Friday, May 2, 2008

HOLD THAT DESSERT CART, WE HAVEN'T HAD DINNER YET

The Tribune ran an article yesterday, May 1, 2008, about Mayor England's idea for a water park on the riverfront. I think this is a fine idea, especially along the river. It could be a beautiful spot to swim or just float on a raft and watch the boats go down the river. Maybe we could even buy that giant Ferris Wheel from California, that would be a great view.



This is all well and good for the future but we cannot ignore the present. I love "feel good" projects as much as anyone else but we have to face reality. And the reality is that we still have streets with potholes big enough to swallow a Mack truck and parts of our city without sewers.



The mayor said people could not see past the "meat and potatoes" of paving and code enforcement. Sorry but meat and potatoes are the basic meal, dessert comes after dinner.



A lot of us would like more parks, museums, ice cream parlors, etc. but we have to have streets to drive on to get there first. The city officials seem to have a "let them eat cake" attitude. We need bread now, Mr. Mayor, and we'll have cake later. I want to urge the City Council to consider the basics first, then the extras.