MINET IMPROVEMENTS FINISH UNDER BUDGET   

By Anne Scheck

MINET, the municipal fiberoptic company co-founded by Independence, has completed upgrades that give it “unlimited data speed” and the project came in a million dollars under budget.  “It really is a game-changer,’’ said City Manager Tom Pessemier at the last city council meeting. “They saved a lot of money and worked very hard.” 
 
A news release emailed by the company cited “cascading equipment failure” that prompted intense focus on producing “high-grade technical results and impressive time-and-money savings.” 
 
With MINET’s enhanced reliability -- the new advanced technology is considered to be highly resistant to outages – the company “looks to expansion,” according to the announcement. Asked about the possibility of MINET’s growth in Polk County, Craig Pope, who chairs the county’s board of commissioners, said he welcomes MINET’s participation in a future public presentation by fiberoptic corporations, on the heels of a county survey of internet providers. 
 
However, he predicted it may be a battle for customers – Comcast already has made inroads in Dallas and early results from the survey indicate a high familiarity with CenturyLink. 
 
Neither the date for reporting the county-survey results of internet carriers nor the presentation by them has been announced. “I think it will be fairly soon,” Commissioner Pope said. [A closer examination of MINET’s planned expansion, the results of the county survey and the potential impact of both will be reported in a future issue of The Independent).

PLANNING COMMISSION: A CASE OF COMPROMISE

Concerns gave way to compromise last week during a new hearing on the Brandy Meadows subdivision in southwest Independence. 

A stretch of land for residents to use recreationally is being planned along Ash Creek, effectively foreclosing on the possibility that the developer, Harvey Cummings, could pay a fee in lieu of establishing a park. 

“I think it’s a good idea,” Mr. Cummings said in a brief interview after the meeting, adding that he wants to build an enjoyable neighborhood. He’d never supported the idea of paying revenue to the city to avoid allocating land for the park, anyway, he said. The choice is available to multi-home builders under the current municipal code – in the fairly recent past, one developer in the area took advantage of that option.   

Additionally, Mr. Cummings agreed to another proposed revision that would mandate $9,000 per acre be paid to address future traffic routing, potentially including a new bridge off Chestnut Street. “We’re happy to contribute to it,” he said. When pressed, Mr. Cummings acknowledged that the word “happy” might be something of an over-statement. 

“What I am saying is that if we don’t have a good park and good (traffic) connectivity, well, we won’t have a nice neighborhood, and that is what we all want – what’s good,” he said. Townhomes, single-family houses, duplexes and a fourplex are planned for the next phase of Brandy Meadows. [For a more in-depth look at how the Independence Planning Commission, Sunset Meadows residents and Mr. Cummings came together on the proposal for Brandy Meadows, see “The Little Neighborhood That Could – Then Did” in this month’s October issue of The Independent].

PUBLIC WORKS CONSTRUCTION

The price of two projects getting underway: Slightly more than $100,000 more for Riverview Lift Pump Station, with funding
to come from a city council-approved loan by the state; Estimate of about $2.4 million for rebuilding the F Street Bridge, with most of the funding taken care of by a transportation grant and about $240,000 from the city.

EDITORIAL

Sitting there, taking notes, my jump from my seat must've seemed as if I'd suffered an electric shock. By the time I sprinted to the podium, I already thought I deserved removal via a hooked cane. I was off-topic at a public microphone! But a very cute little girl was behaving herself at one of the most boring places on the planet for a child – the council room of the civic center. On at least a half-dozen occasions, at planning commission meetings, she’d done the same. It’s a reminder that if we want a diverse commission – and I mean early-adult ages as well as other factors – there should be a way for parents with kids to participate. And that's basically what I said. Then I decided to find out if anyone else – other than an out-of-order journalist – feels the same way. As it turns out, Ithaca NY has instituted childcare at council meetings. I tried calling, but unlike Independence, phone calls seem to be a poor way to communicate (some of the phones don’t even have voicemail, just endless ringing.) Then I hit upon the fact that the nerve center of every city hall isn’t the mayor’s office – it’s the City Recorder. There I received the necessary assistance to help me write the Civics Lesson column in this month’s Independent. Thanks, Ithacans!

Date to Note:  The Ghost Walk, Oct 5. Read all about its history in a profile of Marilyn Morton this month in The Independent. 

CROWDS & CLAMOR AT PLANNING COMMISSION

Plans for a new subdivision in southwest Independence drew a 30-plus crowd of people to the planning commission Monday night – and, after hearing their concerns, the commissioners scheduled another meeting on the proposal. 
 
During the public hearing, residents of Sunset Meadows voiced objections to an adjacent tract, Brandy Meadows, citing potential traffic congestion and an alleged lack of a clarity about how a park would be created on land partly dedicated to stormwater control. 
 
The parcel for the park should be a recreational space that families can enjoy, from bicycle-riding children to dog-walking pet owners, said Rich Clark, one of the residents. It’s also home to some osprey birds. 
 
“We’re aware of the storm drain issues, the traffic issues and the osprey nest,” said the developer, Harvey Cummings of Damascus, Ore. He added that he wants to address those factors, “to get in there and work with staff.”
 
