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Featured Listener Comments Section: Contents List |
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Listener: Mikel Ward
Category: Lubbock City Politics
Date: 01 May 2008
Time: 12:33:06 -0700
Remote Name: 68.91.16.225
Added 5/5/2008: Petition to Re-evaluate scope of Visitor Center Project
For immediate release: May 1, 2008
Options for Opponents of the Visitor Center
A group of Lubbock citizens has been weighing our options to show our
displeasure concerning the votes of 5 of the 7 City Council members to go
forward with the vastly over-priced visitor center on April 24 despite
overwhelming public opinion against it (up to 95% on a KCBD poll the night
before the vote). Now with the fastest demolition in history of 2 very usable
buildings, our anger has intensified, but saving those buildings for reuse has
been reduced to a pile of rubble.
We have seriously considered circulating a petition calling for a voter
referendum in November to reverse their decision. This would require a vast
amount of volunteer man hours to collect about 5100 valid signatures within 60
days. This issue needs to be resolved sooner than that.
While not ruling out this possible action, most of us think that a better use
of our time and energy is to focus on electing a new Mayor and 2 City Council
members on May 10 who will reconsider the cost and scope of the visitor center.
If this issue is important to voters, we encourage them to determine where
candidates stand before they vote. If a new Council can be seated without a
runoff election delay, a fresh analysis of the City’s priorities could save the
taxpayers a lot of money.
The EDAW final downtown redevelopment report calls for more than $386 million of
tax funded projects over the next 12 years as part of a $1.2 billion total
investment. Before we ask voters to pay for new “expensive toys”, we should
complete some of the 2004 voter approved renovation projects such as $5 million
for the Municipal Auditorium, $1,450,000 for the Civic Center, and $2,145,000
for the Mahon Library.
We are interested in public input and ideas. Citizens can contact Mikel Ward at
795-8870 if they would like to help. We will let you know what future actions we
decide to take.
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