[Mpls] Alice in Wonderland/ MPRB

[Svattheriver at aol.com]

Curiouser and Curiouser. You might as well say "I see what I eat "is the  
same as" I eat what I see". ( Alice in Wonderland)
I have been writing about  the Park board and looking for a metaphor that 
describes the true oddness of  what I am being told. Yes I am running for Park 
Board, and my words should be  somewhat suspect as campaign rhetoric. But I am 
just amazed and fascinated by  this odd fantasy world I have stumbled into.

I appreciate clarity and  logic and I have been seeking a clear answer to why 
the Park Board does not  follow its own rules.
Welcome to a world where words lose their meaning.  

I wrote to the Chair of the planning committee and staff:
Is  there some reason ordinance 99-101 is not being applied to the Master 
Plan or  Public Hearing process of the St. Anthony Parkway Master Plan?

The reply  "if we had done the Citizen Advisory committee with 
representatives from the  biking and walking communities on the project, there would have 
been less  neighborhood based input."

What this means is  - elected officials  who should have appointed a Citizen 
Advisory Committee- Commissioners, Council  Members and Mayor can not be 
trusted to appoint the right mix of  participants.

So the staff disregards the ordinance written by  Commissioners, considers it 
optional, and somehow thinks that the mishmash that  was created and blew up 
in their face at the public hearing was the right way to  go. It's great to 
hear Commissioner Dziedzic voice his concerns about the lack  of public process- 
he was not happy with the work of the staff or  consultant.
And now there are more meetings -and again they will not be held  according 
to the requirements of Park Board. In fact, the motion that is written  in the  
"Final Agenda"-(minutes that are never approved and never get  corrected) 
incorrectly records the motion of the board by including something  that was not 
part of the motion- adding an illegal action suggested by the  Superintendent. 
(Probably not aware of the notice requirement)

Sorry for  the level of detail here but the " with an up arrow to the full 
board the same  night" was never part of any motion or amendment and is a 
violation of Park  Board Ordinance that would provide a 10 day period for an appeals 
process. 
I  understand the desire to expedite the decision. BUT doesn't anyone at the 
Park  board read and understand its own rules?
>From the "Final Agenda " July 6.
"The action was amended to read that  the approval of the St. Anthony Parkway
Regional Park Master Plan be  postponed until further discussions were held 
with
the public and was slated  to return on the 1st Board meeting in August with 
an up
arrow to Full Board  the same night."

On Wed. July 20 there will be a study report about St.  Anthony Parkway 
Public Hearing Process and how the Park Board met the  requirements of the 
ordinance. Again, an Alice in Wonderland conversation, now  the Park Board will say 
there was a Citizen Advisory Committee ( the citizens  just didn't know it). 
Part of the gist of a phone call with Park staff:
-  Can you tell me why the policies and procedures of 99-101 that are 
required,  weren't followed?
They were followed, except for notice.
- No they  weren't
Everything in the ordinance was followed.
-No it wasn't, The  Citizen Advisory Committee was never convened. They have 
specific roles and  responsibilities.
The ordinance was followed.
-No, it wasn't. There are  clear policies about the conduct and 
responsibilities of a Citizen Advisory  Committee, the conduct of the public hearing and an 
appeals process on the  website.
Where?
-Design and Planning-Citizen Participation, and a  reference on the FAQ in 
that section.
Those aren't  policies.

??

These are important issues that people care about and  there is major 
conflict and controversy about these planning issues. Wouldn't be  nice if there were 
a clear process that is an open, fair and effective means of  solving 
problems?
Well, actually, there is one and it is legally binding. The  Commissions have 
three screwed up planning processes, just in this past month.  In an election 
year they don't want irate citizens complaining about being left  out of the 
process.

A simple suggestion to the Park Board- know the rules  and follow them. It 
will give people a chance to be part of a process and part  of the solution.

OK, now that we are in the world where words lose their  meaning- The time 
certain public hearing that was held on July 6 has been  changed retroactively 
to have not been a public hearing, it has been officially  recorded in the 
ominous "  Final Agenda" as merely " a forum".

"I  don't think they play at all fairly,' Alice began, in rather a 
complaining  tone......--and they don't seem to have any rules in particular; at least, 
if  there are, nobody attends to them--and you've no idea how confusing it 
is.......  "

Thanks, 
Scott Vreeland   Seward