Willow Street to Close Wednesday

Chris (Kit) Myers March 16, 2013 at 01:10 am

Interesting that I own a property on that street and the elitist City gods have not had the courtesy to include me in any discussions.

silly sally March 16, 2013 at 01:29 am

karma.

Mary March 16, 2013 at 02:28 am

Interesting. Maybe they aren't piping up because their true goal is to completely shut down S. Willow St.
And closing the street is a terrible idea. Do the people making these decisions even live in Kent? I guess if they do, they get to work in Kent so getting out of the city in a timely manner doesn't matter to them. And most of us have to do this fun task during rush hour, too. Fun!

Jim Williams March 16, 2013 at 02:56 am

Since when does Kent have a rush hour? I would really appreciate hearing why this is a terrible idea, and what the impact will be on the closure of one block of this street. Please use facts, not hyperbole or speculation, and back it up with data. My guess is that is what the city's engineers have done in considering this move.

Chris Mallin March 16, 2013 at 06:01 pm

I spend a lot of time near Main and Willow, and I expect to spend more time there when the Courthouse opens next year, so I try to keep track of the development. The statement in the news article is less than clear - "City and university officials are weighing the idea of permanently closing this stretch of Willow Street," and interested citizens should make their concerns known to City officials while that idea is being "weighed". First, "University" officials can weigh all they want, but have no authority to close a public street. University officials may ask City officials to close a street. It is not clear if this has been formally asked, although news reports since January have mentioned this possibility. The City professional staff has not made a recommendation to City Council to close the street. Some members of City Council, who are familiar with Willow Street, have made it clear that they are opposed to closing Willow Street, when citizens who were concerned because of the news reports of possible closing made those concerns known. The elected members of City Council have done a respectable job of protecting the citizens from whatever "elitist City gods" are considered to be a threat, and the members of City Council are only getting paid minimum wage for protecting the citizens. Local government works well if you participate, perhaps less well if you make up things to blame on those who do participate.

Sa;;y March 16, 2013 at 10:43 pm

Mallin - University officials may not have the authority but with all of their development in Kent they certainly have the persuasion with city government.
Also, as far as council's wages- I believe these folks ran for office knowing what they would be paid. And, just how are they protecting the citizens? The police do that. City council is supposed to "represent" the citizens in making decisions that the constituents are in favor of. Serving on council has always been considered a privilege. It's not meant to support one's family and lifestyle.

Chris (Kit) Myers March 17, 2013 at 02:43 am

Well, Mr. Williams, go and stand at the intersection of South Lincoln and Main and watch what happens when classes let out at various times and when a bus stops on Lincoln in front of Starbucks. At the same time, there are a lot of pedestrians. It is extremely busy, and with the increase in enrollment, will get busier. And should Lincoln be closed for some reason, without the availability of Willow, the nearest way to Main from Summit is DePeyster Street. But what do I know? The city bows to the university and developers. Genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.
And, Mr. Williams, a big impact will be the fact that my tenants and I will no longer have access to my property, pretty much rendering it worthless. That rental property is my job, a source of income, my legacy to my children. And I pay four thousand five hundred dollars a year real estate taxes on it, a healthy sum, most of which goes to the Kent City Schools.