The minutes from last week’s rootin’, tootin’ Bored of Works meeting feature a revealing exchange between the bored Bored members and David Duggins, the city’s economic development director, who for reasons unknown also has been serving as chief spokesman for the $9 million River Run water park, this being another good reason to join the exodus to Birdseye.
Amid the high fives and group hugs was a question: Where do Gahan voters park when the water facility’s lot is filled with cars?
Duggins noted that soon more pavement would be laid nearby, and until then another option (but not during services) is to park across busy Daisy Lane at Holy Family. This prompted a brief discussion about crosswalks: Do we have one? Is it marked and lit? Do we need more signage there?
In short, no expense need be spared when protecting parking swimmers.
Meanwhile, it has taken months to have crosswalk lights repaired adjacent to S. Ellen Jones School, and years for the crosswalks on nearby Elm to be repainted. When asked recently about pedestrian access for the burgeoning commercial corner of W. 1st and Main, Duggins conceded that no one at City Hall had so much as considered the possibility.
The Speck downtown street network proposal gathers dust … and the trucks keep rolling.
What’s fundamentally “better” about any of this?
For once, might they just pretend to care?