While there haven't been as many details out as perhaps is optimal, the project did receive a large display at the library about three years ago!
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| Student Concepts for Civic Center and Police Station Sustainable Cities Initiative Boards at Salem Public Library December 2010 |
But it's true, then, that there wasn't a new update really until now. Perhaps the City should have made more effort to show another round of details. But as a photo in Salem Weekly pointed out, people don't often don't attend open houses or other information meetings. Even when you're critical of the City on one thing or another, you have to have some understanding of the indifference cycle from their perspective: Indifference, indifference, indifference, BACKLASH! Of course, some of this is self-inflicted. Citizens who have suffered through the Third Bridge public process, for example, would be forgiven for any cynicism or thinking that public participation is nearly pointless. It's a sticky wicket for sure.
Anyway, information here is better late than never.
While the article in the paper shared some details, over at CB|Two, there are big pictures! Click to enlarge the images. (The City has also buried some of the images in a pdf here.)
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| Civic Center and Proposed Police Station Notice Atrium opened, Council Chambers relocated Image looking south from above Trade Street on Liberty side. Image: CB|Two |
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| From higher up - City Hall and Police Station Image: CB|Two |
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| Nearly the whole Civic Center Superblock looking west from above Waterplace Image: CB|Two |
- Revitalize Peace Plaza while retaining important art features, and enhancing this community gathering place.
- Seismically upgrade existing Civic Center, remove atrium canopy and Council Chambers for safety, and eliminate below grade public entrance creating enhanced connectivity.
- Create new Public Safety Facility on existing City-owned property with sustainable construction practices and essential secure parking for Salem Police.
- New Customer Service Center, additional Municipal Court room, and relocated Council Chambers. Added public visibility and accessibility.
- On grade added public parking, improved pedestrian connectivity, and multi-use plaza.
- Revitalized Mirror Pond with attractive stormwater bioswale and trail network providing a key element in the connection from the Mill Race to Riverfront Park.
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| A real heron admires the statue heron, greets the ducks, and meditates on the transience of beauty. The trees and grass in back would be replaced by the police station |
More questions remain.
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| No driver observes unmarked crosswalks here, even with signs. Even with improved connections to the sidewalks, access across busy roads is difficult |
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| How about a sidewalk so you don't have to push a stroller through the driveway? The lot design forgot people on foot. |
Folks who organized last night's meeting have started a Facebook page,
The City also has organized a meeting:
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Neighborhood Association Chairs
5:30 PM, Pringle Community Hall
(606 Church Street SE)
3 comments:
Sounds like nobody supported this plan at that meeting. Shocking! Things don't look good for the SSI proposals. A couple of years ago it was "why are we not implementing these?" Now the streetlight fee looks dead, mobility study looks as good as dead, new civic center looks DOA, and increasing housing density downtown doesn't sound like a big priority.
People sure are pissed about something. I can't tell if its that they are upset about the way things are or if they are trying to protect status quo. People seem to feel better if they can blame the city or the chamber instead of their own biases and/or malaise.
Also this:
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20131019/UPDATE/131019001/City-reviews-parking-enforcement-tactics
Only 12% of businesses are providing information to the city to enforce the employee parking ban downtown. Another shocker!
Curt wrote of the public response to the Civic Center proposal, "People sure are pissed about something. I can't tell if its that they are upset about the way things are or if they are trying to protect status quo."
Judging by the emails that came through my inbox in the lead up to the Salem Community Visioning (or whatever it was called) meeting October 18th, people aren't pissed so much as they are reactive, and, being reactive, don't really know what they want. That's why you haven't been able to tell what they want. But you're not wrong that they SEEM to want to protect the status quo.
Those emails I referred to were forwarded by well-meaning but unskeptical individuals, like a chain letter, to more well-meaning but unskeptical individuals, who added ill-considered, offhand "ain't-it-awful" comments, which then get repeated in blogposts and social media as if they are fact, even to the point that they are cited by public officials as representing public sentiment generally (watch/listen to Commissioner Milne's pre-vote comments on the Justice Court consolidation last Monday on CCTV). The basic message of those emails was pretty consistent: important decisions affecting you are being made (or have been made) and you have been LEFT OUT! The natural response to a credible recipient to such a message is Whoa! Hold On! Not so fast! (i.e., Maintain the Status Quo!)
No one can want such a sad form of citizen engagement. But, with responsible bloggage like BoB, and citizens willing to exercise a little self-restraint when forwarding email, we might one day grow the "strong, robust, intellectually sound grass roots" citizenry you have written about.
Thanks Sarah! I know these folks are well meaning. In case you couldn't tell, I'm jealous that people aren't pissed about walking, biking, and transit.
Salem seems to have been in a "visioning" phase for over 20 years now. Now we have a new vision that is reacting to the previous visions that only now the city is acting on.
I just caught the latest issue of the Weekly. More of the same. Folks don't seem to see Peace Plaza as broken. On the contrary, the rallying cry seems to be "protect our beloved Peace Plaza."
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