City Government
Library Study: Boiseans Are Fat, Poor
August 3, 2019 
Included in the $12 million design fee for an $85 million library is a $40,000 study completed by Boise-based Vitruvian Planning.
We note Chris Danley is the founder of Vitruvian Planning and is a former member of Boise City’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
In an unbiased report, IDAHO PRESS reporter Margaret Carmel offers some results of the study which included travel to Salt Lake City and Bozeman, Montana by the consultant. Cost of the survey was buried in the overall architect fee. She reports the city fathers and mothers are aiming to make us all healthier.
Here’s what the GUARDIAN took away.
–Boise folks are fat, underpaid, underinsured, trend toward mental illness, suffer from homelessness.
–If we spend the big bucks for a library the best designs would include lockers for the homeless, desks without chairs, streets without cars, covered bike parking, obscure elevators, and “exciting” staircases.
The report claimed Boise has a 28% obesity rate and 16% of us suffer a week of bad mental health days per month.
Bear in mind there has been no permission from citizens to spend any money for a library project, despite a pending ballot measure and state law requiring approval of public spending.
Surveys like this along with the free spirited public spending obviously drive folks mad and cause them to pig-out on junk food!
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Comments & Discussion
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Aug 3, 2019, 10:30 pm
Super reporting. Has she been able to dig up one to the city hall blacklists yet?
Aug 4, 2019, 10:27 am
Did the Vitruvian study include an analysis of WHY so many people have committed suicide in the Safdie-designed Salt Lake Library??? The sterility of the design for the Boise structure sure seems cold enough that it could set vulnerable people over the edge. When I look at the Safdie illustrations for the Boise library, I get the sense of a sterile cold setting, and that’s reinforced by the scheme to have it partially “staffed” by book robots. Seriously. The plan is to have far fewer books out for people to peruse, and you will have to use some kind of automated retrieval system. Ahhh … but the “maker spaces”, high calorie chocolate cream fudge lattes, and “art” will make up for all that I guess.
Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the Salt Lake Safdie edifice suicides : There have been several public suicides at the library since its relocation. In April 2008, a woman jumped from the third floor balcony inside the library and died.[5]
In July 2005, a woman jumped from the roof of the building to her death. In March 2011, a woman jumped from the fourth floor inside the building and died. In April 2012, a man jumped from the balcony inside the library to his death.[6]
On June 10, 2013, at approximately 4pm, a 21-year-old man jumped to his death from the roof, prompting the closure of the library for the remainder of the day.[7]
On November 13, 2013, at approximately 4:15pm, a 21-year-old man was witnessed jumping from the roof of the building. The man survived the fall and was taken to LDS Hospital for his injuries. The event prompted the closure of the library for the remainder of the day.[8]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City_Public_Library
Aug 4, 2019, 1:31 pm
Hey, how did you get that picture of me?!!??
Aug 4, 2019, 1:55 pm
Why the h.ll does the “consultant” have to travel to Bozeman Montana to provide info for Boise?
This “consultant” must be another friend or relative of the Emperor of Boise.
Boise citizens are getting fleeced again and they don’t know it or don’t care.
Let re-elect the emperor so we can waste even more money for another 4 years!!!! gag
Aug 4, 2019, 4:22 pm
So the City wants people healthier and less obese, eh?
Here’s my proposal for them…..
1)Ditch the electric scooters and supply bikes for exercise.
2)Instead of a new library, where people sit…oops, I mean stand around and read books and look at computers, they should build a gymnasium, with all kinds of equipment hooked up to generators to offset the costs.
3)Install ladders, not stairs, in all city government owned buildings, cuz that will be REAL exercise, maybe even ROPE ladders, while eliminating elevators altogether.
4)Replace jet airliners with hot air balloons as main form of air travel at the Boise Airport. Travelers will learn about how to catch wind currents to reach their destinations. For upper scale air travel, dirigibles powered by cycle powered electric engines can be built. NO SMOKING allowed…remember the Hindenberg!
5)Only allow UPSTREAM travel on the Boise river. THAT will get those bodies in shape! Paddling like a madman against 8000cfs does wonders for the soul.
6)All City parks will have dangerous animals hiding in the trees and bushes to chase you. This will ensure brisk sprints to trim off those pounds.
7)All City owned buildings will have 24/7 flat screen TVs beaming Dr Phil at you, to improve your mental infrastructure.
Now, and I’m serious here…..all City employees need to have couch time with Dr. Bruce Levine (a REAL good psychologist) that can talk them all down from their totalitarian towers of power.
Aug 4, 2019, 5:55 pm
When will the masses figure out all of the ruses and back-channel skullduggery going on with this library project?
Will same masses rise up and smite Team Dave and his hired factotums (and the kiss a$$ City Council?
Aug 5, 2019, 9:39 am
It is embarrassing watching what keeps coming, and especially embarrassing seeing the council, mayor and library defend it.
What decisions did Danley vote on?
Aug 5, 2019, 10:29 am
Let’s note, the couch potato is reading a BOOK!
For all the readership here saying,” libraries are not needed since everyone gets their media in digital version”– please see the photo again:
A paper book!
Maybe he checked it out at his local Library!
+++
Doesn’t take a paid study to know Boiseans (Americans) are too fat and poor. Should public facilities try to remedy that? Sure, but the architect already knows that too.
So why is Vitruvian Planning, a local Boise company ripping off the poor, fat people of Boise? Shameful!
http://vitruvianplanning.com/about/
Aug 5, 2019, 11:11 am
Since the sacredness of grounded history doesn’t seem to matter much anymore in Boise, perhaps we could save some of the $650,000 in taxpayer funds earmarked for moving “The Cabin” across the street by asking the good citizens of the city to each pick up a log from the venerable 1939 CCC Cabin and carry it to the eventual “elephant graveyard” where it will be exiled and reerected. “Heave ho, away we go, out with the old, “progress” is so …”
Toting the pesky bones of our city’s heritage to less inconvenient resting places makes about as much sense as concocting “exciting staircases” in the new $103 million events center/library, doesn’t it?
Aug 5, 2019, 3:11 pm
Wow, what informed readers? Most likely, Virtruvian submitted their bid for the report and it was awarded to them. And what would the planning company owner be voting on? I love the overall attitude here. I’m fat, lazy, and the last thing I need is someone pointing that out to me. I’m sorry that they illuminated your foibles. Carry on!
Aug 5, 2019, 7:04 pm
We pay for better! Our elected public servants test the water with this
(BOISE)KIND of waste to see how far Devious Dave and The Master Bieters can spend, overweight, mentally ill, homeless peoples HARD EARNED money.
It is obvious that Devious Dave should have spent survey money when City hall was being redone as he could have posed for the Couch Pic.
Aug 6, 2019, 6:52 am
Jay..he would have voted on issues before P and Z while he was a commissioner.
Aug 6, 2019, 10:39 am
Escherian stairs would do wonders for our wastelines. Or at least having ample stacks to browse rather than a multi-million dollar library serve us up our books with a latte and cream puff.
Aug 6, 2019, 1:22 pm
Nice, Ridahoan. Sent me to Google for “escherian.”