My pet projects are the proposed WhiteWater park and Esther Simplot park. Projected costs; only $5 million for the two, that’s far less than the $37.8 million library bond.

No-one can argue that reading isn’t important, but as a previous poster implied, libraries are obsolete and the internet is a far more efficient source of learning and research now.

Each of the three libraries would have had an impact at best only in the immediate surrounding area. The WhiteWater park and ES park will have a much greater regional impact than any library ever will. I’ll even wager they will have a super-regional impact, drawing in people (tourists with money to spend) from dozens and even hundreds of miles. Do a google search for Reno River Festival and read and learn. Now try researching the same info down at the Library!

As far as I know, very little is being done to get those parks off the drawing board. So—Mayor Bieter and City Councilors—why not a bond for construction of the WhiteWater Park???

My admission of bias; I own two residential properties within a mile of the WW and ES parks. However, I stand by my statement that these parks will have a beneficial impact to all of metro Boise, the State of Idaho and beyond.

ED NOTE–
Kate is mixing issues and jurisdictions, but her point is valid when to comes to holding a single bond election annually with a shopping list of projects. Boise School District covers a different area than Boise City, so it would be nearly impossible to combine city and school elections.

After ramming row houses, increased traffic and massive condo projects down our throats and destroying our historic neighborhoods how does he think we would feel?

As usual his assumptions of what the voters think is HIGHLY flawed….that is our city leaderships’ whole problem.

I predicted the library bond would lose, and I’ll predict that the school bond will lose. The folks I talk to are generally bewildered by the notion of tearing down functional schools (that in many cases they attended, or their kids or grandkids attend) and building new ones. And hearing that Boise district enrollment is dropping, yet $90 million is needed for new buildings. (I’m sure that a week or two before, we’ll start getting all the color-glossy brochures that explain everything.)

(My daughter is a student at South Jr. High. She is in favor of a bond that will raise enough to tear down the existing school… but not enough to rebuild!)
(-;

This is probably a dumb question… but has anybody considered having the library bond election, the school bond election, and maybe even the primary election, on the same day? Seems they could save a FEW taxpayer dollars by doing something like that. Maybe us rustics are just too dense to absorb all those issues in one sitting. (When I voted yesterday, I made DARN SURE that the chad got punched!)

The ideas that the Guardian has suggested are the correct actions – too bad all our elected officials have agendas that don’t allow them to think beyond their own ideas.

At least we got to vote this time – let’s see if they take that away too.

Count on the Statesman having a editorial in the next few days decrying the super majority and how it’s so unfair that municipalities can’t raise taxes easier.