8/16/11 Council Workbook

Here is my review of this week’s City Council workbook

Regarding the sale of the lot at 810 South Main Street:  This is a full size building lot, not a part-lot, as are many sold by the city for such a price.  It is in what the residents claim is one of the most desirable neighborhoods in our city.  Seems strange that it hasn’t been advertised for sale.  It probably should bring more than $1,200.  Of course, this is just beyond the part of S. Main where the new old fake lampposts and lights will be installed.  Could that have something to do with it???

Legislative Item 5 appears (at least to me) to be Kohler’s beloved “gateway enhancements”.  In my view, it is unnecessary fluff added to an Interstate interchange.  My goodness, people, how many hundreds of thousands of dollars of our children’s and grandchildren’s money must we mortgage to “enhance” a highway interchange???  After all is said and done, it will still be a highway interchange.  Most motorists will go zipping by at 70 to 75 mph (or faster).  The usual commuters will be getting on or off while on their cell phones, barely paying attention to traffic, let alone the “enhancements”.  And any strangers or visitors to our area will be straining their eyes while exiting, looking for any hint of a gas station, or scanning the horizons for a sign advertising a restaurant, motel, or whatever other goods or services they need.  (They won’t be able to find a sign, of course, thanks to Mr. Kohler’s outlawing of any indicators of business, so they will likely spend a few minutes driving aimlessly, get frustrated, and re-enter I-75 to take the next exit to the north or south where they can actually SEE what they want before/as/right after they exit the interstate.)  Besides, they will be well PAST the exit ramps before they ever actually get to see the “enhancements”.  This money will do NOTHING to draw even ONE extra car off at our exit!!!  (Do YOU choose the exits that YOU take when you travel based on the number of flowers or decorative trees???)

And the “enhancements” will include at least FOUR huge landscaping beds, which will require continuous maintenance by OUR city.  Please recall that we couldn’t even afford to tend a few square feet of flower beds at the city-owned Pioneer Cemetery, according to Ms. Gilleland.  She had to mow ‘em right down.  How will we ever maintain these FOUR lush “hanging gardens of Kohler-lon”???  (Q: What looks worse than NO landscaped area???  A:  A landscaped area that is not maintained!!!).   I also have suspicions that his coveted “Water Feature” is hidden in here somewhere.  Folks, we MUST stop spending money that our children just will NOT have!!!