Local News: Dollar General proposed for downtown Fort Bragg location.

 

Dollar General proposed for downtown Fort Bragg location.

On August 20, 2020, local landowners Thomas and Bessie Carine filed a planning application form with the City of Fort Bragg. “The proposed project is a 9,100 +/- square foot Dollar General retail store located on 1.033- acre site, built in a single phase. The project is located at the corner of South Franklin Street and Maple Steet (APN#008-172-09-00). Loading/deliveries will occur at the north western corner of the building/site and an adequate area is provided for truck staging and movements. Operating hours are generally 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. seven days per week. There are generally six to eight employees, with four on the largest shift. The number of customers at any given time is typically in the 10-12 range.”[1]

Three trees on the currently vacant lot on the west corner of Maple and S. Franklin will be removed in order to build the project in “a single phase”. There will be a 30 car paved parking lot. The loading zone is located on the west (parking lot is approximately the size of the store building) [2]

Replaced trees are projected to include 26 fifteen gallon size trees: three Big Leaf Maples, seven Shore Pines, three Red Alders and thirteen Chitalpa. Over a hundred five gallon screening shrubs: Manzanitas, Rock Rose, Ceanothus and others. 60 plus one gallon grasses and perennials including Fuchsia and Daisy. [3]

What is Dollar General

According to Wikipedia Dollar General “began in 1939 as a family owned business called J.L. Turner and Son in Scottsville Kentucky… in 1955  the name changed to Dollar General” as of January 2020, Dollar General has 16,278 stores across the contiguous US.  Dollar General sells a wide variety of retail from name brands – Clorox, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Pepsi - as well as their generic store brand DG. Many stores carry grocery, candy, pet food, baby needs, beauty hair and skin care, makeup, housewares and laundry, towels blankets and pillows, men’s and women’s apparel. Dollar General plans to expand its produce offers nationwide.[4]

Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General are owned by the same company since 2015. The companies are now the largest dollar store operations in the country with a combined 30,000 stores in the U.S.

Criticism of Dollar Stores

“Perpetuating economic distress” while dollar stores occasionally fill a need in low income communities, they are seen not “merely a byproduct of economic distress. They’re a cause of it.”[5]

A number of cities and towns across the nation are passing laws that limit the expansion of dollar stores citing they create a “food desert”. Dollar general only offers fresh produce in 4 of its massive 47 state coverage[6]. California is not on the list of having a “fresh distribution facility” though it does boast 266 Dollar General stores.  Dollar Tree, in comparison, boasts 342 stores in California[7]. There is one already in Fort Bragg, at the Boatyard Shopping center; corner of Hwy 1 and Hwy 20.

Workers safety questionable and Sanitation Concerns.

Head of worker safety Debbie Berkowitz, who has studied workplace violence through the National Employment Law Project, says “Dollar General is a company that has a business model based on essentially breaking the law and cutting corners when it comes to basic worker safety”. [8]

“Despite receiving more than 100 safety and health violations at stores nationwide since 2010.. the company has still failed to take corrective action” says Dave Olah, director of OSHA’s Harrisburg PA Area Office.[9]

Josh Bernstein OSHA’s acting director in Fort Worth Texas says ““Dollar General stores nationwide have repeatedly been cited for exposing their workers to hazards posed by overstocking issues, while promising time and again to take corrective action, yet workers continue to be exposed to unnecessary hazards”[10]

Dollar stores across the nation appear to be infested with rodents[11] and other questionable sanitation concerns such as rotting food, live and dead mice in storage rooms, behind cash registers and droppings on shelves have led health officers to shut down dollar stores.

Glassdoor, which is an anonymous review site where employees can rate companies, gives Dollar General a 2.8 out of 5. Citing “very overworked no help from upper management” “Long hours for some, way shorter for others” “minimum wage and dirty bathrooms”[12]

Do Fort Bragg community members approve of this business model in town?

Far from the idyllic coastal getaway that many flock to, Dollar General and its various incarnations are an extremely controversial topic, with many pointing to the nationwide crisis’s of health and safety concerns, worker complaints, and the degrading of the mom and pop retail store that are the backbone of many small towns. It is a valid question, in the age of “shop local” and many of our local icons shuttering permanently, do we want to import an unrestrained amount of disposable goods into town and gain a meager 6 to 8 new local jobs? Those jobs of questionable safety and sustainability. 

Do we find ourselves needing to “keep up with the Joneses” and be like Willits and Ukiah with their access to low cost merchandise for low income town?What does that mean for Fort Bragg if we “need” another low income retail shopping center?

