THE CITY THIS WEEK: AN OCCASIONAL VIEW FROM A COUNCIL MEMBER

Dear Visionaries,

I mistakenly included Vision2020 on the press conference list for my Wednesday, 9/26, press conference. I am attaching the 2 page remarks from the conference so that anybody interested can see what it was all about. Bottom line: I won't be running for Congress in 2002, maybe another time but not this one. Thanks for your patience.

All the best,

Linda

THE CITY THIS WEEK: AN OCCASIONAL VIEW FROM A COUNCIL MEMBER

September 28 - October 7, 2001

from Linda Pall

On the High Holy Days and the National Tragedy…

After a hiatus, the High Holy Days, and an important time for community and for introspection, I return with these comments. I was so proud of the University/Community walk and candlelight vigil in East City Park and then the Latah County Human Rights Task Force effort to bring the community together and the Muslim community opening its doors to all of us during these past weeks. As a flag enthusiast, I have been delighted to see others displaying the stars and stripes. I also have been thrilled about Irving Berlin, one more time, coming around with his anthem-like "God Bless America." I encourage you to sing ‘Blue Skies’ from now on.

But this time might be captured for me by this observation. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the Jewish year, I spent part of the afternoon reading portions of Torah commentaries. As I was looking for a particular volume that I like, I came upon a prayer book that was given to me by Episcopalian minister and former spiritual leader of St. Mark’s in Moscow for many years, Bob Beveridge. I always thought that Bob would have made a great Rabbi. He did make a great Episcopal priest.

Bob was a chaplain in the military and what he passed to me was a prayer book that was issued to Jewish members of the armed forces. It’s small, compact, fit for a pocket, to be carried anywhere, literally… green leatherette cover, thin paper, about 500 pages. I picked it up, opened it and leafed through the prayers.

I was almost overcome as I read through the prayers that were intended for a conversation between the military man or woman and God, including the prayer for/of the seriously injured, followed by the burial prayers. I truly pray that the uplifting words of the mourner’s kaddish that refuse to speak the word ‘death’ and take your spirit to another place will be realized as we respond to this tragedy. I pray that no military person will have reason to thumb those pages in war.

And Now for Something Completely Different… in the words of Monty Python:

You are invited to a doggie birthday party, THIS Saturday, September 29, at Friendship Square, 9-9:30 AM during the Farmer’s Market. COUNT BASIE AND ELLA FITZGERALD, THE ENGLISH SETTERS, WILL BE THREE YEARS OLD OCTOBER 1! Come and pet a pup and have a dog crunchie (if you’re of that sort). We’ll have party hats and red, white and blue ribbons (if your dog doesn’t have one yet). We’ll be holding court from 9 to 9:30 A.M., after which we will go shamelessly beg at the Grill (that fabulous tri-tip barbeque operation on the south side of the market, across from the equally fabulous source of Del’s smoothest fruit smoothies). See you this Saturday! (Only active rain will cancel this festive occasion: Ella smiles and sings… she is a natural for Letterman’s stupid pet tricks!)

City Council Lives!

We have lots coming up in October, including a large annexation that will likely come up October 15. Monday, the first we’ll be looking at the bids for phase 2 of the 1912 Center and authorizing the go-ahead for the senior center portion, ‘Friendship Hall,’ dedicated to the developmentally disabled, and the elevator to provide access to all floors.

Public Works/Finance Committee: Water Issues Continue and 911 Matters!

We’ll have an update of our waste water treatment project and the future of our compliance efforts with the Environmental Protection Agency. The first portion of the study of our 911 operations was presented at our 9/24 meeting. It confirmed the immediate need we have to address improvement of those facilities for safety, for staff productivity and for the technological imperatives we face. We’ll continue to review this as we look forward to their final report by October 15.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION: Do we have what it takes Downtown? OR: Everything you wanted to know about historic resources downtown and why it makes money and sense to have a District!

Saturday, October 13, at 11:30 AM, the Historic Preservation Commission will host a walking tour, led by John Campbell, of downtown Moscow, showing the historic resources we have in downtown that could contribute to an historic district. The pay off for a district designation is that certain Federal tax incentives exist for commercial building owners to help put together renovation/restoration projects on historic structures.

I have been appointed Czarina for the event and am having a great time with a wonderful commission putting things together. The tour begins at 11:30 AM at Friendship Square. Catch the Preservation table at the Market for information that morning even if you can’t join the tour. The tour should take about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes and will end with refreshments and socializing at Advantage America Mortgage, 121 East Third Street, courtesy Preservation Commissioner Tim Kinkeade. We will be joined by staff from the Idaho State Historical Society who can answer questions about historic districts and what they bring to communities. (Moscow already has one: The Fort Russell Neighborhood Historic District extends from almost Washington Street and A up through the neighborhood almost to D Street.)

We hope this will be a tasty hors d’oeuvre to the next week’s Downtown charette on Tuesday. October 16.

Paradise Path Task Force keeps up the pace!

The Task Force met September 25 and approved the annual work plan (with some proposed format adjustments). Ambition is their middle name: they have construction and acquisition plans, maintenance and promotion ideas, and some future planning to be done for new neighborhoods and subdivisions. Come along Tuesday, October 23, to the next meeting at the City Hall 2^nd floor conference room, if you’d like to get involved (yes, there’s more than just weeding to be done but there’s that too….).

One really great point was made by Task Force member Pat O’Connell (Mr. North Country Landscaping). Pat’s well timed and articulate offering was that any of the landscaping we do should have a maintenance plan accompanying it that is do-able and agreed to. Even if we use native plants, the plants require some tending and care while they are establishing themselves in the first few years. The Task Force unanimously agreed.

The Task Force is cooperating with PCEI and their wonderful interpretive project that is being installed along parts of Paradise Creek and the Path. Keep you eyes open for new information about species, water in the Creek and the terrific volunteers who do so much to keep the Path a beautiful resource.

Downtown Comes Around Again… Save the Dates!

Save the dates during the week of October 15 for Downtown discussions… Contact the Latah Economic Development Council for specific schedules for meetings and conferences with Peter Bourgois, the DuFresne Henry principal in charge of the project.

The big community meeting (charette for those of you who want to be precise) is set for Tuesday evening, 6 PM… I’ve forgotten exactly what public space we’re using but I’ll locate it by my next missive. We’re all looking forward to having Ted Brovitz, the Boston economic planner, and Stephen Plunkard, participation wizard, present and accounted for. The canceled event September 11 left Ted high and dry in Kansas City!

Hot Damn! We Have an Election!

Mindful of the Vision2020 aversion to electioneering, I will just say it’s great to have an election coming up November 6. I will post, separately, a summary list of events, without the propaganda that normally accompanies them, and urge other candidates to do the same. Check them out and see what’s up. Knowing what’s going on I hope will encourage citizens to get involved.

All the best,

Linda Pall

Moscow City Council

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