So, remember a few weeks ago when I tried to spit out as much information as I could about the planned development in Riverside because apparently local news organizations didn’t think it was particularly controversial and had no interest in reporting on it until after the Duluth City Council voted?
Refresher course:
River Walk West development seeks city land on trail in Riverside neighborhood
The city council voted to sell the land to the developer last month, and now people are all up in arms, so the council voted last night to reconsider the sale. I sure got a good laugh out of that one.
Of course, getting information out to the public doesn’t always help our community make up its mind. Consider the Duluth School District’s seemingly endless public meetings that resulted in a long-range facilities plan finally coming forward. Here we are — years into the plan and halfway through construction — with a meaningless, costly, non-binding referendum coming up this fall. Classic.
But rather than harp on those things, let’s look into the future at the next big issue, shall we? It’s not totally in the future, because the problem has been around for a while. Remember how it was going to be necessary to cut down old-growth trees on Park Point to make more room for the airport landing strip? That issue hasn’t been resolved or gone away. You’ll be hearing more about it soon … probably when it’ll be closer to too late to do anything about it.
Fox 21 News touched on it last week:
Sky Harbor tree resolution within 12 months?
MPR offered a more detailed account of the situation last fall:
Encroaching trees a safety concern at Duluth airport
So, all I’m saying is, if you get involved in this debate now you might not have to chain yourself to a tree later.
