Comments on: Boise Preys On Auditorium Cash Reserves

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 14:45:58 +0000

Stick49: I’m aware ACHD was created in 1972. The question was when was the RoW for The Grove vacated?

It may have been before 1972 because The Grove was part of the failed BRA and its goal to create a downtown mall.

How is this relevant? So we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. I don’t have time to provide back-up but pedestrian malls have been a failure nearly everywhere they’ve been implemented.

Look at the lost RoW downtown with useless bike lanes and the contra flow bus lane on Capitol.

And the cars keep coming.

History of ACHD:

http://www.achdidaho.org/Departments/PR/ACHDhistory.aspx

By: Stick49

Stick49 — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 23:33:35 +0000

Cynic, ACHD dates to the early 70s.

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 15:03:29 +0000

“John Brunelle, CCDC’s executive director, said the intent for the stipulation was that the proceeds from a possible sale of the plaza, which was constructed with public dollars through tax-increment financing, would be required to go toward a public amenity.” Our elected public servants ALWAYS stress safety. The Protect Boise campaign of the Boise Fire Bond of 2014. Boosted no tax increase. Now we come to find out that our public servants made a $17 million plus dollar mistake? But according to elected public servants they learned something! Maybe our public servants should take off their lobbyist’s hats for out of state developers, put on their public servant hats and use the public’s dollars to pay for the erroneous mistake made by our elected public servants on the fire bond. NO INCREASED TAXES was what the public voted for! As safety is an amenity!?

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 19:57:47 +0000

The real travesty here was vacating the public right of way that was the relevant parts of 8th Street and Grove Street. I suppose all of you have forgotten those streets used to be continuous.

BG, do you know if the Grove’s RoW was vacated before ACHD or after?

I know everyone hates a streetcar but a Grove St/Bannock St loop through downtown would have been perfect. Now Grove is forever ruined as a transportation corridor. And it barely functions as Plaza, most of time much of the year it’s utterly vacant.

And the way other streets are being whittled down it won’t be long before all of downtown is a pedestrian mall.

But have hope, concrete lovers, all of Julia Davis Park and the Greenbelt will soon be concreted over with memorials, monuments, zoos and museums.

By: JJ

JJ — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 15:38:25 +0000

When local governments can’t do basic collaboration it’s the citizens who suffer, and Boise City seems to have this concept they only want to participate in ventures, if they can own and take credit for it.

Baseball stadium is a prime example, Boise seemed to never consider the idea of supporting a district to improve the existing stadium which has better access and parking than downtown would. Simply put, the site was outside the City so it didn’t meet the basic criteria for their support. Another opportunity to collaborate on a stadium with the BSU baseball team did not happen, maybe BSU had issues with it, I don’t know, but I heard others say the City did not like the idea of a stadium on BSU land, because again the City might not have the control their ego required.

So the result may well be one government agency has an unused baseball stadium, another government entity will build a stadium for the college team, and a third government entity will build a stadium because they have to own it and couldn’t get a deal done with others.

Unfortunately this same pattern continues with the Fire Training Facility, Composting (which the County landfills turn into natural gas), control of roads, etc.

Boise does not play well with others, tax payers are paying for it.

As an aside, the only hotel rooms to be sold for a minor league baseball game will be the traveling team. Its a joke to think our minor league team will be a boon for the GBAD coffers or local economy.

As was stated in a previous post quoting a sports economist…Take the economic benefit touted by a stadium booster, move it one decimal to the left that may be what you get…

https://www.marketplace.org/2015/03/19/business/are-pro-sports-teams-economic-winners-cities

By: JC

JC — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 22:46:24 +0000

What part of “we don’t want a GD baseball park anywhere near the city limits” does the city government not understand? Do we not have enough congestion downtown and on the adjacent streets? Oh, for the “love of chest thumping” I guess.

By: Western Guy

Western Guy — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 18:57:17 +0000

Why no OUTRAGE! over the hidden clause in City contract documents and ‘Consent Agenda’ fraud that is going on?

Where is the City Council? In Team Dave’s pocket?

Where are city staff who should be INFORMING the Council members of these self-dealings?

By: TooStuffy

TooStuffy — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 18:51:30 +0000

Who paid for the original expenses before it was laundered through CCDC? Whoever that was is the rightful owner now.

EDITOR NOTE–CCDC paid with diverted tax money. Boise city is the logical entity to get the expired property. We citizens own all of it!!

By: Un - grab our money

Un - grab our money — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 14:48:16 +0000

Since the central district urban renewal district has expired, it should mean those taxes are no longer diverted to CCDC and go to the general funds.

So, citizen property owners taxes can now go down. We have subsidized this build up in downtown. Tax relief is what is needed.

EDITOR NOTE–You can bet there have been discussions at City Hall on how to spend the windfall profit and not violate the 3% budget increase limit.

By: L. Rincover

L. Rincover — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 00:38:54 +0000

Team Dave has the Trump syndrome that anything that adds to his legacy or helps his friends is fine, regardless of what’s best for the citizens of Ada County. It’s true that everything about the current ball park is terrible except …………..its location. As Regan would say………tear down those walls……….. build a new stadium on the current site. The property is practically free and access is terrific. It would remain a benefit for all of Ada County and as the area grows it the location becomes even more accessible to all. Give it up Dave. Enough is enough. You can’t push your personal agenda onto the tax payers of Ada County through the slight of hand CCDC. If/when I run for Ada County Commissioner next round I’ll be doing everything I can to stop feeding the beast at the expense of Ada County property owners, tax payers.