What do YOU think?

MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING! I don’t love the idea of high rises, or unsightly “complexes” everywhere either, but TC needs more affordable housing. We used to live in TC, but when it was time to step up from renting to buying, there was no way we could afford to live in town. We are about 30 miles out of town now and should more affordable (read; 130,000 and lower for a single family home), IN TOWN housing become available, we would jump at the opportunity to move back. No one in my social circle is poor, and all are working couples, many without kids, and almost none can afford to live in town. And I’m talking working professionals, not service jobs, but not doctors either.

How about if we pick 3 of Michael’s ideas this year and get them off the ground, then 3 next year, then 3 the following year – we won’t break the bank and we’ll finally be moving along on the right path.

Please listen to Michael Moore’s ideas on helping TC become a vital community.

Chris, I just received an email from Michael Moore with his comments for the future of TC. I think your committee should listen to his ideas. Look what he has done for TC already with the film festival and the State Theatre.

Why can’t the city have WiFi and be wired with high speed broadband? Why wasn’t this done?

One of the first things that needs to be done is to provide toliets for visitors. Do you realize that we are the only community up here that doesn’t? Check it out. I have.

The train tracks do work. They go by right by our garage and have since we have lived here the past almost 30 years. Why can’t TC be working on getting rail travel for people up here and from downstate? Ken and I would be the first ones to use it. We are so ready for it. We saw about 30 passanger cars being taken back downstate after spending considerable time being stored in Grawn. What a shame that they couldn’t have stayed here and have been used by us.

Make downtown more festive during the summer. Close Front Street during the day one day a week – say on Fridays when there is Friday night live – but close it all day – and make it like a festival. Bands, food, tents with things to buy, movies to see, things for the kids to do. Not just Friday night, but all day. People love to walk in the street and spread out. It’s more like a community to do so.

Ken and I have talked many times with Lynn Moon and John Nelson. Lynn is very interested in building affordable housing. Not high end housing – but housing people can afford. She has built some, but not enough. People like Lynn and John should be encouraged to build their houses and other people like them should be found. This should be high on the city’s agenda – to get this type of housing built. Otherwise, another homeless shelter is going to have to be built.

Which brings me to the homeless situation. What is being done about that? Jobs!!!!! Where are businesses with jobs? Not businesses who come up here and say they are bringing jobs – and end up bringing only entry level jobs and bringing their own management level people with them. We need liveable wage jobs. Another high priority.

Promoting TC is good for tourism. Is anyone promoting TC for businesses?

Instead of giving jobs to Camp Pugsley inmates, why not give those same jobs to people at Goodwill Inn? The Cherry Festival uses Camp Pugsley people. Why can’t they use people at the Goodwill Inn? They need the money more than the inmates. Think about it. Doesn’t seem fair.

I strongly agree with Michael Moore’s suggestion for Free Wi-Fi and High-Speed Broadband. Our desire to be connected to the Internet will be in demand much like our current needs to have cellphones and texting.
Harry Burkholder’s comments about keeping the pedestrian tunnel on Cass Street open all year is also good. I also favor using funds to build a pedestrian and bicycle bridge crossing over Grandview Parkway west of Division to connect the Tart Trail to the waterfront. In the summer, while risking their lives crossing Grandview Parkway on Division Street, tourists and locals alike are peppered with loud honks and obscenities from drivers making left turns from Division. There needs to be more safety and a friendlier environment for all of us.

Michael Moore’s suggestions are very good ones especially those about Free WiFi and High-Speed Broadband. We need the stimulus money to allow us to compete for new businesses up here. Work on getting the stimulus grant should start right away.

This IS a new year yet the economy is still sketchy at best. Peoples’ incomes/pensions are not keeping up with the costs for many goods and services yet I hear “drum beat” for millage for a number of agendas. This is the wrong time to raise taxes!! Other than the elite whose pocketbooks are flush, most folks need to have things remain status quo when considering taxes. Trails and bayfront improvements need to be built with grants and possibly Brown Bridge funds–not dollars out of our pockets.

The simplest, least expensive solution to making a TC Dog Park is to simply change the current wording on Park entrance signs from:

‘ALL DOGS MUST BE ON LEASH’ to:
“PLEASE KEEP YOUR DOG ON LEASH OR UNDER CONTROL”

HICKORY HILLS OPEN FIELD seems to be the naturally designated DOG PARK but the current signage allows for a few vigilantes that have yelled at me that my dog is NOT on a leash like THE SIGN SAYS…
Hope this helps as the ROADS to get to Hickory Hills Park need more IMMEDIATE expenditures anyway!

2 thumbs up to the idea of having a dog park. While TC is a dog friendly city and there are plenty of places we can take the dogs, most do require that the dogs be on a leash. It would be fantastic to have a place where they could safely run and play. Thanks for asking.

A Dog Park – oh my, yes!!! It would socialize both dogs and people plus be great exercise. I would use it several times a week. My dog and I would love it! If it’s a money issue, a small fee could be charged to enter the park.

I would love to see Traverse City embrace the community dog population by adding a dog park. It has been a successful trend in many cities! Some dogs need more exercise than an “on leash” walk can provide. There is no reason why a well trained dog shouldn’t have a place to run & play with friends. It would be a superb thing we can do for the community!

