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<DIV><FONT size=4>Linda, et al,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I agree with your reasons and opinions in this matter
(below). It should be emphasized that safety problems are egregiously
large. Having a major arterial running along side of a sidewalkless,
unfenced park, running by Moscow High School, running within 1/4 block of Lena
Whitmore Elementary School, and through a neighborhood where many,
many young students walk to several schools and many residents walk to
several places strikes me as a very perilous, uncaring way to solve a
problem.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I do not live in Moscow so my opinions will have little or no
effect on the decision makers, the city council. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>However, we shop and do other business in Moscow. While
we have until now tried to spend most of our money locally even though we pay a
premium to do this, this matter and other P & Z matters is causing us to
re-evaluate our purchasing policies. Remarks made by various city public
officials/public figures forwarded to us indicate these
officials/figures believe that those outside of the city should not express
their opinions or have them considered, and these same officials/figures feel
that many of those inside the city have opinions that are not worth hearing or
considering. It is like the City of Moscow is saying: "We don't care
where you take your business, we are going to do it our way!"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>In my professional opinion as a consulting systems engineer of
many years training and practice, that the root of the Third Street proposal
issue is the lack of intelligent, unfettered by special interests, community
based planning.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>It has been clear for many years that the city is expanding
eastward and northward. A lot of money was spent on upgrading Mountain
View. A little intelligence would have dictated that it should have be
four lane instead of two, that a mile or so of Joseph should be four-lane, that
the Troy Highway from east of the cemetery to Washington should be four-lane,
that eventually a stoplight needs to be placed at Mountain View and the Troy
Highway, that some safe egress/exit on Highway 95 for those living in the
expanding north part of the city needs to be provided beside the accident prone
intersection at Pintail Lane, and that perhaps North Polk needs to be
four-lane and paved to connect to Highway 95 at Foothill Road.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>The NSA, alternative high school, etc. zoning fiasco is part
of the same problem. In my opinion the planning/zoning/building function
of the City of Moscow has been horrible, if not corrupt, for a long
time. There has been little or no enforcement despite obvious
violations. Developers are given red-carpet service and their violations
are either ignored or ways found to circumvent the enforcement of such.
Between seriously inept personnel, rampant 'good old boy/girlism', and gutless
elected/appointed officials afraid to rock the boat and/or incur the displeasure
of developers, Moscow is now facing several planning and zoning problems for
which there is but very difficult, unsatisfactory to most,
expensive solutions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>If I were a Moscow resident, I would be seriously lobbying
public officials to clean up this mess and quickly; if they were not willing to
do so, then I would spend time and energy to find replacements for
them.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><BR>Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<BR><A
href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4>From: "Linda Pall" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:lpall@moscow.com"><FONT size=4>lpall@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT
size=4>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>To: "J Ford" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:privatejf32@hotmail.com"><FONT
size=4>privatejf32@hotmail.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>>; <</FONT><A
href="mailto:citizenament@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>citizenament@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>>; <</FONT><A
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 6:18 PM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Quality of Life or Why is a 3rd
Street arterial abad idea</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><BR></FONT></DIV><FONT size=4>> Dear Aaron, J. Ford and
Visionaries,<BR>> <BR>> What follows is probably more than you want to
read but covers most of the<BR>> points about this project. Others are
looking at interesting community based<BR>> alternatives that use the
intersection for pedestrians, bikes, wheel chairs<BR>> and kids, among other
things. I'll let them talk about that.<BR>> <BR>> This is a rough summery
of why this is a bad idea for the community as a<BR>> whole and does not
achieve the results it proposes for traffic efficiency.<BR>> Take a look:
this is not a NIMBY issue. This shouldn't happen to anybody's<BR>>
backyard.<BR>> <BR>> All the best and stay tuned to the meeting
schedule,<BR>> Linda Pall<BR>> Moscow City Council<BR>> <BR>> What's
wrong with a Third Street Bridge and a Third Street arterial?<BR>> <BR>> I
hope J. Ford and others who may have tuned into the PW/F meeting Monday<BR>>
afternoon saw and heard my statement that this plan is a stunningly bad
idea<BR>> and should go no further. Unfortunately, I was in the minority.
What was<BR>> salvaged was a comprehensive public City Council workshop where
the proposal<BR>> can be explained and discussed one more time in public with
ample time for<BR>> public involvement AND A DECISION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO
CONITNUE<BR>> DISCUSSING THE PROJECT.<BR>> <BR>> I do not believe it is
valuable to pursue a project if it is not in the<BR>> interest of the
community at large. Citizens should not have to mobilize for<BR>> meetings if
the project is fundamentally flawed and should be taken off the<BR>> table.
