It was amazing to read the Sticky Situation article, see the graphics, and watch the videos. I was reliving the event once again. I am amazed now, at how many questions weren't answered, or that were "acknowledged", but no information given.
We now know the city already has a plan for roads and sewers in the Northshore area. Why didn't they tell us that at the beginning of the presentation?
Here's a graphic from a 2012 city hired "consultant" DKS, showing road improvements in the Northshore area.
Next is a "snip" of the Camas "Six Year Street Priorities" map. This is for 2020 - 2025.
Clearly "the plan" is even more developed. My guess, is that the "green" highlighted projects (numbers 1 through 5) are their tops priorities, and that the city already has some level of costs available, as well as perhaps they have already gone to the state seeking some level of state money to help fund the projects.
Project #1 is the Lake-Everett interchange. (Our $8 million roundabout!)
Project #2 is "SR-500 Everett St." What we don't know, is if this is, or includes the replacement of the 2-lane bridge just north of the Lake-Everett interchange. That is the real bottleneck that is the limiting factor to "fixing" the Lake-Everett interchange.
A check of the 2035 Transportation Comp Plan for Camas reveals the following map. Note the dashed blue line for a new "Proposed 2 or 3 lane arterial", and the dashed brown line for a new "Proposed 2 or 3 lane collector".
All these "plans" look pretty similar for a road network or system, on a future Northshore development.
With all these consistent "plans", there has to be cost data associated with all of those Northshore roads. As I asked at the Camas H.S. open house -- "what is the cost of shutting down Leadbetter Road, and building new roads?"
The 2012 DKS study proposed "North Roadway Projects" costs of $61.9 million. Adjusted for inflation, it would be $69.6 million today. Who will pay that $70+ million costs? As citizens noted from a recent City Council meeting, our elected representatives believe "it's not the taxpayers money".
Hang on to your wallets. There's much more research to be done.
The sad part is the city knows all of this information. Why do the citizens have to dig so hard to find this out?
Good work John. Sure wish that the City and the Council would share with the TAXPAYERS the full script of the bad story that this has become. Would be interesting to be able to attend the "Script Writting and Story Boarding" sessions where the behind the scene discussions are held. Look for the V.M. Varga character (Season 3 of Fargo) and THEN you will understand the WHOLE STORY.
Great points John and appreciate the research. Trying to remember what Turk said about not being able to do a bridge until we owned the road or something when she was asked why pursue Lake/Everett intersect improvements before addressing the bridge?
At that North Shore "adult art activity time" I remember someone asked a question about the possibility of Leadbetter closing at that meeting and Sarah Fox had such an annoyed, "duh" type response for the woman who asked. She has such a disdain for citizens in my experience.
She said something about this being mentioned in the plan for years - she seems to think her experience and intimate familiarity with this sham is a shared reality with the average citizen and we're all idiots if we don't have the recall that she does on the minutia.
Thank you for being on top of this. The minute they built Lacamas elementary school on North Shore Blvd we should have realized the "plan" for North shore had already been decided. All the other stuff (fluff) has been just for show and to placate us. The city council makes their decisions and one way or another shoves them through. I would have more respect for the council and the mayor for that matter if they would just fess up and say "here is the plan". All the emotions and hope that someone would listen and value alternate opinions was for what? We might as well be at a grocery store having someone else shop for us and pick what they wants us to eat... and expect us to be happy while we are paying for their choices "for us". I really appreciate the effort that goes into this site and the comments being placed. I'm just so disgusted and disappointed in the smoke and mirrors approach from the city.
All eyes on the upcoming May Planing Board meeting, where they will vote to accept the "citizens' vision" from Phase 1 of the WSP consultant contract, and move forward to Phase 2 (developing and cost estimating the actual build out plan). Of course, public sentiment revealed during Phase 1 suggests that a majority of residents don't want any City funded development on the North Shore- so it will be interesting to see how they massage that hard reality into their already determined decision to vote to proceed. Maybe they'll get "Steve" to talk, and everybody will instantly be mesmerized into believing an apple is really an orange.
If you want to see the schedule they're quietly following, check out the WSP contract that is guiding this entire sham of a process:
Notice the usual suspects lining up for the next $200K+ worth of fees.
"...The Phase 2 consultant team includes:
o WSP – project manager and subarea plan task lead
o LCG - final market assessment and economic development toolkit task lead
o DKS Associates (DKS) - traffic study assessment task lead
o PBS Engineering and Environmental (PBS) drone flight orthorectified imagery and road cost estimating task lead..."