On June 23, the Department of Transportation (WisDOT) preemptively ruled
that the south access path to the Military Ridge State Trail bridge over
McKee Rd shall be constructed east of the bridge, over the objections of
many future trail users and the owners of Midwest Decorative Stone, the
adjacent business. This was done to permit space in the 100'-wide
corridor, owned along this stretch by the City of Fitchburg, to be sold
to General Beverage for employee parking.
This was not withstanding that many of you spoke and registered in
opposition to this decision at a meeting of the Fitchburg Common Council
on June 24, where the Council was to make a decision.
*Tonight* the Fitchburg Plan Commission will hear a request from the
City to move a portion of the trail itself to the eastern edge of the
corridor for the same purpose: to sell city trail property, purchased in
part by state Stewardship funds, to be sold to General Beverage for
employee parking. A "conditional use" permit is required for this
design change because of impact to minor wetlands along the corridor.
Advocates for active transportation, recreation, the state trails
system, climate protection, health, equity, and open government should
be outraged. Please come to the Plan Commission meeting tonight to speak
against this application. Transportation corridors must *not* be sold
to private interests for parking! Bring torches and pitchforks! (If
you are uncomfortable with speaking at public meetings, come and
register in opposition.)
Whether or not you can attend the meeting tonight, please write to the
members of the Plan Commission, explaining your own reasons that this
application should be rejected.
Plan Commissioners and staff may be reached at these addresses:
Carol Poole (chair) <[email protected]>
Ed Kinney <[email protected]>
Rachel Lee <[email protected]>
James Anderson <[email protected]>
Becky Baumbach <[email protected]>
Kathi Kilgore <[email protected]>
Tony McGrath <[email protected]>
Tom Hovel (staff) <[email protected]>
Susan Badtke (staff) <[email protected]>
Fitchburg alders and plan commissioners should take note of your input
no matter where you live, as the trail system extends from this point to
Freeport, IL, Milwaukee, Dodgeville, LaCrosse, and beyond, serving a
multi-state region for commuting, recreation, and bicycle tourism.
Reasons to reject the application include:
- The Common Council has not decided to, or even debated the idea
of, selling this land.
- WisDOT has not proven, or even stated, that the Verona/McKee
interchange cannot redesigned to use less General Beverage land.
- General Beverage hasn't considered any other way to get their
employees to work beyond letting them park by the front door.
- By ordinance, a conditional use may only be granted if "(a) The
road cannot, as a practical matter, be located outside the wetland".
But there will be no wetland impact if the original design is used, with
the path centered in the corridor.
- This action would set a dangerous precedent, rerouting a direct,
public transportation corridor around a proposed private use.
Details of the proposal are pp. 9-12 (staff memo) and 76-86
(application) the Plan Commission packet for tonight's meeting, a
20Mbyte PDF file at
http://wi-fitchburg.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/633?fileID=9049.
You can e-mail me today any questions you have if you're planning to
testify tonight.
--
Steve Arnold, Fitchburg Alder, District 4, Seat 7
2530 Targhee Street, Fitchburg, Wisconsin 53711-5491
Telephone +1 608 278 7700 · Facsimile +1 608 278 7701
[email protected] · http://Arnold.US
Become a supporter: like http://facebook.com/ArnoldforAlder.
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