Lexington. Especially Lexington, my dad grew up in Gothenburg and he always talks about how prestigious Lex was back in the day, then the packing plant came in. It's not exactly a "prestigious" town anymore.

 

Here is the one other thing about small towns especially the size of Nickerson. Most of the people there are older. Those that are older are generally the ones that have a harder time accepting immigrants or "non-white" workers.

[JJ Husker]

I've done work at the Schuyler plant and Gibbon and Lexington and most of the towns with packing houses in Nebraska and Kansas and Iowa and Colorado and quite a few in Texas. I pretty much owe my lively hood to that industry. It is not pretty when you consider what many of these towns were like before.

[funhusker]

^^^^I agree Coach!

 

If Nickerson doesn't "need" it, than more power to them for voting it down. It would change some things for the worse as well as for the better; it is up to them to weigh the options.

 

But the people who went on record as saying "as a Christian town, we don't want Somalis" along with other "bigoted" statements, it leaves a bad look for the situation. I'm all for Nickerson turning them down because they like the "cozy" little town feel, but then they also better never complain about being "cozy" again. And I don't know if they ever did complain....

[knapplc]

This is 100% about "the kind of people" these plants attract. This has nothing to do with smell or truck traffic. There's already tons of truck traffic along HWY 275 between Norfolk & Fremont, and there's already enough smell from Hormel and ADM in that area.

 

These people want jobs, but they want white-collar jobs that pay big money with none of "those people" in tow. This plant would have created at least 200 jobs making $40,000/year in that community. That's good money there. But they're delusional, and think they're going to attract "better" jobs because of reasons. Meanwhile, those jobs never come. Why would they? White collar companies, especially the tech companies this area dreams about, are about inclusion and forward-thinking people - just about exactly the opposite of the mentality of these areas.

 

Fremont and environs has a long, long history of driving business like this away. Many/most of the businesses located in the corridor between Columbus and Schuyler wanted to locate in Fremont first, but were turned down. Many of the packing plants in Norfolk and environs, Grand Island, Hastings, etc, either wanted to move there first or inquired about it, but were told no. This has led to population stagnation in Fremont going back nearly 50 years:

 

Fremont Population

1970 Census: 22,962

2010 Census: 26,397

 

Growth: 3,435 (+86 people per year)

 

For comparison, here's the population change for some of Fremont's peer towns since 1970

 

Grand Island: 32,358 (1970) 48,520 (2010) +404 people per year

Kearney: 19,181 (1970) 30,787 (2010) +291 people per year

Norfolk: 16,607 (1970) 24,210 (2010) +191 people per year

Columbus: 15,171 (1970) 22,111 (2010) +173 people per year

 

 

 

Source on beliefs of the people in this region: Grew up there. Could throw rocks at Nickerson from my front yard.