Friday, January 30, 2009
Strong Reaction
One of the dirty little 'secrets' of civic engagement is that you sometimes have to use strong language to get attention, and then you're expected to apologize for using the language. Ah well. Some things in life, and politics, don't change and are to be expected. I'm delighted the Army's plans to build a major mall are being discussed openly. There are some interesting discussions started by my comments about the Army's plans to build a major mall. Check out the thread started by a letter in The News Tribune.
One thing I'm getting pretty clearly is that Army folks don't like that their fanciest restaurant is a Godfather's. I get that. The question, in my humble opinion, is how big the Army's entry into building a mall should be.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Army Salutes Lakewood with the Middle Finger
Yours truly got a bit apoplectic when we learned at a study session last night that the Army still plans to build a mall at Fort Lewis. The News Tribune posted an update this morning. The News Tribune's Dan Voelpel did a great column on this subject awhile back though the article no longer seems to be online so I can't link to it. Dan's column was how most of us heard about the matter for the first time, which makes sense, as the Army is unlikely to advertise its plans to undercut surrounding communities.
I suppose others can be more tactful in expressing their concern, but I sure don't like the idea of tax dollars being used to undercut business in Lakewood. I have never been a big fan of ingratitude. We use the tax dollars from Lakewood businesses to provide services to a lot of folks, including the members of the military so welcome in our community. But that's just one issue. You get into the question of whether government in America should be acting as government, or as a rival to the private sector. The whole idea stinks.
Here's something really funny. One of the efforts that Lakewood has supported is the acquistion of land around the so-called 'clear zone' to help make it possible to keep the military base here. And we are repaid by efforts to undercut the local economy. When did Fort Lewis's mission grow to demonstrate gross ingratitude?
The Army should protect, which it does so well, and leave commercial real estate to the private sector.
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I suppose others can be more tactful in expressing their concern, but I sure don't like the idea of tax dollars being used to undercut business in Lakewood. I have never been a big fan of ingratitude. We use the tax dollars from Lakewood businesses to provide services to a lot of folks, including the members of the military so welcome in our community. But that's just one issue. You get into the question of whether government in America should be acting as government, or as a rival to the private sector. The whole idea stinks.
Here's something really funny. One of the efforts that Lakewood has supported is the acquistion of land around the so-called 'clear zone' to help make it possible to keep the military base here. And we are repaid by efforts to undercut the local economy. When did Fort Lewis's mission grow to demonstrate gross ingratitude?
The Army should protect, which it does so well, and leave commercial real estate to the private sector.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
A Low Tide on the Lakes
For those of you tracking the lakes issue I posted about yesterday, here's an update.
What can I say? It must be an election year.
One of the unfortunate side effects of the whole mini-casino initiative is that it and other examples of the usual self-destructive behavior in Lakewood public policy locked us up last year. Now that we are in an election year, it seems unlikely the council will make any decision about the lakes until 2010.
Does that matter? I wonder deep down sometimes. It seems to me we owe people a decision about lake access, but even I wonder if there are higher priorities. Only one person spoke up at the hearing last night for viewing platforms by the lakes. Maybe no one cares all that much. Should we be doing something to expand parks access in poorer parts of town as opposed to where most of the street ends are?
Deep down, my core tells me we should do something to expand public stewardship of public lakes, even if it's simply creating some small viewing platforms that close at dusk. So part of me wants to chase this issue, like a dog following a stick someone throws into a lake.
And yet, I am humbled by the reality of Lakewood civics. The "record" teaches us Lakewood has an impressive history of spending vast amounts of time on exactly the wrong things. There are so many examples. When the city should have spent hours talking about storm response, about economic development and creating jobs, about Clover Park schools, about the dramatic changes planned for Tillicum ... instead for example we have spent hours hashing and rehashing and rehashing again the human services budget which is only a small percentage of our overall contribution to the community. A story last month in the daily paper only hints at the percentage of time we've spent on this topic when a majority of council members rubber-stamped spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home repair program. Gimme a break. This council is an example in how NOT to allocate time. Can we even be trusted with something as important as the legacy of Lakewood's lakes?
Is the fight over lake access the right we want right now? I dunno. I'm sure the council will discuss the matter again before the election. I'm glad it's not my decision alone, and I look forward to tours of the street ends. Maybe we will meet citizens there who get me excited again about the possibilities.
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What can I say? It must be an election year.
One of the unfortunate side effects of the whole mini-casino initiative is that it and other examples of the usual self-destructive behavior in Lakewood public policy locked us up last year. Now that we are in an election year, it seems unlikely the council will make any decision about the lakes until 2010.
Does that matter? I wonder deep down sometimes. It seems to me we owe people a decision about lake access, but even I wonder if there are higher priorities. Only one person spoke up at the hearing last night for viewing platforms by the lakes. Maybe no one cares all that much. Should we be doing something to expand parks access in poorer parts of town as opposed to where most of the street ends are?
