345 SE 5th, Madras, OR 97741 | 541.475.2275
Whether for or against city hall, sign the petition
You've heard about it, and soon you may get to vote on it.
The city of Madras has been planning on building a new $5.8 million city hall/police station complex at the former Westside Elementary grass for about four years now, getting serious within the last year, including authorizing a bond for the project back in September.
But a group led by youth soccer organizers -- who use the area for games -- think it's a bad idea. They've expanded their "stop it" campaign from trying to save their fields to saving the only public green space on the town's westside, keeping a public access event venue, and attacking the cost and timing of the project.
After unsuccessfully trying to persuade the City Council to shelve the plan during a series of heated meetings, the group -- Friends of the Park -- have taken steps to bring the question to city voters.
Publisher Tony Ahern
Please don't let that happen.
Those who've followed the issue have a rough idea of the sides:
The Friends of the Park contend that they stand for the many families of the west side of town that feel underserved and ignored by the city in regards to parks. The former school site is the only major grass field area on that side of town. What's more, they value green space and don't want to trade any for a building.
The city responds by noting the skate park is on the west side of town, that the town's path expansion program will lead to walking paths through the section, and that the fishing pond project at the former fairgrounds will add to the westside amenities. Also, the old football field will still be a big usable patch of grass, and there is an outstanding youth soccer complex at Juniper Hills Park less than two miles from the fields in question.
If you're wondering what would happen to the little wedge on the northeast corner of the site -- the actual area that took on the Friendship Park name -- where the veterans' memorials are, the city plans to make them a centerpiece of a plaza, essentially accentuating them.
If the Friends of the Park are serious about getting the public's opinion on this, once and for all, they need to get those signatures by Feb. 17. Does anyone want this debate to go on any longer than it has to, than it already has?
Here's something interesting to ponder. This issue might create some strange political bedfellows -- the left side of the issue -- Friends of the Park -- with those who think government could be run from in back of a pickup truck, i.e. without frills and at bare minimum cost. The left, those tweaking the nose of city hall while trying to save the grass patch, might converge with the right, those who like to tweak government any time they get a chance.
Stranger political occurrences/alliances have happened.
One has to commend the effort and tenacity of the Friends of the Park to bring the issue to a public vote. But their effort and tenacity should now focus on getting qualified City government, and the community in general, needs to get on with this, one way or thet other.
If you're a registered voter and a city resident, sign the petition if one is presented to you, whether you support keeping the grass field intact or back a city hall project at the location.
The Friends of the Park should make it a goal to get those signatures in by the 17th. If the signatures aren't in by then, either the support isn't there or the effort to obtain them wasn't. If that's the case, this episode starts to feel like obstructionism.