Brandy Meadows is slated to have townhomes, single-family houses, duplexes and a fourplex, according to City Planner Fred Evander, who presented plans for the subdivision. Although there’s a specific traffic analysis report for the site, the overall traffic-system plan by Independence goes back to 2007, Mr. Evander acknowledged. A 12-year-old city traffic plan can be considered “a bit outdated,” Mr. Cummings said. 
 
Noting part of Brandy Meadows will be in a vibrant riparian area, Kristen Larson, executive director of the Luckiamute Watershed Council, urged that the final proposal to demonstrate “being good stewards of our creeks and rivers.” 
 
Planning Commissioner Kate Schwarzler seemed to sum it all up when she said she’d like to have a “better understanding” of the park and traffic plans. The rest of the commission – minus two commissioners who were absent Monday – concurred with that conclusion. The next meeting is Sept. 23.

CITY & COUNTY

Would you like to know when extreme weather is likely to occur? How about why there are helicopters flying overhead? A fast-as-lightning notification system that connects and conveys information across Polk County is launching – and it will be available to anyone in Independence who wants it, according to Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton. He announced the development at the Board of Commissioners Tuesday.  
 
Called CivicReady, it’s an online system designed specifically for local governments like the one in Independence. Sign-ups for the alerts – done through the soon-to-be-activated youralerts.org – can be delivered by email, text or voicemail, he explained. The cost to Independence is expected to be around $2,000 annually.

IN BRIEF

Needed sanitation-system upgrades are expected to cost about $10 million, including pump-lift stations and new pipes for conveying wastewater. The topic is covered in the September issue of The Independent. The drinking-water supply, which also utilizes pump stations but carries groundwater, will be the subject of a future issue that addresses the planned expansion of the that system to accommodate the growing area of southwest Independence. 

COMING UP

Donatellos Pizza is nearly ready to move into a mid-block location on Main Street downtown. The restaurant, which operates in Salem, expects to have a menu and atmosphere in Independence that will prove a draw to local families, according to the owner-operators.

A FINAL NOTE

Thank you for your questions about the water-and-sewer system. This is a continuing issue, and answers to all your inquiries will be sought.

SIDEWALKS A HAZARD AT FORMER CITY HALL

Sidewalks torn out during the re-purposing of Independence’s former city hall will be paved under a plan that uses the $300,000 pledged as a rebate to the developer – now being forfeited in order to restore the walkways.   
 
“It’s in a state of disrepair,” said City Manager Tom Pessemier. “I have determined that I believe it’s a hazard,” he said. 
 
The funds, which were set aside in the city’s General Fund, provided an incentive for a buyer to purchase the property, which is still under reconstruction. The money would have been given the developer, Chuck Sides, once the refurbishment was complete. Instead, it will now be used for sidewalks there, according to a special resolution passed by the city council Tuesday night.
 
Mr. Sides, who was in the audience, was asked by Mayor John McArdle if he had anything to say. The developer said he concurred with the decision. After the meeting, he agreed it was a “lot of money” to lose, but “negotiations” with the city will continue, he said. 
 
The old city hall is at the corner of Monmouth Avenue and Second Street.

UPDATE

The Heritage Museum will have a new home in a recently vacated building at the corner of Second and C streets, a longtime spot for antique vendors. The purchase money for the property will largely come from the sale of other city-owned real estate – marking the first time in nearly a decade that the city has generated its own funds to buy needed space. 
 
The money will come from the sale of the old museum site, a former church, and two lots given by Boise Cascade to the city nearly a dozen years ago, according to City Manager Tom Pessemier. The proposal was approved in a four-to-two vote by the city council. (See editorial commentary at end of this Linking Letter addressing recent changes.)

IN BRIEF

The need for upgrades to wastewater pipes, pumps and plans have pushed loans for the project past $10 million – but the steps are necessary as city growth continues to put pressure on the aging system, according to presentations at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. A second phase of the Liberty development will mean 30 more homes west of 7thStreet -- and apartment construction is expected to start soon at Independence Landing. (Wastewater improvements and the revenue needed for them are covered in the September issue of The Independent.) 

COMING UP

The Independence Hotel will begin taking room reservations in mid-September, staff there confirmed this week. During a “soft opening” last week, the restaurant and bar were opened; some rooms were occupied for a few days by a visiting group from the US Department of Agriculture. 

EDITORIAL COMMENTARY

The first sign that the times they are a-changin’, to borrow a famous line from Bob Dylan, came at perhaps the least expected place at the Civic Center. For the past few years, the city’s planning commission seems to have been given directions along with documents, from code changes to development plans. 
                                                                         
Not any more. It’s so collaborative now that it’s downright surprising nobody is sending out for pizza or breaking out a guitar. But as a new spirit of joint decision-making ascends, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that all hands are on deck. One member’s absence has been fairly routine; A vacant spot seems to have been viewed with complacency. The chair has expressed concern that if any of the members have to miss a meeting, a quorum is threatened.         
                                                                            
The way to treat these commissioners right is to ease their worry – with new recruits. It can’t be that hard. After all, several citizens predicted that nothing ever happens at the city without another loan – that you-know-what would have to freeze over first. Well, some flames became icicles Tuesday night – the new administration is set to sell some city real estate to finance a new museum site. And to think Independence simply could have floated another bond… -Anne Scheck