From the Fort Bragg City website: “Please contact Community Development at 707-961-2827 or Tsar@fortbragg.com if you are interested in more information about these projects.”[13]

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[1] https://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/View/13209/Design-Review-DR-2-20--251-South-Franklin--Dollar-General?bidId= page 1

[2] https://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/View/13209/Design-Review-DR-2-20--251-South-Franklin--Dollar-General?bidId= page 4

[3] https://city.fortbragg.com/DocumentCenter/View/13209/Design-Review-DR-2-20--251-South-Franklin--Dollar-General?bidId= page 5

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_General#Merchandise

[5] https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/19/business/dollar-general-opposition/index.html

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_General#Operations

[7] https://www.dollartree.com/locations/ca/

[8] https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/dollar-general-thriving-workers-say-they-pay-price-n1137096

[9] https://www.ehstoday.com/safety/article/21918160/willful-offender-dollar-general-on-oshas-violation-list-again

[10] https://advancedsafetyhealth.com/blog/osha-after-dollar-general-stores-again/

[11] https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190626/rodent-infestation-closes-dollar-general-in-hilltop , https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=dollar+general+rat+infestion&ia=web

[12] https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Dollar-General-Reviews-E1342.htm

[13] https://city.fortbragg.com/486/Active-Planning-Permit-Applications

ART207 FINAL

 How is the Crucifix by Coppo di Marcovaldo (Chapter 17 page 527) an example of Maniera Greca?
How does it compare to the Crucifixion from the Church of the Dormition ?
Minimum 700 words. ART207 Final Essay. 

Photo files:

Marcovaldo: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/35271748@N00/4629391275

Dormition: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/05/2f/a5/052fa5ddab61a0ab796036ee8413951b.jpg

 

Submission:

Coppo di Marcovaldo was a Florentine, a painter, prolific in the mid-13^th century. He is credited for a fusion of Italian and Byzantine styles. His particular style was to influence many generations of Italian artists. The Crucifix of this essay was done in 1274 and is displayed in the Cathedral of Pistoia. The Pistoia Cathedral is the foremost religious building in Pistoia, Tuscany, located in the center of Italy.

Surrounding the main icon, the Crucifix comprises six panels; three on each side of the Christ on the cross. They include “the Capture of Jesus, Christ in Front of the Priests, Deposition, Deposition of Jesus in the Sepulchre, The Three Marys at the Sepulchre”[1]

The Crucifix by Coppo di Marcovaldo is an example of Maniera Greca in many of its most notable characteristics.  First in the Byzantine style of a venerated icon. This piece is undoubtedly of a venerated icon. The Crucifix portrays the Christian’s Christ Jesus as he suffers on the cross near death. Jesus, born of a virgin fathered by the God himself, is arguably the most distinct and highly worshipped icon of the religion.

Next is the classical attire on disembodied figures. Classical in art is “a term generally used to refer to the style of the ancient Greek and Roman periods”[2] within this context, we shall ascertain if Marcovaldo’s imagery is adorned in classical attire. Panel top left, the capture of Jesus, has several figures clearly in ancient roman attire. The attire is simple in structure and form:“classical attire” was marked with heavily draping fabrics on both sexes, with most status classes wearing colorful clothing as dye was relatively affordable even for the lower classes.[3]

The byzantine artistic rendition of figures often includes such portraits as floating in space. This affect gives a relatively theoretical semblance; it offers no clear grounding, the artist has lofted his subjects using theatrics and irrationality, which are all very distinct features of the style Maniera Greco.

Examining the top left panel again and looking in particular at the feet positions. They are relatively on a plane, but slight variations allow and they do not appear to have a finite implied line. The feet positions also face forward, if the foot is dangling, this does give the impression of floating. The main image, the crucified Jesus, is hanging, clearly, but that there is no weight put upon his limbs in any artistic sense also leads us to wonder, is he floating? Often the crucified renditions offer a bit of a V to the arms, and the feet have some appearance of rigidity. Neither of these real-world physiological suggestions can be made to the Jesus depicted here.

Next we will ascertain the use of gold in the painting, which is indicative also of Maniera Greca. In this painting, it is hard not to notice the extensive use of gold, as a primary color. Above and below the arms of the cross are thick lines of gold. Christ’s halo is gold. The background panels around the torso of Jesus appear as gold. Whether by design or proximity the body of Jesus has a golden hue.

The 13^th century introduction in Italian art was the propensity to stylize light. Shading and highlights were pronounced in Maniera Greca. In the crucifix, we can see this predominately in the loin cloth worn around Jesus’ waist. Almost cartoonish in severity between light and dark, renders the light in a unique way; almost no part of the painting makes use of such heavy highlight and shading except the loin cloth. The resurrection panel at bottom right has the similar color blue with less severe highlighting, as well as the bottom left panel, the disposition at the cross; again, a blue cloth. I find this odd, since the artist is quite skilled at this use, yet it is sparingly done to the point of where we do see it predominantly is almost out of place. Why go through the extraordinary effort of the loin cloth alone? Why draw attention to that portion and not any other. The cloaks and togas of the figures at the top panels could very well have some of the lighting but they do not. The actual flesh of the Jesus has very soft use of highlighting, it is not pulled to the stark white, nor should it be.