I am in favor of a dog park!

Hello Chris.
Thank you for providing this forum opportunity.
I would like to comment on your suggestion to use the Brown Bridge funding to implemnt the development of our waterfront area. I am greatly in favor of it. While there are many things to like about the waterfront area, I beleive we can make things a lot better. This starts by re-examining the implmeneting several of the recomendations outlined in the waterfront plan. In my opinion, the first priority should be better pedestrian access across Grandview Parkway. This can be acheived by implementing a series of traffic calming measures. The City Planning Department is fully capable of helping to design these traffic calming measures. In the mean time, we need to keep current pedestrain access open. Can you explain to me why we gate off the cass street pedestrian tunnel during the fall and winter months? What kind of message does this send to the year-round residents. I personnaly use the waterfront everyday and use that tunnel quite often. In terms of other capital improvements. I would really like to see a large childrens playscape and water feature geared to kids (i.e. splash park). The water feature in the recently renovated waterfront park in Charlevoix is a good example. I believe this feature, in part, led to the parks designation as a “great place” by the American Planning Association. The water feature would attract kids, which inturns attracts families.
Lastly, I would like to make plowing the sidewalks and paths around the waterfront a priority. Often, it seems like these are the last sidewalks to get plowed. Again, why are making it harder for people to access one of the crown jewels of the community?

One more thing on another issue – we need to make the reconfiguration (i.e. traffic calming, landscaping and crosswalks) of Division street from Front street to 14th street a priority.

Great idea, Chris. This is a wonderful way to voice concerns and prioritize citizen concerns. I live in the Central Neighborhood and would like to see more effort put into slowing and reducing traffic cutting through this neighborhood. A few years ago a great deal of time and expense was put into studying traffic calming. There were many good ideas and not all of them very expensive. There must be a way to implement a few of them.
I would also like to see the police give out more tickets to speeders on residential streets.

Re: Transportation/Bicycle Safety
I recently sent this letter, followed up by the email to the City Commission. The response was very hopeful.
“I would like to request that the bicycle safety of the crossing at 7th and Division be addressed. At this point, it is safe for westbound bicycles to continue along the street crossing Division . However, eastbound bicycles are faced with a one-way street. I have seen several options to dealing with this . Most common is that people ride along the sidewalk, even west of Division, and then bike across the crosswalk and continue on the sidewalk on the east side. There are two issues with this, one is legal, and the more important is safety. Eastbound cars turning right tend to look for traffic coming from the left and ignore activity that is unexpected. Pedestrians move slowly enough to stop, but a bike once committed is vulnerable. Also, there are many studies reporting that sidewalk riding is very unsafe and it shouldn’t be a habit that we encourage. Some bikers ignore that it’s a one-way street and pedal hard to get to Maple before a vehicle approaches. Others make a left hand turn and head for the alley between 6th & 7th. None of these options are safe and they are often confusing.

Bicycles are forced to be confronted with this issue because, even with its difficulties, 7th Street with its light is still one of the safest and quickest crossings. Front Street is perceived as too busy and narrow for biking comfort. 14th, with all the vehicular turning, is uncomfortable even for experienced riders. That leaves the crossing at the bay, which seems to be working though with its own issues, but is a long way north if you are commuting to work at the hospital, government center, or the Pavilions; or, conversely, to downtown. Seventh Street is also part of the TART Cross-town route, and as such should be safe for all bikers.

I have seen a solution to this. Several communities have implemented “Contra flow” bike lanes where appropriate. Simply, there is two way bike traffic but only one way car traffic. The contra flow bike lane is well marked and signed. I don’t feel it should extend past Maple Street, where people can safely go either north or south to two way streets. Communities such as Boulder, CO, Eugene, OR, Portland, OR, Madison WI, Minneapolis, MN, and Cambridge , MA. have implemented contra flow bike lanes . I have included some websites that illustrate this solution.
Perhaps, the solution could be included in a plan for a re-engineered Division. What a good job was done on Woodmere. It is a pleasure both to drive and bike. I wrote to the City a couple of years ago asking for help in this matter but received no response. TART wrote a letter in March of 2008 with no response. As we see more and more commuters (some all year), and recreational bikers on our streets, I’m hoping this will be the year that something can be put into action.

email:
I trust that you have received my mailed request that the issues of 7th & Division be addressed. You might wonder why I’m the one advocating for more safety. On four occasions I sat at 7th & Kid’s Creek counting bikes and watching how they handled the crossing. This fall, there were 49 bicyclists in a 2 hour period and I worried about most of them. Talking to a few users of that intersection, I found they used it because of the light and weren’t aware of how to improve the safety. Like most of us, we tend to think in terms of convenience for the cars. They were grateful that Traverse City has been slowly becoming more bike and pedestrian friendly.
Those of us who live just outside the city limits, come to town frequently, to use the downtown facilities, and wanted to feel connected to the community. The city might legally end but Traverse City keeps going. I hope you will seriously consider my request and not dismiss it out of hand.

Thanks for the positive response.