Posted: 8/30/06
Final Draft - by Cliff Buchan
Is roundabout criticism truly justified?
Itís easy to sit on the sidelines and take pot shots at our public officials. We see it everyday in Forest Lake with the city council and school board. If staff and elected officials arenít being lambasted in a letter to the editor or a guest commentary, something must be wrong.
Local officials have come to accept the criticism. It goes with the territory, I guess, and is part of trying to work in public service, be it as an elected official or a staff member.
Barbs have come from this column, too. They are not intended as personal critiques, but sometimes thatís how they read. That, too, goes with the territory.
Often times the criticism is aimed at officials for being shortsighted and not planning for the future.
Forest Lakeís ìTin Man Water Towerî is just one example. Right or wrong, weíve agreed with those who in the past favored somehow trying to preserve the old tower as a historical landmark for the city. That may no longer be practical and taking the old tower down still seems to be the order of the day.
One could argue that the city of Forest Lake in this case has spent other chunks of money in fashions that may not be the best. Use it on the water tower, others have argued. Such a move, of course, could lead others to conclude that the city, once again, is not using its money wisely.
If any solutions exist to save the water tower, they need to be aired soon and the city needs to hear them.
It is also ironic that while in one breath the city may be criticized for a lack of planning for the old water tower, it is also taking it in the chops for its planning for W. Broadway Ave.
The idea of seven two-lane roundabouts from SW 19th St. west of I-35 to Lake Street (US-61) in downtown Forest Lake has dizzied many in the area who canít understand the concept nor the city and Washington Countyís willingness to plan such a project for 2008.
There is no question W. Broadway, also CR-2, needs improvements. So does the Broadway bridge spanning I-35.
From this desk I can see no legitimate way to paint roundabouts as bad or wrong.
I donít know, plain and simple, if roundabouts will be good or bad. From what I hear, planners believe they will work. But they are a change from our comfort zone.
There is certainly fear of the unknown and many a writer has taken to pen, or computer, to opine on roundabouts. Most of the comments are negative.
For about a month we published an on-line opinion question on our web page asking on-line readers to indicate if they were in favor of the roundabout plan.
Of the 1244 who cast votes, 53.1 percent were opposed and 46.9 percent were in favor.
There are questions to ask about roundabouts and we plan to help readers to that end in the weeks ahead. But there is time to continue the planning and that should not be criticized.
Secondly, if a proposal by Mayor Smith becomes reality, one of the roundabouts ó the circle at Broadway and Lake Street ó could be built next summer. Some might say it is election year grandstanding by the mayor, but from here it truly looks like an attempt at improved planning.
It might just be good to bring one roundabout on line early. It would coordinate construction schedules with other US-61 improvements and new street lights, curb and gutter and sidewalks in the downtown area. It would expose local drivers to roundabouts.
The drone of negative publicity about roundabouts is nothing new in other parts of the country where roundabouts are the plan of choice. On Bainbridge Island in the Seattle metropolitan area, leaders there met with strong opposition as they planned a roundabout.
In an editorial in the Bainbridge Island Review, the newspaper had advice for a neighboring town that was planning such an intersection.
The advice was simple: ìIgnore public opinion.î
The editorial said, ìWhen Bainbridge city engineers dreamed up a roundabout here, the sentiment of the (public) was resoundingly, overwhelming, deafeningly negative. Thirty minutes after the circle opened, it was the greatest thing since (lutefisk).
In Forest Lake, only the future will tell for sure.
If we want to tie up Broadway and the I-35 bridge for two years and spend millions more on the project, that is something the city council and the county board must ultimately decide. Public opinion, and elections for that matter, could help decide the issue.
But letís be fair in our critiques and criticism. And most of all in this instance, please donít accuse the city of Forest Lake and Washington County for not attempting to take the steps necessary to plan this project.
Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605