City Government
If Only Boise Politicos Had Listened…
October 12, 2009 
The Daily Paper reports Boise officials can’t find the cash to build bike paths near the new Park Center Bridge at a cost that is about the same as a trolley pitchman $93,000.
We will admit to just a tiny bit of “I told you so” on the lack of money available to for a new park along the Boise River also near the Park Center bridge, but the GUARDIAN sounded the alarm four years ago on the pitfalls of accepting a gift of land. We called it PARK LAND COULD PROVE COSTLY.
Even the readers chimed in with caution and derision about creating a costly park in an area where construction was halted for lack of a bridge. Now we have the bridge, but still no money to build the park–which some claim is mostly a landscaping project for a commercial development.
We repeat: It is a nice gesture by the Williams family, but we can’t see how the citizens can finance the deal. It is just not in the best interest of the city to accept the land for a park.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Oct 12, 2009, 2:29 pm
Random thoughts…
Once again ACHD steps in to save the City some face by constructing interim improvements, but is constantly perceived as being insensitive to the city’s needs…
How does the City of Boise expect to manage, design and construct a $60 million trolley when it can’t coordinate a $100,000 greenbelt connection to a new bridge that has been on a design/construction track for more than four years?…
In another ironic twist, the argument about the new park and need for greenbelt connections/extensions was one of the primary arguments Boise put forth in trying to force ACHD to fast track the bridge project when Team Dave seized control. Team Dave made the public pitch that ACHD was responsible for stalling the city’s progress on the park and greenbelt because the bridge was not in place…
Boise loves to pitch its Greenbelt as a major quality of life draw for the region, yet it cannot maintain the path to a basic level of passability, allowing tree roots to create heaves in the pavement and making it almost impossible to traverse the Greenbelt on something less than a full suspension mountain bike?
Oct 12, 2009, 3:53 pm
I noted a part of the paper’s story that the city is 9 million dollars short for this years budget. Thats a lot more then $93,000. I wonder if that is just the parks budget????
Oct 12, 2009, 4:00 pm
The greenbelt was in place and doing fine. ACHD and the bridge comes along and changes access.
Who should have to coordinate fixing it?
AGAIN ACHD and city can’t coordinate and do things on behalf of the citizens. To blame the city is only half of the blame- if that. I throw the greenbelt disconnect of poor ACHD planning.
Oct 12, 2009, 8:27 pm
Let’s see now. No money for Green Belt. No money for the Depot. No money for staff. No money for law Enforcement. Yet it is “full steam ahead” on the rocks in the river and selling us the boondoggle that is the streetcar! All the while we are 9 million short of being able to run the city day to day. I used to think that Team Dave was just inept and stupid. They are now quickly approaching dangerous!
Oct 12, 2009, 8:51 pm
We could save a lot of money by pruning the mayor’s pay back to say $40K. That’s definitely within reason. That’s nearly half of what the City owes Ada County for paving the greenbelt.
Oct 13, 2009, 1:30 am
Most of the Greenbelt connection was just being short sighted. The 10 foot connector could of been done by the contractor with the left overs. There lies the problem with the government, no way to change on the go. Bids don’t allow for the flexibility needed in the real world.
The park is a different deal. I totally agree with the “I told you so”. Team Dave seems to spreading the promises to thin. Especially with housing prices still sliding locally (4.1% last month, 20.4% from last year). The city continues to tax to the max, while the county and others cut back.