Many readers here have probably read the viewpoint column I wrote and the Commons printed in their current issue. If not, here is the link.
The basic gist is that if we can at all afford 14.1 million dollars for the police and fire facilities we can get much more for our money if we scale that project back some (but retain its most important features) and use the savings for economic development. The thrust of my views are that public safety is not a serious issue for now (tho it would be improved to a significant degree anyway under this plan) but the economy is. I will even argue that several million dollars poured into development and the creation of jobs will have greater and more salutary effect on public safety than an armored indoor loading dock for handling prisoners.
Tho I am a member of the RTM Finance Committee I have not (yet, anyway) formally presented these views to the committee. I have, over a long period of time, made reference to different pieces of it within other conversations.
The article also introduces the concept of purposefully strengthening our democratic, read public participation, culture through the creation of a large and fully technologically modern SB and public meeting space. An appropriate physical space doesn’t itself strengthen democratic and community values any more than a state of the art hospital building provides good universal health care. However it goes a long way towards fostering these ends.
