The city of Park Ridge has posted the results of a citizen survey on its website.
Respondents were asked to answer the following open-ended question:
The City of Park Ridge Police Facilities have been determined to be inadequate to meet the needs of the department and the community. Given that something must be done, please tell us what top 3 issues or concerns are most important to address in considering how to change the Police Facilities.The PRU Crew thought the verbatim responses (.pdf) were very interesting.
The Pub-dog's posted a commentary on the results that we thought was pretty good.
If you weren't one of the lucky few chosen to give your response you can take the opportunity to do so here.
15 comments:
I responded to the survey but now want to know something else---
why are so many businesses in PR closing? is it the economy? are we doing enough to KEEP businesses here? are rents too high?
[this is sparked by the recent closing of KFC on Greenwood/Touhy]
I agree with the people who said taxes are a major problem. I'm tired of paying more and more in all kinds of taxes and getting less and less for my money.
I understand enough of finance that when the politicians tell me they are going to pay for something by borrowing money instead of raising taxes that is a lie. More of my taxes will be used to pay interest, and that means I get less services.
No matter how you slice it our government at all levels has to do more with less, just like the citizens are having to do.
Thank you.
Only 14% said poor about the city handling of pedestrian safety? Do people walk around town besides when the weather is good?
All the businesses that pile snow on the sidewalks in winter, forcing pedestrians to walk in the streets, are not being ticketed! I wouldn't say that that is good pedestrian safety management.
Too many people! Stop stuffing condos on every inch of space!
who is going to BUY all those condos? there are so many on the market already that are not selling!
Gee I didn't know about the closing of KFC.
Why did that happen?
I've always have had mixed feelings about a new police station.
If they need a new building then they shouldn't build a super large one and 1 with an exercize room is redicualously out of the question.
And although 1962 is 46 years ago when the City Hall and police station moved into 505 PARK PLACE as it was originally known as, I don't think the size of the town has changed that much since then.
Though I have to take issue with some of the residents that say used Niles or Rosemonts Jails.
And in last weeks paper some people suggests reducing the ammount of police.
Then when a situation arises there won't be enough police to do the job.
Please!
I was disappointed to see the KFC close too. I wonder how much environmental cleanup they will need there. Perhaps Norwood will buy the lot and build CONDOS on it.
ugh
Everytime I drive by the Uptown development I wonder what happened to the retail that was supposed to go in there. All I see is more condos. I don't mind paying taxes if I see them used for services - but where are the services? We need a new Police Station. They should build it on the corner of Busse and Greenwood next to the Public Works Building. They could use the space that would be freed up in City Hall for a Community Services Office. That would be an office that would help PR citizens with every problem they have.
Also , I heard that Bailey's was going to close and a bank was going to be built there. Now there's an idea - if you can't build condos, let's have another bank! We need more banks like we need more condos....
Mr. Mayor---how about putting aside all your babycry squabbling and work on KEEPING businesses in Park Ridge?
Are you working for the GOOD of the taxpayers/citizens, or for your own personal interests and the interests of those who put cash in your pockets?
Golly,
We don't want condos but we want lower taxes.
We want businesses to stay and generate juicy sales tax but not the residential density to support them.
I think there is a group of people in this lovely town who simply like to bitch.
Lots of complaining. No creative thoughts.
Well, there's 2 good ideas for a new police station - the Bailey's if they close, or all the vacant storefronts in the new uptown development!
anonymous at 9:28pm:
is that you, Mr. Mayor? it seems like you are only reading what you want to, and not what is really going on.
We DONT want more condos because there are ENOUGH of them already that are sitting empty.
We WANT businesses to stay, yes, the taxes the generate are great for the town. But the mayor is too busy creating problems to get attention.
Yes, it's complaining, with FACTS based behind the complaints.
You are just being DIFFICULT.
I'd like to ask a few questions of our elected representatives about the proposed police facility that may lower the cost:
Why do we need locker rooms? The rest of us go to work in our work clothes. Why can't the police? Or why can't we have a small shower/changing room for emergencies?
Why do we need a workout room? The rest of us have to join a health club. In addition, I have been told that there is a workout facility in the public works building. Is this true? Why can't the police use it?
Why do we need indoor parking? If the issue is the sensitive electronics in the police cars, where is the financial analysis (new electronics vs. parking)? Perhaps we have too many police cars - why aren't they always in use? If they're on the streets, then we don't need a garage.
When will someone challenge the "expert consultants" on the space requirements? These consultants get their business from recommendations - one police chief to another. The consultants are going to tell us exactly what the chief wants them to tell us. Otherwise there will be no more referrals and no more business for the consultants.
When is someone going to challenge each and every "requirement" for the new station? In the private sector, these "requirements" would have been denied a long time ago because they are nice-to-have items, not real requirements.
When is someone going to analyze the trade-offs associated with this new station and tell us what they are? That is, if we spend money on the police station, what are we giving up? Better roads? Better sewers? Lower taxes? I'd like to know what the priorities are for the limited money that we have. Is the police station truly the highest priority?
I think I heard that the undercover cops need underground parking for their stealth cars.
Our tax dollars are NOT working, as you can see when you drive down the streets of PR. So many of them are in disrepair. I am concerned how much worse they will get, if they take more money to spend on a police station.
To Anonymous May 13, 2008 9:28 PM
If your point is that people want everything and can't have it all, I agree.
But when it comes to piling more condos and people into an already small and residentially dense community, that seems like a bad idea - especially when there is no evidence that the taxes they provide are going to lower our taxes (as you seem to be suggesting) or, for that matter, cover all of the additional costs they may create.
And as far as sales tax goes, the juiciest tax producers are supposedly the auto dealers - and they don't rely on residential density like a White Hen, a Potbelly's or a Starbucks.
It doesn't take a Nobel Prize winner to realize that we don't have a lot of successful retail because we're not a good market for it, pure and simple. If we were, the retail would be here.
Do you really think adding another 1,000 people will bring back KFC? And if you do, does that really make any sense?
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