Below is a letter from Geoff Thompson, owner of The View Point Inn which pretty much sums things up for him and his dream. However, I am hoping there is still light at the end of the tunnel for The Inn, and Geoff as well.
Dear all,
Yesterday marked three weeks since the fire of 2011. First of all let me say, I Geoff Thompson take one hundred percent responsibility for the situation that we find ourselves in. I am deeply sorrowful and crushed for jeopardizing the security of the Inn, relationships with our customers and friends, and obliterating the dreams of brides who had scheduled their weddings here at The View Point Inn.
I wanted to recap the series of events leading up to where we are at today:
As many of you may or may not know, it has been a very, very long journey for me at this Inn. Nearly fifteen years of my life fighting to save history. No one has asked me to do it. The View Point Inn is plain and simply and has always been in my heart and soul. My partner Angelo and I spent nearly one million dollars fighting the US Forest Service. The Columbia River Gorge Commission, Multnomah County and Friends of the Gorge.
We finally opened on Memorial Day 2007. Virtually broke at that time. But hey, we kept going through one rough economy. We kept going through a kitchen fire. We kept going through lots of changes in staff. We kept going. Where there was a will there was a way. We kept going.
With tremendous support from customers, light at the end of the tunnel with a change in our economy, and this our best year yet for weddings, private parties and banquets, season five looked like our year Then on July 10th, at approximately 11:30 a.m. a cinder from the chimney landed on the roof and poof.
In June, I had filed a Chapter 11 to reorganize my debt and provide breathing room for the View Point Inn to finally flourish Due to cash flow issues, there was a lapse in payment of the insurance premium. So to add insult to injury, # 1 the fire, # 2 no insurance, #3 no insurance would automatically dismiss a chapter 11. On the morning of July 14th We received a call from Home Depot wanting to donate the materials to rebuild, also Vanguard Restoration, who had already by July 2oth donated nearly $20,0000 of labor and materials to cleanup from the fire made a commitment to raise $1 million. Armed with that information, my attorney Ted Troutman and I asked for dismissal of my bankruptcy We felt with Home Depot, Vanguard Restoration, our supporters and even a radio station as far away as Australia raising money for the rebuild, we had a chance to rise again. Unfortunately, State Representative Matthew Wand, also an attorney representing three creditors, one of which is his uncle Dick Wand of Dick Want Construction, aggressively asked the bankruptcy trustee to put me into a Chapter 7. That request was granted, and I was ordered to turn over the keys to The View Point Inn on Friday July 15th. Had I not been put into a Chapter 7, we could and would be opening and operating today. Even Multnomah County and the State of Oregon were doing everything they could to get us back open no matter what.
So I take one hundred percent responsibility for the situation that I find myself in. One hundred percent responsibility. Imagine if State Representative Matthew Wand would have done everything in his power to help up secure a small business loan, to consolidate debt, to make much needed repairs and improvements to The View Point Inn and have a little bit of operating capital. There could be a happy ending to this story. And there still might be, however, my journey at The View Point Inn is now over. There have been a lot of angry brides, angry customers, people standing back pointing their finger in judgment, but the supporters eclipse the haters. So once again I am extremely sorry to those who have been hurt by my actions and my hope is that when wounds heal people will see that I truly gave my heart and soul, as did my partner Angelo Simione, and Calvin Myers to The View Point Inn.
Sincerely,
Geoff Thompson.
Another Letter is another video diary of Geoff trying to get the President of The United States attention on this issue. Geoff's perseverance and tenacity in light of his tragedy is very inspiring to me. I applause him for his never surrender, never give up attitude he has maintained in all this and never once, NOT taking ownership for what has happened. Some of you may think he is finger pointing, through all his letters and video dairies, I feel he is just simply stating his case as to what led up to him losing his dream. I am not trying to take a side here of any one persons. I am simply on the side of The View Point Inn which needs our help no matter who owns it!
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