Finally we can’t help but distinguish this piece for its use of elongated form. Jesus is impossibly long of limbs. Considering his otherwise discomforting body position, his hands might be the first place we realize that this overall form is much elongated. That his hands are the length of his entire head is a physical rarity, in that hands, in reality, are only about ¾ the length of a head. That his arms, if they were at rest, would touch his knees is also unusual; most ands rest just below the hipbone, about halfway down to the knees.

We will now compare the Marovaldo piece to the Crucifixion from a crucifixion scene at Church of the Dormition.

The Church of Dormition is located in Daphne Greece and features some of the era’s most famous mosaics. The unusually bright gold glass used predominantly in the monastery is thought to have been made on site for the mosaics’ creation. The artist is an unknown from the Byzantine era of early 11^th century. The mosaics of the Dormition are generally thought to have been a return to classical traditions in that they were created during a “renaissance in culture art” and the adornment was greatly inspired by the times. They are considered “particular grand specimens of Byzantine art in general”[4]

Classical Attire: Yes. Both feature the GrecoRoman style of draped togas.
Veneration of Icons: Yes. The frontal figure is Christ Jesus.
Floating in Space: No, the Dormition mosaic has planted feet, indicative of standing on firm ground.

Use of Gold: Yes. The background of both are gold, the mosaic exclusive of other colors.
Contrasts in Shading and highlight: No. The Mosaic, though makes use of shading in the folds of cloth, does not make use of intense highlighting that the Marovaldo does.

Elongated form: No, the Dormition mosaic has physically proportioned human figures.

This concludes the examination of the Marcovaldo Crucifix as it represents Maniero Greca and the comparison of it and the Crucifixion from the Church of the Dormition.

Photo files:

Marcovaldo: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/35271748@N00/4629391275

Dormition: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/05/2f/a5/052fa5ddab61a0ab796036ee8413951b.jpg

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[1] https://www.triposo.com/poi/W__61682813

[2] https://www.catawiki.com/stories/5875-what-is-classical-art

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_ancient_Rome

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphni_Monastery#Mosaics

ART207 Short Essay on restoring Notre Dame

 

Assignment intro: 

"In the spring of 2019, a massive fire destroyed large portions of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  Efforts are underway to clear the damage and rebuild. ...  So what does it mean "restore" to its original character?  Is it possible to bring back something that old and is there anything problematic about "updating" the structure?"

Submission:

 

As Victor Hugo recounted in 1831, he disparaged that architects had changed the Notre Dame. There was lament about changes to the cathedral in 1859. What IF Abbot Sugar’s design for the St. Denis had not innovated. Sugar contends that the older building was inadequate to accommodate the crowds of pilgrims who arrived on feast days” and in general “and too modest to express the importance of the saint himself.” (pg 509) We don’t criticize the building now, the innovations made in 1130. if we needed to rebuild it and decided to rebuild it the specifications that it had in the 5^th century, we would be going backwards, according to our current modal.

Who is to say the Abbey at St. Denis is better with the 5^th century specs versus the 11^th century specs? If we need to rebuild it, now in the 20^th century, the inhabitants of the 40^th century, what would they see, and which version would they wish to praise as current, or ancient.

The Notre Dame is a powerfully famous Cathedral and a “near-perfect embodiment of Gothic style” (pg 513). But why are we clinging desperately to buildings that stand for a religion that put to death an untold number of innocents because they believed something different.[3] NPR reporter’s Bruno and Boelpaep say “Actress Pamela Anderson said she had attended a gala raising money for "children suffering in Marseille" this week when a "big surprise auction item" came up raising funds to rebuild the Notre-Dame. "I hope they will reconsider and give to where it is needed," she added.

At the weekend, yellow-vest demonstrators complained at the ease with which corporations and wealthy individuals had raised money for a building but had ignored months of protests against the high cost of living.“[1]

While I enjoy art and I do not see benefit in destroying something wantonly, I do not see putting art or architecture above the value of lives. Each life is an opportunity to advance our species to live, to cure disease, to be the next Michelangelo, the next Maria Curie, another Rosa Parks, a Gandhi. We value immaterial above human life, we set stone and accept suffering. What would 1 billion dollars do for the environment? We fund religiosity at the drop of a match but defund ecology as 80,000 acres have Amazon are gone; burned and forever gone[2]. This blue green marble in space is a priceless piece of history and art, it is covered with debris, and smoking, just in a bigger scale. There is something problematic about where our loyalty lies. Some things may be meant to die, like a stone building. Aren’t we focusing too much energy on keeping the wrong things alive?

 

[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48039770

[2] https://www.thecut.com/2019/08/how-much-of-the-amazon-rainforest-has-burned.html

[3] https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Death_toll_of_Christianity