Dear West University Place,
I am so excited about the transformational investments in our city represented by Prop D. Some may dislike that I personally favor a plan that renews the buildings in our civic center, and some may disagree with our city’s long-term investment in beautiful, well-functioning indoor and outdoor spaces. Still, our residents should know I read and listen to your comments and try incorporating them into plans that address your underlying concerns. For example, I also want to preserve those oak trees in front of the existing community building. In practice, this means that you do not have wrecking balls imminently arriving to knock down the existing library, and the city will follow a town hall and public discussion on the plan for those buildings following the vote on Prop D. I would like to keep them around.
We are going to talk about the civic center buildings as a community for the foreseeable future before we propose a plan to move forward beyond Prop D. That’s why they aren’t on the ballot today. This also means that each citizen will have the opportunity to participate in evaluating the renovation or rebuilding of our buildings, which may result in very limited rebuilding of existing buildings along Auden. It would likely be very attractive, financially and aesthetically, if we can make that work – in either case, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, and the voters will decide.
The library and community center are on the ballot because that is the project where we have the most advanced design and the space to move forward, and the area where they will be built is obsolete industrial space. We have a lot of work to do and citizen input to obtain before finalizing a design on the library or even considering a concrete proposal on the remaining projects. The rest of the civic center isn’t on the ballot because we don’t have a decision to make on them today. The final proposal might be cheaper or more costly than the estimates today, but in either case, we’ll make a decision together based on the best information we have, and we’ll try to propose the most efficient approach possible.
A group of citizens asking for a vote on the library made a big impact on me, personally, and that’s why I voted to put Prop D on the ballot. I don’t believe in shutting residents out of a process to shape their neighborhood city. I want this city to feel good about its path forward, and the best way to achieve that, with our current level of engagement, is to hold a vote in which everyone can participate. The same principles apply to the remaining work we have to do, and citizens will continue to have the opportunity to participate directly in this process.
I’m very impressed that West U is the kind of place where we can have such a deeply engaged, two-way conversation that intelligently shapes the city. Our residents are whip-smart and highly educated, and our civic process is unlike most other communities. I try to find some joy in this sharp debate and regret where it has led to division.
The individuals writing the most salacious posts on social media have never spoken to me in person, but the views of those engaged in this discussion are being heard and considered, and we have a lot of work left to do. Thank you to all residents of the city for your participation in this discussion, and I look forward to a bright future for the City of West University Place.
John Clayton Brett