Many of my columns over the years have contained criticisms of major public infrastructure projects.
Often, this column has supported the vision behind ambitious plans, but I have objected to key details, especially site selection and design elements.
From the day it opened to the public, I was critical of the final design of the stage in Forsyth Park. It was obviously a bad idea to put both a decorative fountain and a play fountain right in front of a stage that would be used for major festivals and performances.
The design tried to please everyone but ended up serving no one’s interests well.
So count me among those thrilled that the city is removing the decorative fountain, which in effect formed a moat around the stage. The increased engagement between performers and fans is going to improve shows in the park, and we won’t have to look at those unsightly barricades around the fountain.
I’ve kicked myself plenty of times for not insisting on seeing the detailed drawings before the Forsyth Park project was constructed five years ago. I doubt that anything in this column would have prompted a change in the design, but I sure would have felt better if I’d made the call sooner.
Last Tuesday’s City Talk was critical of the site selected for the SCMPD’s new Central Precinct.
I’m actually excited about the prospect of a new station to replace the rented space that currently houses the precinct. The shabby building does not command respect, does not give a sense of welcome to passersby and certainly does not communicate to officers that their work is valued.
But, as I noted Tuesday, the chosen site will require the destruction of historic residential properties across three city blocks.
A new precinct might be an asset to the neighborhood, but you don’t destroy one asset to create another.
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll likely hear me point out further flaws in the plan for a new Central Precinct. For example, if this sale goes through, the final plan will almost certainly feature an ocean — or at least a lake — of off-street surface parking that will contribute nothing to the neighborhood.
A few years ago, I repeatedly questioned the site selected for New Hampstead High School, but critics at times misread my objections. I was always in favor of building the long promised high school in West Chatham, but the campus needed to be closer to Pooler and closer to existing population centers.
I don’t have any kids and don’t live in West Chatham, but it just kills me to think of the time and money being wasted on transportation to the unnecessarily remote school.
City Talk also supports Chatham Area Transit’s broad vision for the relatively new bike share program and for a proposed streetcar network.
But it was obvious from the start that the first two CAT Bike locations would not maximize ridership, and the routes selected for CAT’s planned streetcar are poorly chosen too.
Entire City Talk columns have been devoted to the potential return of streetcar lines to Savannah, but the proposed alignment for the initial lines would not be cost effective and would serve far too few residents.
Common threads run through these seemingly disparate issues.
For one, it seems that our public institutions frequently try to satisfy too many agendas when planning major projects. Maybe that’s inevitable when large bureaucracies are involved in ambitious developments.
But sometimes I get the feeling that negativity and cynicism win out.
Both citizens and public officials sometimes seem to feel like plans are “good enough.” Or, even worse, “good enough for Savannah.”
We live in a world-class city, and we should have high expectations for costly projects, especially when our decisions might have ramifications for generations.
In closing, I should note that in recent years I’ve had no serious objections to some pretty important developments regarding our public infrastructure.
For example, the new fire station at Whitaker and 33rd streets has proven a true asset to the neighborhood, even if it has forced the removal of a handful of on-street parking spaces.
I would have preferred a different configuration, but the Price Street redesign has also served a variety of neighborhood interests.
City Talk has also supported the city’s decision to move ahead with a new arena just west of downtown on a vacant site that was first selected about a decade ago when Otis Johnson was mayor and Michael Brown was city manager. Of course, the real test of that project will come later, when details are finalized.
City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, Ga. 31401.
By Bill Dawers