[Winona Online Democracy]
I've made my views
known on the high school remodeling project, but I want to also comment on the
process as I've seen it discussed here on WOD. Many people have
said:
* They were not
aware of the project until late in the process
* They were not
invited to discuss or comment on the project
* They could not get
information on the project
In my experience in
city planning projects, which often involve an entire community, it is essential
to identify the "stakeholders" early on; to set forth a process for making
decisions; to invite, inform, and broadcast the meetings and decision
points in the process; and to make available background information and
meeting minutes. When this is done right, people can disagree with a
decision, but can respect the way it was made and those who made it. When
this is not done right, I can't tell you the number of times I've been
accused of "secret deals" and "hidden agendas". From what I can tell, this
was not done, or not done well, in the high school process.
It appears there was
considerable community discussion about what to do generally about school budget
shortfalls and space needs, and there was a widely discussed referendum.
As it got to exploring specific recommendations on using the high school,
informing and including teachers and students at a minimum - and ideally the
wider community - should have been part of the process. I agree with
Superintendent Durand's comment that we don't let the kids make the decisions,
but it doesn't mean we keep them out of the process
entirely.
For example, if the
city wanted to build a new public building they could select a site, buy
it, design a building, and approve it through typical public
hearings. Local ordinance requires property owners within a certain
distance to be notified of the action if it needs zoning approval. As
neighbors who have to live with the future building next to them, they have a
"stake" in the project. These neighbors are not given veto power, or even a vote
in the project, but they are invited to express their views. When a
significant portion of the high school building is to be used for a building
project, the same rules should apply, not from a legal standpoint, but from a
common sense community relations standpoint.
It is always easier
to decide a project with fewer people involved. But often better solutions come
out of involving more people, in the messy, difficult,
frustrating process we call democracy.
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