Next Monday, the Council will determine when this workshop will be. I<BR>>
hope it can occur sometime in mid to late October. I hope we can urge
the<BR>> whole Council to abandon this project and focus on improving
the<BR>> intersection at D and Mountainview and access from Sixth, White, and
State<BR>> Highway 8 to Mountainview.<BR>> <BR>> The proposal from the
Engineering Department at the request of Mayor<BR>> Comstock to the
Transportation Commission is to place a bridge across<BR>> Paradise Creek and
extend Third Street to meet a new Third Street east of<BR>> Mountainview Road
and carry this traffic, as an arterial from eastern Moscow<BR>> through
downtown to western Moscow, Pullman and beyond.<BR>> <BR>> The exact
design of the bridge and the exact design of the roadway and<BR>> adjacent
area is not clear. Some have said that only parking will have to be<BR>>
removed in only some areas. Others have said parking would certainly have
to<BR>> be removed and parts of the City's right of way used for sidewalks
where<BR>> they do not exist and additional public space for vehicles and
pedestrians,<BR>> primarily between Hayes and the creek on Third Street.
Presently, Third<BR>> Street is classified as a neighborhood collector that
functions to bring<BR>> traffic from or through a neighborhood to
arterials.<BR>> <BR>> Here are the major flaws as I see them:<BR>>
<BR>> LESS SAFE: The proposal wouold have arterial traffic going by one of
Moscow'<BR>> s few protected elementary schools, destroying its walkability
for children.<BR>> The addition of arterial traffic would make getting to
East City Park much<BR>> more difficult and for those whose balls or frisbees
go into the road, the<BR>> fetching process will be more dangerous. Older and
disabled residents will<BR>> find the street more challenging for crossing
and general use.<BR>> <BR>> LIKELY LOSS OF TREES AND PLANTINGS: along
Third from Washington to Hayes<BR>> some of the most marvelous maples find
their home on what is one of Moscow's<BR>> premier tree-lined streets. At the
SE corner of Third and Hayes, the<BR>> Mason-Cornwall House, on the National
register of Historic Places derives<BR>> part of its charm and sense of place
from the tall conifers on the north<BR>> side, close to or in the right of
way. All of these resources are at risk<BR>> with arterial designation,
through environmental degradation or the<BR>> necessity now or in the
relatively near future for widening because of<BR>> traffic
pressures.<BR>> <BR>> LOSS OF PARKING: East of Hayes, the Third and Hayes
apartment building, the<BR>> Elysian Apartments and some residences depend
upon on-street parking for<BR>> their residences and certainly for their
guests. Any proposal that involves<BR>> parking removal will negatively
affect these residents. Parking actually<BR>> operates as a traffic calming
device, making drivers slow down. Ironically,<BR>> its removal would make the
street even faster and less safe. If it is not<BR>> removed, the value of
efficient through traffic movement, as an arterial<BR>> ought to have, is
greatly reduced.<BR>> <BR>> NOT BEST PRACTICES IN STREET DESIGN: The
proposal does not take advantage of<BR>> context sensitive street design,
which would have generated streets that<BR>> meet neighborhood needs as well
as community wide needs with the interests<BR>> of more than cars and trucks
in mind.<BR>> <BR>> ARTERIALS SHOULD NOT BE PLACED TWO BLOCKS FROM ONE
ANOTHER: It makes no<BR>> sense and less engineering design sense to place an
arterial through an<BR>> established neighborhood, two blocks away from one
and four blocks from<BR>> another (6th and D Streets).<BR>> <BR>>
OPERATION PERFORMANCE IS NOT GAINED FROM THE BRIDGE: If the idea is to
make<BR>> better, faster, easier circulation east west in Moscow, the bridge
fails<BR>> this goals also. The average time difference going from a stop at
Third and<BR>> Hayes AROUND along Hayes to Sixth, left on Sixth, and left on
Mountainview<BR>> to the Third and Mountainview is 55 seconds longer than
going directly to<BR>> the barrier from Hayes along Third, gaining 55 seconds
while creating havoc<BR>> for the Lena Whitmore neighborhood.<BR>>
<BR>> LITTLE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: While the transportation Commission had
this<BR>> on their agenda several times from March through June, it was not
widely<BR>> advertised and even some City Council members did not know about
the<BR>> proposal until it was a recommendation from the Commission. This is
not<BR>> acceptable for a project with such impact.<BR>> <BR>> NO TRUE
COST CALCULATION OF THIS PROJECT: The project itself fails to look<BR>> at
the true costs of loss of neighborhood amenities, cost of amelioration
of<BR>> side effects to other agencies and individuals (more crossing guards
for<BR>> Lena Whitmore, driving children to school to avoid unsafe pedestrian
routes,<BR>> etc.), and dilution of home and property values as prized
residential<BR>> property in and around the East City Park area.<BR>>
<BR>> Third Street has been an image of the town we value. It can continue to
be a<BR>> great street for the people of Moscow. All of Moscow is concerned
about good<BR>> traffic design. All of Moscow would like to see our growth
add to, not take<BR>> away from our quality of life. A bridge across Third
Street and its<BR>> accompanying arterial status is a stunningly bad idea if
these values are<BR>> important to us.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
<BR>> <BR>> ----- Original Message ----- <BR>> From: "J Ford"
<</FONT><A href="mailto:privatejf32@hotmail.com"><FONT
size=4>privatejf32@hotmail.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>><BR>> To:
<</FONT><A href="mailto:citizenament@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>citizenament@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>>; <</FONT><A