Deep down, my core tells me we should do something to expand public stewardship of public lakes, even if it's simply creating some small viewing platforms that close at dusk. So part of me wants to chase this issue, like a dog following a stick someone throws into a lake.
And yet, I am humbled by the reality of Lakewood civics. The "record" teaches us Lakewood has an impressive history of spending vast amounts of time on exactly the wrong things. There are so many examples. When the city should have spent hours talking about storm response, about economic development and creating jobs, about Clover Park schools, about the dramatic changes planned for Tillicum ... instead for example we have spent hours hashing and rehashing and rehashing again the human services budget which is only a small percentage of our overall contribution to the community. A story last month in the daily paper only hints at the percentage of time we've spent on this topic when a majority of council members rubber-stamped spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home repair program. Gimme a break. This council is an example in how NOT to allocate time. Can we even be trusted with something as important as the legacy of Lakewood's lakes?
Is the fight over lake access the right we want right now? I dunno. I'm sure the council will discuss the matter again before the election. I'm glad it's not my decision alone, and I look forward to tours of the street ends. Maybe we will meet citizens there who get me excited again about the possibilities.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Access to the Lakes
Tonight's City Council meeting kicks off what could be one of the most devisive issues in Lakewood's history thus far: how to improve access to our lakes. There have been all sorts of forums on the question. Tonight, the council starts a process in which we can demonstrate the strength of public participation and democracy ... but also a process that will almost certainly lead to bitter divisions between property owners and other citizens and lead to lawsuits.
Are the lakes and lake access an important enough subject for all this? Yes. As I have posted before, we owe everyone a decision.
There's been an extensive study process so far. You can read primary sources at http://www.cityoflakewood.us/news-and-events/466-lakefront-street-ends-update.html Now with the council directly involved, the street ends' land will be studied and studied and debated and studied and 'hearing-ed' and studied some more. I hope no one comes tonight thinking any collective decisions have been made. This council should be a long way from making decisions. You can make arguments to do a lot, and you can make arguments to do a little. And one thing we learned in the public process was that each of the street ends' parcels and properties around it are very different. All the properties and surrounding parcels have in common is that they touch water.
And to explain that context best ... I've posted on this issue before, but for now, I commend you to this section of the staff report on the web page just mentioned, written by one of the city's executives, Jeff Brewster. I don't know if this passage says it all, but it sure says a lot.
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Are the lakes and lake access an important enough subject for all this? Yes. As I have posted before, we owe everyone a decision.
There's been an extensive study process so far. You can read primary sources at http://www.cityoflakewood.us/news-and-events/466-lakefront-street-ends-update.html Now with the council directly involved, the street ends' land will be studied and studied and debated and studied and 'hearing-ed' and studied some more. I hope no one comes tonight thinking any collective decisions have been made. This council should be a long way from making decisions. You can make arguments to do a lot, and you can make arguments to do a little. And one thing we learned in the public process was that each of the street ends' parcels and properties around it are very different. All the properties and surrounding parcels have in common is that they touch water.
And to explain that context best ... I've posted on this issue before, but for now, I commend you to this section of the staff report on the web page just mentioned, written by one of the city's executives, Jeff Brewster. I don't know if this passage says it all, but it sure says a lot.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
The Civil War Returns
Several years ago, you could count every spring on enjoying a very fun and educational event and one of Lakewood's biggest tourist attractions. A Civil War re-enactment attracted more than 5,000 visitors from as far away as Seattle and beyond every Memorial Day Weekend to Fort Steilacoom Park. I used to coordinate the ticket-takers at the booth. I can testify there were a lot of happy adults and children every year who came back again and again.So here's the good news: the event will be returning, in another form, on the weekend of May 9 and 10.
The events were co-sponsored by Lakewood's Fort Steilacoom Museum and a civil war re-enacting group. The group held the event partly in Lakewood to support Fort Steilacoom, at which a variety of Civil War soldiers were stationed before the war began: people including George Picket, Augustus Kautz, Silas Casey, and others. However, the re-enacting group moved the re-enactments to Spokane several years ago.
A group of dedicated local re-enactors will be re-establishing a re-enactment this spring. It will be an experiment. There's no telling how many re-enactors will come, but it's the first event of the re-enacting season. There's nowhere else for re-enactors to go to that weekend. There could be hundreds. So we sure help they come to Lakewood! Stay tuned, more information to come. Oh, and if you'd like to help sell wristbands and share in the excitment, please let me know.
Good News for Foodies
One happy bit of news about the Lakewood Town Center. We've been hearing for years, it seems, about how Red Robin wanted to come here. Now it looks like they are! Their permits are being processed, and City Hall reports the restaurant hopes to open north of Key Bank this summer. yay!
