David A. Greene wrote:
We have a whole grid of streets -- a huge capacity that is being
wasted. The Project for Public Spaces report at www.stride-mn.org
correctly points out that isolated thoroughfairs are a suburban
idea that's been proven detrimental to building community. They
separate people and turn our neighborhoods into de facto expressways.
WM: The PPS report talks about "isolated thoroughfares". That is not what we are dealing with. Also, it's a combination of suburban features that contrasts to cities--like having fewer sidewalks, many dead end streets, and garages on the front of the houses instead of porches.
With much understanding and respect, I ask the "old timers" to
consider that their voices are not the only ones worth listening
to.
WM: I make no claim to old-timerdom since I have neighbors in their 70s who've lived here all their lives. However, I do ask for their memories and their notions. Here we have been known to call them "the old heads." I advocate that the young heads also put energy into these projects. The I35 project and the Lake St. repaving project are both the result of studies done from the sixties through the early 90s, the last one of which we paid very handsomely for through NRP money.
This current process dates from 1994. With much fol-de-rol, rah rah, and NRP we have gotten several neighborhoods to cooperate and produce this set of drawings to be funded and built beginning in 2005. What grinds my grits is to have people step in in the 9th year of the process and want to change everything, from the county engineer, the organizing/money-raising firm, the engineers and architects firms, and on down so that a different notion of how this might be done can be initiated. In other words, having invested time and attention for 10 years, I want to see the darn thing finished. And, I do resent having a few folks imply conspiracies, underhandedness, and general un-American sentiments to all of us who have sat through the nine zillion meetings, phone calls, make nice parties, lobbying, etc. ad infinitum that were required to get to this juncture.
We all have a stake in Lake Street, not just those who have
lived around it for 30 years. One cannot dismiss the viewpoints
of others by applying the "johnny come lately" argument.
WM See above.
I was very upset by the poster (Wizard Marks?) who criticized the Public Spaces report as too late to be relevant and flamed the person who referenced it for not coming to PAC meetings.
WM: See above.
I just moved to
the area and didn't have the opportunity to participate in the earlier stages. Does that mean my voice doesn't count?
WM: No, it does not mean that your voice doesn't count. But you also have to accept that we cannot go back to the starting point and re-do the ten years of work.
WizardMarks, Central
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