A roll of the eyes over retreat expense; a pat on the back for fireworks

Prepare for an irony: we’re about to grouse about spending $12,000 for a retreat, and encourage the spending of three times that amount for a fireworks display ... go figure.

Remember the Bounce Back plan? We supported the community meetings and use of consultants to develop that strategy that could be referred to for pulling Marysville up by the bootstraps. Times were still tough, the outlook bleak, we all needed something to energize us and make us believe that Marysville could move ahead some day.

Much of it was laid out by the former city manager and added to after public meetings. It was overly-ambitious. And it’s collecting dust now. Still ... it got a lot of us out and about, thinking about a future for our little city and provided ample reference points for anyone looking to set some goals.

Now we’re spending $12,000 for a retreat so council members and staff members can get away for a day and set goals and strategies and ... well, what’s wrong with that? Just the price.

We’ve all been through plenty of strategic retreats and you’d think that sooner or later we’d pick up the knack for how to elicit ideas and dreams and goals from a small group, write stuff on a giant pad of paper, stick ideas up on a wall and figure out some way to reach some consensus on ideas and write up some marching orders.

Actually, $12,000 isn’t much for a consultant for a retreat. It just sort of invites a collective roll of the eyes.

A community (Yuba and Sutter combined) our size without an annual fireworks display?

Well, for good reason. The tragedy of having people seriously injured and maimed for life because of a shell landing in a crowded area and exploding near Ellis Lake ... that’s more than enough to put us all off on fireworks for a while.

It’s been more than a decade since there was a big, community fireworks show (other than occasional fireworks at the ball park and at the Sikh Temple).

Yet, we’ve often felt there was something worthwhile in a well-done community fireworks show ... there’s something symbolic about getting everyone out side and looking up all at the same time.

So good luck to Yuba County Supervisor Mike Leahy, who is trying to round up support for planning a show this year. He’s smart for getting started on it now ... it’s going to take a lot of getting used to the idea of bringing the show back. And it’s going to take some time to raise the $35,000 or so to pay for a show.

There are a bunch of details to work out, not the least of which is how to have an inspiring show and have it be safe for onlookers. Good luck.