Participation Can Be Painful

Sometimes participating can be painful. Last night's Downtown Planning session closely resembled a City Council meeting, and that is not meant to insult the planners or Department of Community Development.

It is only meant to convey that much of what was presented was a do-over from this summer's sessions and the familiar was a repeat of what those that attended the earlier sessions had heard. They had lots of great slides (many seen before) that Council does not have, and even more interaction, which Council most certainly does not have.

John Sarvay has a full report and called it "deja vu all over again."

There was some new information, but much of this was a second run after the planners and the city reached out to more community groups, which was evident by the more diverse crowd. That was a positive sign because it means we can be inclusive and also means there will be no post session histrionic whining this time.

The planners are holding true to two central and important themes with the plan - they are still listening and revising on the fly as they glean more information, and this is a plan that will be done bit by bit, not boondoggle by boondoggle. For that, we can be thankful and hopeful.

On the other hand, none of the visions and "what if" scenarios mean a thing without the city working to correct other issues, notably poverty and schools that send families fleeing to the suburbs by little Johnny's 10th birthday, if not sooner.

The plan they bring back to us for more discussion in November will only be as good as the progress we make in our city. If we can get that overflow crowd that showed up last night to show up at City Hall and demand our Council take some serious action on serious issues and that the Mayor play nice, then maybe there will be some hope for the Downtown Plan to flourish in the coming years.

If not, those visions will remain only on the Powerpoint presentation.
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