City Government
Garden City Seeks Bridge Funds From Public
January 3, 2011 
Garden City has taken its thinly disguised campaign to keep bicycles off the Greenbelt to the DAILY PAPER and Idaho Parks in an effort to find nearly $1 million to build a pedestrian-bike bridge across the Boise River to silence the call to allow bikes on the north side of the river.
The Idaho Statesman ran a front page display Monday that included three ways for citizens to either donate funds or show support for the bridge idea. They did not offer any information on supporting the Citizens for an Open Greenbelt (COG) lawsuit filed against Garden City in November. The whole thing stems from Garden City closing the Greenbelt west of Glenwood to bicyclists.
The Garden City is pinning its hopes on securing a grant from the Idaho Parks Department. In a story displayed below the bike bridge piece the ASSOCIATED PRESS proclaims maintenance and repairs at Idaho Parks could be delayed due to budget woes. We predict the citizens will get to pay for the costs of both sides of their legal battle, the price of the planning, engineering, design, and application for a bridge, and there will still be no bridge.
We would never presume the outcome of the courtroom debate, but based on what we have seen, the bicyclists seem to have a good case for keeping the Greenbelt open to all comers.
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Comments & Discussion
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Jan 3, 2011, 2:01 pm
Guardian: We predict the citizens will get to pay for the costs of both sides of their legal battle, the price of the planning, engineering, design, and application for a bridge, and there will still be no bridge.
That pill shouldn’t be hard to swallow. After all, these are the same citizens who get to pay for the legal battle to keep themselves from riding bikes on the precious Riverside Village bike path.
The folks over at the Daily Paper are being played like a Stradavarius!
Jan 3, 2011, 9:56 pm
HHMMM! Let’s see…. $900,000.00 for a bridge to make 34 Riverfront people happy with their “exclusive” waterfront property, or $10,000.00 to widen the existing bike path and use it for which it was intended. This INSANITY by the Garden City mayor has GOT to cease!!