There is much to write about last night's Common Council meeting regarding adding a connective emergency road to the street in front of Pleasant View Elementary school (which has had nothing but a single, narrow, shoulder-less road available for entry for 45 years).
Even after talking to Alderman Steve Olson at length about his opinion that a connective road - no sidewalk - should be added that sends traffic eastward (marked "east" above) through Hillendale subdivision and eliminates an existing walking and biking path, I simply could not fathom the reason he and Alderman Lyle Sohns (particulary Sohns, whose motivations escape me; let's call it "Sohns' Folly") were so hell-bent on such an illogical, destructive, and ultimately redundant plan (since the city's long range plan and goal is to send the road westward to 51st Street).
Frankly, after hearing their arguments last night, I'm still mystified. There was a point where Olson was seconding a motion by Sohns before Sohns had verbalized - or indeed constructed - a motion!
I also have to say this: In listening to the tape, it must be noted that Alderman Kristen Wilhelm did an absolutely excellent job for her constituents, having done her homework to the extent that she could parse the city engineer's somewhat cryptic "no we can't" statements into a far different "it makes no difference whether we go east or west." She was tenacious and would not be dissuaded from pursuit of the proper outcome (and blessed avoidance of "Sohns' Folly").
The mayor showed real leadership in surrendering the gavel (as procedurally required) to speak his mind and cut to the chase, crafting a satisfying solution.
More later, but in the meantime here are my remarks made during the public comment period, during which many residents of Hillendale also spoke:
My daughter goes to Pleasant View Elementary. I'm missing her softball game tonight to read these pages to you because I’m very disturbed by the manner with which the city is approaching this issue.
Short-term expediency is trumping safety as well as any sense of long-term vision. I certainly don’t see this as consistent with the newly ratified Franklin Mission Statement, unless the phrase “when in doubt, do the easier thing” was snuck in at the last minute.
Regarding the Pleasant View Road Extension, the council packet contains FOUR SHEETS OF PAPER - NO schematic.
Here are some questions to ask ourselves that probably should have been addressed in the packet:
Where are the counts of pedestrians and bikes that currently use the “goat path” to Hillendale subdivision every day?
How many kids WILL NOT be allowed to walk or bike once it becomes a vehicular throughway? I can tell you one won't; my daughter's friend Maddie won't be able to walk home anymore. Her parents say that's the way it is.
Consequently, how many vehicles does that add to the daily mix that weren’t there before?
Where are the current Summer-vs-School Year traffic count graphs for Minnesota Ave., W. Madison Avenue, S. 46th, and Hillendale Drive?
Where are the bus counts that determine how many currently go north on 46th Street and how many turn West on West Madison Ave.?
Where is the schematic of the possible road?
What was the opinion of the Plan Commission? They evidently were not asked to weigh in.
Has there been a meeting of Pleasant View and Hillendale parents regarding their opinion on this? I've not heard of one.
And - - - No mention of the “sidewalk issue.”
The fact is: WHERE ONCE THERE WAS A SAFE WALKWAY - a neighborhood amenity - THERE WILL NOW BE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC AND NO SIDEWALK, just a painted line four feet from the curb.
To repeat: The “solution” proposed here is to remove a safe walking path, paint a white line four feet from the edge of a street, and some sort of force field will keep our kids safe. And we'll pay about $100,000 for the privilege.
If that’s a solution, I don't know what got solved?
The Hillendale road network, like most modern subdivisions, is built SPECIFICALLY - and deviously - to discourage thru-traffic. Yet the plan is to send traffic THROUGH that subdivision.
On the other hand, 49th Street currently carries traffic and buses daily; extending west wouldn’t change that.
This plan is going out to bids, and then it’s off to the races - there is a calendar for August completion - but there are no engineering drawings in the packet from which to determine whether the plan is viable. There is no discussion of the westward option THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CITY’S LONG RANGE PLAN.
Absent any hard data or input from professionals, the common council is apparently relying on INTUITION to determine the best route, and INTUITION is notoriously untrustworthy.
Regarding a situation that is of vast importance to an entire subdivision and the parents of a school-full of kids, there has been no public hearing on this.
If Alderman Wilhelm’s "Item 1." regarding exploration of a WESTWARD route to 49th Street is ignored, you will indeed send a project out to bid and start a tight clock without having investigated all options.
I’m told that "maybe later" we’ll run the road WEST as per the city’s long-range plan and common sense - - - thereby DOUBLING our expenditure because we were in a hurry to put in the EXPEDIENT, SHORT TERM FIX.
On the other hand, go WEST to 49th Street - - spend a little more NOW - - and you can leave the eastbound path as it is and should be.
Save money, maintain an amenity, and conform to a long term vision. Sounds like PLANNING to me ...
Alderman Sohns assured David Works, the Chairman of the Franklin School District’s Buildings and Grounds Committee, via email TODAY that he would hold off on any official action until they could meet on the issue on June 17th. The issue remains on the agenda tonight.
When I talked to David Works this afternoon, he said “He couldn’t find anyone in the School District who is suddenly is in any hurry to get a road extension done this summer.” I have his cel number - - you are welcome to call him.
This school has faced this poorly planned configuration for 45 years - to cite URGENCY now is fairly disingenuous.
The qualifier “potentially in addition” when referring to a westward extension to 49th Street should be REMOVED from the council action; the 49th Street extension should be given equal - - if not PRIMARY - - status. When the right information is available, the choice will be clear.
I urge this council to kick expediency to the curb and instead make our kids’ safety and this city’s long-term excellence the main goals - even if SAFETY and EXCELLENCE make the task somewhat HARDER to accomplish.
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