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>><BR>> Sent: Tuesday,
September 13, 2005 1:34 PM<BR>> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Quality of
Life<BR>> <BR>> <BR>>> I watched channel 13's broadcast of the
Public Works meeting in horror<BR>> last<BR>>> night as one member of
the public after another came up and pleaded with<BR>> the<BR>>> City
Council people and the City Staff NOT to put the bridge in or
develop<BR>>> Third anymore than it is now - my sence of horror came from
the plastic<BR>>> smile that was painted on Nancy's face and the total
lack of empathy and<BR>>> understanding these Coucil folks like John
Kimberling have and the<BR>> apparent<BR>>> disinfranchisement that
seems to be there but also growing from the<BR>> majority<BR>>> of the
Council.<BR>>><BR>>> It was bad enough that the City Council (full)
was "happy with this plan"<BR>> or<BR>>> "could live with this
development" or "can go along with this new<BR>>> neighborhood" when the
Council heard the Joseph Street plans even when one<BR>>> homeowner after
another spoke up as to what is happening NOW to their<BR>>> property and
what WILL happen if that development goes through. But now<BR>>>
this!<BR>>><BR>>> What is it going to take to get the City Council
to understand they are<BR>>> supposed to be representing the CITIZENS of
Moscow, not the City Council's<BR>>> interests or the mayor's or the
developers alone? How many more<BR>> concessions<BR>>> are we as
tax paying, voters going to have to make all for the "sake of<BR>>>
development and growth"? There are three main streets that lead from
the<BR>>> west side of town to the east - and they are travelled far too
fast by the<BR>>> young fools who just have to show off how big a truck,
loud a music<BR>> system,<BR>>> fast an engine they have. I
am getting tired of trying to cross a street<BR>>> and having to run
because some fool won't take the time to let the<BR>>> pedistrians to get
all the way across. I am sick of the loud obnoxious<BR>>> vulger
music they insist we all HAVE to be in on and I don't feel like the<BR>>>
displacement of many long-time residents and/or their trees should be
an<BR>>> expected "give-me" that we have to fork over to the
university/college<BR>> kids<BR>>> in this
town.<BR>>><BR>>> If you need to be somewhere by a specific time -
leave on time or with<BR>> time<BR>>> to spear to make sure you get
there when you need to.<BR>>><BR>>> There is NOTHING that has to
happen in 10 minutes that will be worse for<BR>> you<BR>>> if you take
the extra 1-2 mintues by "gerbiling" via another route. If<BR>>>
anything, the bridge will only complicate the traffic mess we live with<BR>>
now<BR>>> by - as one person put it - funnelling the cars/trucks through
Third<BR>> Street.<BR>>><BR>>> And lets not forget the impact the
bridge will have on Paradse Creek -<BR>> just<BR>>> how much
"development" do you think that creek can take before it totally<BR>>>
stops functioning? I realize there are a lot of people who could
care<BR>> less<BR>>> about a small creek, but really - those of us who
do, will not let it go<BR>> so<BR>>> easily. It, our way of life,
the residents immediately impacted by this<BR>>> "development" will make
it a long, hard fight to keep that area as is.<BR>>><BR>>> J
;)<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>>> >From: "aaron
ament" <</FONT><A href="mailto:citizenament@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>citizenament@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>><BR>>> >To:
<</FONT><A href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT size=4>><BR>>>
>Subject: [Vision2020] Quality of Life<BR>>> >Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005
09:11:42 -0700<BR>>> ><BR>>> ><BR>>> ><BR>>>
><BR>>> >Quality of Life<BR>>> ><BR>>> > The
intention of the City of Moscow to connect Third Street to Mountain<BR>>>
>View, and thereby funnel traffic through a quiet neighborhood and
on<BR>>> >through the already congested center of our downtown should
be a concern<BR>> to<BR>>> >us all. It is a "Quality of Life"
issue.<BR>>> > Only a small portion of our populace will be affected on
a daily basis<BR>> by<BR>>> >the presence of the bridge.
Supporters of this bridge maintain that a<BR>>> >great number of
residents of Moscow will benefit from the seeming ease in<BR>>> >travel
the bridge promises.<BR>>> > If we allow ourselves to look past the
obvious "Quality of Life" issue<BR>>> >that confronts a few residents
of our city then we fail to protect the<BR>>> >"Quality of Life" for
all who live in Moscow. If we allow the "Quality<BR>> of<BR>>>
>Life" that brought and keeps us here to be taken from us one small
piece<BR>> at<BR>>> >a time we will find someday that we have had
our<BR>>> >"Quality of Life" taken from us all.<BR>>>
><BR>>> >Aaron Ament<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>>
>_____________________________________________________<BR>>> >
List services made available by First Step Internet,<BR>>> >
serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<BR>>>
>
</FONT><A href="http://www.fsr.net"><FONT
size=4>http://www.fsr.net</FONT></A><BR><FONT size=4>>>
> </FONT><A
href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT
size=4>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><BR><FONT size=4>>>
>ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<BR>>><BR>>>
_________________________________________________________________<BR>>>
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size=4>>>
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size=4>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><BR><FONT size=4>>>
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the Palouse since 1994.
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