I have received information from several different sources now that false information was spread during the recent campaign. People were told not to vote for Fran Newton because she wants to change the downtown, including putting in a roundabout. If you went to Candidate's Night or saw the broadcast on Channel 20, you would have seen that (1) Fran Newton wants to develop a shared vision for Ashland, and (2) she did not say anything about changing the downtown or putting in a roundabout. A roundabout would be extremely expensive; it would create traffic problems, ruin the appearance of that section of town, take away parking space, and cut into Memorial Park. She did, however, express her desire for economic development and revitalization, thoughts echoed by many.
However, there is a case to be made for reconfiguring the traffic island. One of the ideas initially proposed by the Charrette team was to close the short section of 132 by the traffic island and make the island part of Memorial Park. This would make that corner safer for cars and pedestrians, improve the appearance of the island, add space to Memorial Park, and add parking spaces to the lower village. The cost to do this would be moderate, especially compared to a roundabout. However, this was just a preliminary idea. We have not seen the final report to see whether the plan is even viable. Fran made the point at Candidate's Night that all options would be on the table. This means that if the plan were viable, it would be something we should consider. I put the emphasis on WE, because improving the downtown must be part of a shared vision of the townspeople, not something that a single person or small group wants.
Behind this issue is the larger issue of economic development. The fact is that we need to attract businesses and talented people to our town even if we just want to maintain the town as it is. We do not have enough people to pay the taxes to support necessary services and maintain the equipment, buildings, and roads as they currently exist. Previous boards have not addressed economic development, and they have let our infrastructure and equipment deteriorate. The town is in a very difficult position in terms of attracting business because of our financial situation and because our downtown area is not attractive to new business for a number of reasons. We are having a difficult time sustaining businesses.
One way to attract business is to work on both situations. Improve our financial situation by controlling spending and building reserves, and improve the appearance of the downtown. We are going to develop a Capital Improvement Program, and we should consider making the downtown area a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District so that money generated from improvements can be funneled back into improving the downtown without negatively affecting the tax rate. We need to work much more closely with other government agencies to find ways to address specific problems and obtain grant money to make the process of improving our town easier on taxpayers. Hopefully, there will be a number of ideas in the Charrette report that will help us promote economic development, but we have to examine them, determine what is feasible, find ways to finance them, and prioritize them before we implement them.
In general, unfounded rumors are detrimental to the town. We do not need leaders who discourage creative thought, who mislead voters, and who stand in the way of progress in order to promote their own political agendas. As Fran clearly stated, we need to develop a shared vision for the town. This vision must be based on the truth and on the facts. And, we need people who have integrity, vision, and the ability to bring people together to support a common purpose. We certainly hope the newly elected board will exemplify these ideals and, if they do, find support from the town.
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