Letter: Referendum signage is full of hype
Editor’s note: The wording of the referendum on the Aug. 9 ballot is: “Shall the City of Stevens Point adopt the following ordinance: Prior to the start of any physical construction of any municipally financed (in whole or in part) public roadway or transportation project requiring a city capital expenditure of $1,000,000.00 or more, the common council shall submit to the electorate a binding referendum for approval of the project. Failure of the binding referendum shall preclude the city from proceeding with the project. The wording of any referendum shall provide the specific purpose, location, and cost of the project. Nothing in this provision shall be construed to preclude the city from exercising its role in the planning or design of such publicly financed projects.”
To the Editor-
Why the transportation referendum came into existence: There are people that are unhappy with the wording of the upcoming transportation referendum on August 9. I totally understand this and believe me when I say that the referendum was the last thing that we wanted to bring to the table.
After 10 months of trying to work with the city and common council we kept getting the same answer, a two-lane road diet is the only direction they wanted to hear.
This is where we are today. Either we do nothing at all and Business 51 becomes a two-lane road diet or we move forward with the referendum.
This is not just about the survival of businesses on the Bus. 51 corridor. We are also doing this for the emergency vehicles that need to travel this road in a safe and efficient manner. It is about the mail carriers and sanitation workers that stop partially into the lane of traffic worried about safety. It’s about the thousands of portage county residents that have reached out to us to keep that road 4 lanes so they do not have to deal with congested traffic and slow travel times.
Our goal is to move forward with the city and come to a common ground that works for everybody. As we have stated many times, four lanes on the northern and southern corridors where it is mainly businesses, and a two-lane road diet in the central residential corridor.
In December a referendum was bought before the city council to do exactly that, a 4-2-4 Business 51 corridor but the city council voted it down 9-2. This is when we moved forward with our petition for a referendum.
There are two choices when it comes to the August 9 referendum. You vote no and the road becomes a two-lane road diet with a roundabout at Fourth Avenue. You vote yes and the city has a decision to make. The next step is to put forward a binding referendum. Should the city of Stevens Point adopt a two-lane road diet at the cost of $45.3 million? It really comes down to that.
All the hype and signage around town can be kicked to the curb. Do you want two or four lanes? That is what you need to consider when you step into the voting booth.
Kevin Flatoff
President
South Side Business Association