"... the Bannatyne-McDermot project has now been shelved, leading Katz to criticize city staff about the project for the fourth time in six days.
"This city does not have to go the extra mile. It has to go the extra 10 miles in consultation," Katz told reporters after a mayoral-candidate forum at the Fort Garry Hotel. "When anything like this happens in the future, you will see consultation above and beyond."
Katz told reporters he did not personally vote in favour of the projects, which he said were approved by community committees. In fact, the mayor and 12 out of 15 councillors approved the active-transportation upgrade on Dec. 15, 2009, when council approved the 2010 capital budget.
And the project details merely came before community committees as information. Only the capital budget provides authority for the spending.
In a scrum with reporters, Katz accepted responsibility. "I am the mayor. No matter where you draw the line, the buck ends up at my table," he said.
Left unanswered by the mainstream media, is why did Katz suddenly wake up on the eve of construction to the issues with the McDermot project, and why did he act on this project and not on Assiniboine, Sherbrook or Berry St., when the public and area business pleas for consultation were ignored by former CAO Glen Laubenstein and his minions for months?
The answer lies in the old adage, and a foundation for the work of the alternative media, "everybody knows something". And the process took less than 96 hours.
1) A listener sent TGCTS an email last week.
Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010, 4:16 PM
Marty,
Can you handle 'another' AT project that has slipped under the radar?
It's ... it's the " Bannatyne- Mcdermot Bike Boulevard" ! This is not shown on the City's web site but a consultant says "it will be put up right away."
"Consultations" took place last year. Never heard about this one, how about you?
Our reply:
Not shown?? I know about it but all it is, is paint on the road. What were you told they are doing?
and then this follow-up:
Date: Friday, September 24, 2010, 2:18 PM
You're right, it's mostly paint on the road stuff but they did eliminate a two-way street, Mcdermot, from Rory to Waterfront , and will make it one-way going East.
Just like Assiniboine I wouldn't doubt that this thing will also be 'tweaked' with on road parking platforms and whatever else they can dream up.
Later.
2) Presented with two suspicious circumstances, being A) the absence of the project from the city website and B) the unheard-of plan to change the stretch from Waterfront Drive to a one-way westbound, I got to thinking. What was the city defence to the South Broadway Stakeholders lawsuit?
"The need to consult occurs when a street is closed, but the city is not closing a street. Assiniboine Avenue had motor-vehicle and bicycle traffic and it will continue to do so,"
3) So, given C) the city's official position, D) the change of direction for McDermot never being publicly discussed, and E) the proximity of Canwest Global ballpark and Katz' Goldeyes offices to the project ( one street south on Lombard for those who are curious) , I emailed the Mayors' Office within 15 minutes:
| xxxxx, I am really asking this of Sam in 2 respects, both as Mayor and as Goldeyes owner. Was Sam aware that as part of the city AT designs, that McDermot, from Rory to Waterfront, is being coverted to a one-way going East? I would also like to find out from you what process the city must follow in terms of public consultations with area businesses and stakeholders to effect this change, and what stage this is at. Marty |
Based on the published comments in the Freep, it appears that Sam the businessman may have complained to Sam the politician, who ALSO didn't know about the planned direction restriction (or the loss of parking on the north side of McDermot where Goldeyes fans park and walk to the Fishbowl.)
Meanwhile, here's Steve West again, with the official position on why the McDermot project was be put on ice:
"During projects such as this, sometimes dialogue with the community results in improvements to the project through design change," city spokesman Steve West said in a statement. "With regard to the McDermot Bikeway, we have concluded that more dialogue will be beneficial."
Apparently when it comes to Berry, Sherbrook and Assiniboine, the city "concluded that more dialogue would (not) be beneficial".
We have not gotten a response to our inquiry, but luckily next Monday,
we'll have the chance to ask Sam the politician about why Sam the businessman gets his concerns about bike lanes affecting his enterprise heeded almost instantly, while the businesses, daycares, and emergency social services of Assiniboine Avenue were ignored and forced to file suit against Sam's government.
And of course we'll ask other questions about taxation, crime, and your questions when we host Mayor Sam Katz, LIVE MONDAY AT 4PM on 92.9 Kick-FM.
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Yesterday, city hall scrambled to contain the political fallout after being caught lying to the residents of Berry Street, and specifically to Colin and Patricia Knight, a retired couple who are devoted residents of their St.James neighborhood.
Denial after denial flew from the various players in the AT game to Councillor Scott Fielding, among others, that ANY trees were going to be removed to build the unwanted bikepath.
But since Fielding had said he would kaibosh the project if any streetlights were moved, the boulevard lanes had been designed to veer away from the metal poles and towards the homes on Berry, rather then be built parallel to the roadway as 'artists conceptions' in the official mailings to residents had portrayed.
At one spot on the west side of Berry, the pavement will be right beside a tree, ignoring city forestry rules that a meter of clearance around trees is required.
A few homes to the south, tell-tale pre-construction purple paint outlining the lanes clearly include the tree in front of the Knights' home.
Yesterday, late in the afternoon, MMM Consulting showed up, measuring and pacing off the area, re-assuring the Knights their tree was never, eeeeever, intended for removal. The red ribbon placed on it last week was just a marker so they "could find the tree later".
Presumably, as Patricia suggested, writing down the address of the house the tree was in front of, isn't in the professional consultants handbook.
It was 18 hours before the construction crews were going to start ripping up the boulevard grass - well, the grass still left after a summer of watermain installations - and the blueprint was still not finalized.
The Knights fought for 3 years to have that tree planted and then nurtured it for the last 4. The tree is important to the Knights and the neighbours.
When they saw the purple paint surround their tree after the red ribbon was tied around it, they knew they had been being lied to, and did something about it.
As we interviewed Colin and Patricia Knight, a call came into Colin's cellphone. It was Mayor Sam Katz, wanting to talk.
"Public Consultation" came very very late to the residents of Berry Street. And the TV cameras are out in force today to hear them complain about it.
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see also: http://progressivewinnipeg.blogspot.com/2010/09/now-its-failure.html
Now It's Failure
There's two people to point the finger to.
Kevin Nixon, Active Transportation Co-ordinator.
Bill Woroby, engineer at Public Works.
Both of these people knew it all along. They stated time after time after time after time that consultation was done, that it was fair and proper. They stuck notices to doors and sent out notification letters after public meetings were held. They invited bike groups and organizations like the Friends of Upper Fort Garry instead of area businesses....
