By Randy Kugler
Councilor Hart is the City’s answer contact for citizens who have questions on any City matter. I recently asked the Councilor for clarification of the City Manager’s statement that speed bumps would be installed on Classic Street. I assumed that the City Manager meant to say speed humps. The difference in design and purpose of these two traffic calming features is significant for residents and emergency service providers who will be driving daily on Classic.
A Google search reveals the difference. “Speed bumps are sharp 3-6 inches high, 1-2 feet wide and force speeds of 2-10 mph, typically used in parking lots. Speed humps are gentle, 3-4 inches high, 12-14 feet long, and encourage 10-20 mph, ideal for residential roads. Bumps are abrupt for maximum slowdown; humps allow traffic flow.” Simply stated, you don’t use speed bumps on public streets.
Councilor Hart’s response was speed bumps and humps are interchangeable terms, the Council doesn’t get involved in these details, it has no interest in clarifying the City Manager’s comments and if I need more information, make a public records request.
Hart’s response was similar in tone when he explained why the Council didn’t get involved in considering how to find a way to fund and approve the low bid for the Classic Street project in May with available General Fund TLT revenue. Again, the response was Council just doesn’t get involved in these project details.
The Council’s lack of interest in the details of this project is proving to be both expensive and inconvenient for residents. Had the project been approved for construction and fully funded with available TLT dollars in May, all of the design and pedestrian safety features recommended by the City’s engineering consultants would have been built and the project would have been completed in November. The Council has yet to explain the inconvenient detail of spending almost $470,000 for legal and design recommendations and then failing to even investigate the available financial means to deliver the best long term solution to remedy the City’s past short sighted development attempts involving Classic Street.
Hart’s explanations of the Council’s lack of involvement in the details of this project will become even more problematic as completion deadlines are missed and costs escalate. Citizens should expect to hear all manner of excuses as the project moves forward such as the Council’s limitations in administrative matters, the legal expenses to defend allegations of irregular bidding practices by the City are not subject to public disclosure, wet weather construction challenges etc.
Perhaps a better line of questions to Councilor Hart would be who is making the decisions on these important details and who will be taking the responsibility for the consequences that result from those decisions.