[Vision2020] Atwood Letter Rewritten

[Saundra Lund]

Hi Again Mr. Crabtree,

You wrote:
 "Ms. Lund, I'm not sure what the asterisks on either side of *you* implies
but I would have been happy to have made your acquaintance. Perhaps next
time. Look for a middle aged, blue collar Neanderthal who sits close to the
door in case a hasty exit is required. (crowds make me a bit edgy)"

Ah-HA!!!  So, you took one of my favorite seats!  Save me one by the door
next time, if possible, because I'm not a huge fan of crowds, either.

The asterisks meant nothing more than I would have appreciated meeting you
to put a face with the name  :-)

And, I honestly mean no offense, but have you looked around?  I think a
pretty fair number of men would fit the description you provided, at least
to my eyes  ;-)  Perhaps name tags would be a good idea  ;-)

You wrote:
"From the top. Yes you are right. I was making broad generalizations in my
communication with Ms.Woolf . . . "

Good, I'm glad we got that cleared up.  FWIW, I'm glad you're willing to
accept my notes and the Trib article as accurate reflections of what was
actually said at the meeting.

You also wrote:
"If you would like to make a less discriminatory argument for revoking tax
exemptions for all schools and churches have at it."

Sorry, I don't think there's anything at all discriminatory about expecting
our laws to be followed -- quite the contrary:  it's discriminatory for our
laws not to be fairly and equitably applied.  Simply put, when one church is
rightly denied exemption because it's competing with commercial businesses
and another is given a pass, that's discriminatory.

You also wrote:
"Zoning allows for educational institutions downtown with a CUP."

Yes, that's what's allowed *now*, but that's *not* what was allowed in
February, 2003 when NSA opened for classes on Main Street.

You also wrote:
"I'll worry about BSU hogging up Main St. with a satellite campus when the
danger is a trifle more immanent. "

What about the UI?  I'll admit I found the whole "we were never concerned
about the UI expanding downtown" nonsense to be amusing . . . remember City
staff and some (former) Council members blathering on & on about how they
had searched & searched unsuccessfully for proof that had ever been an issue
or concern, all the while ignoring the testimony of those with first-hand
knowledge?  What a pathetic joke!  It took lil' ol' me no more than 5-10
minutes of searching the Lewiston Tribune archives to find the articles,
something the City in its "exhaustive" searches failed to find.  Why do you
suppose that is???  Could it possibly be the City was practicing CYA for its
role in the whole NSA mess?

So, if Mr. Reed sells Basillio's to the UI, you'd have no objection to it
being removed from the tax rolls and classes being held there, right?

You also wrote:
"I must admit I was shocked to hear Ms. Husky's seemingly contradictory turn
about of opinion with regard to the school and it's students."

Huh?  I think you must be confused.  I don't want to speak for Rose, but I
think we have always been consistent in our position that while neither of
us would ever send our kids to NSA, we absolutely don't have a problem with
NSA in Moscow as long as it operates within the law and in an appropriate
location, which we don't believe is in the CBD.

You also wrote:
"As to the parking, forgive me if I do this from memory. I don't have the
stats or the meeting minutes available. My understanding is that with the
collage at its current enrollment, it is using parking at the same level as
any other commercial use. "

Mr. Crabtree, in my last response to you I gave you the facts that show your
understanding is flatly incorrect.  The facts I gave you (which I'm
including again) came from my notes:
"No, sorry, wrong again.  City staff made the point that NSA *alone*
accounts for about 7% of all auto trips on Main Street:  the average daily
trip count is 4806 with NSA accounting for 332.2 of those trips.  One
educational institution *alone* accounts for 7%, which is clearly out of
proportion and a higher use than other Main St. establishments.  Also, based
on NSA's current enrollment and staffing, it requires 43 parking stalls with
an additional 11 required for the retail space.  At NSA's maximum allowable
enrollment and staffing, they will require 65 parking stalls (plus 11 for
the retail space).  City staff stated that NSA requires 12-34 more parking
stalls that other commercial uses of similar size."

That is the information presented by City staff, and should you think
perhaps my notes are wrong, the following comes from the Daily News'
article:
"A Community Development Department staff report shared at the meeting
stated NSA creates a need for 43-65 parking stalls, which is 12-34 more
stalls than other commercial uses of the same size in downtown. "

My notes are more detailed than what appeared in the Daily News, but the
facts are the same and contrary to your understanding.  Even at its current
enrollment, NSA uses *more* parking that other commercial uses of the same
size.

Now, if you want to prove that City staff's numbers are wrong, knock
yourself out -- I'd be interested.  Otherwise, your understanding just isn't
supported by the available facts.

Finally, you also wrote:
"As I have said before, this really isn't about parking (much less the
slippery slope of educational orgs.)"

I would say the real issue is about the fair and equal application of the
law.  I agree with Ted Moffett who wrote, "Selective enforcement of the law
is a cornerstone of bigotry and intolerance, with favors and a "wink" handed
out to those who conform to the values and ideology of those in power."  For
whatever reason, the zoning laws where changed to prevent non-commercial
schools & educational institutions from locating in the CBD.  Then, when NSA
steamrolls over the rules the rest of us have followed -- and mind you, they
made NO ATTEMPT to change the law first -- they get the wink & a nod . . .
and a blind eye turned to their lawbreaking not once, but twice.  When the
illegality of that conduct is challenged, the rules are changed solely for
NSA's benefit.  Talk about bigotry & intolerance . . .and it's not coming
from those you apparently would like to blame.


Saundra Lund
Moscow, ID

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
nothing.
- Edmund Burke

***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2005, Saundra Lund.
Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside the Vision 2020 forum
without the express written permission of the author.*****