[Vision2020] The City This Week: An Occasional (very) Column and acouple of other announcements

[Mark Seman]

Linda,
Thank you for the update.  I am very inspired by the City's efforts with
"New Cities" and other past efforts to improve the community.  After looking
over the newcities.org website and reviewing the survey, I can see how the
concepts they espouse could meet most everyone's expectations for a better
Moscow.  It is evident that the City has already implemented a number of the
issues related to becoming a "new city," but it is also obvious that a lot
more dialogue needs to occur.  The "Are You New" survey raises many issues
that we need to discuss.  Most issues are well defined by Moscow - either
positively or negatively.  A few are irrelevant and others are completely
off-radar.  In this instance, as a common-sense checklist, it might just
help to initiate dialogue for Moscow to move ahead.

Since this is something brought to our attention by you (a city council
member), I also would encourage everyone to check out the website, read the
survey and provide some dialogue about community issues.   Whether Moscow is
identified by the Foundation as a "new city" or not is mostly irrelevant.
It is more important for us to identify ourselves, set our own goals and
make the paths to acheive them.  I look forward to continued and new
involvement by more community members.

Mark

p.s. - I appreciate your past efforts with the Moscow Arts Commission and
Winter Market’s extension of the Farmer’s Market concept.  I know you will
be missed by all of us on the MAC Board.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mark Seman, Architect
Heather Seman, Landscape Architect
Full Circle Studios
1404 East 'F' Street
Moscow, Idaho 83843
v 208-883-3276
f 208-883-0112
FCS at Moscow.com

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On
Behalf Of Linda Pall
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2005 12:10 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] The City This Week: An Occasional (very) Column and a
couple of other announcements

Hello, Visionaries!

 I hesitate to swim in the shallows here with the potential recall, etc.,
but here I am anyway!



ANNOUNCEMENTS!



1. Winter Market, sponsored by Heart of the Arts, Inc., will warm your heart
and give you something fun to do INSIDE this Saturday morning! Artisans,
bakers, story tellers, musicians and maybe a juggler (?!?) will gather at
the 1912 Center between 10 AM and 2 PM for your shopping, chatting and
chewing/chugging pleasure. All the gossip about the latest in Moscow, dreams
and imaginings for spring gardens, great pottery, jewelry and a new secret
booth by Pam Peterson and superior hot coffee and breakfast pastries... be
there!



2. Latah County Human Rights Task Force Annual Martin Luther King Jr.
Breakfast on Dr. King's birthday, Saturday, January 15, 2005, at the
multi-purpose room of the Moscow Junior High School at 9 A.M. Cherie Buckner
Webb , Boise, will be the featured speaker. Cherie is a fine jazz singer and
an even more impassioned community activist for human rights and dignity.
You will find her message moving, inspiring and entertaining, all at the
same time. Join us! Breakfast tickets are available at Bookpeople now... the
breakfast sells out, so get your ticket right away.



THE CITY THIS WEEK...



City Council...



The more things change, the more... oh, it always sounds better in French...
you know what I mean.



The Council reorganized last Monday night and life goes on. The parade
ordinance (a good revision and clarification of city practices for parades
by city attorney Randy Fife) made it through a second reading and will come
up for the third reading at the next Council meeting Tuesday, January 18,
(because of the MLK Jr. holiday). Take a look at the city's website
www.ci.moscow.id.us for information about agendas. You can get a copy of the
proposed ordinance from the City's Administrative Office on the third floor
of City Hall (for some reason, it's not on the web or I can't find it).



PUBLIC WORKS/FINANCE and ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEES...



Both Committees will meet Monday, January 10... Administrative Committee at
3 PM and Public Works Finance at 4:00 or 4:15 P.M. (check for the time).
Council members assigned to these committees are Peg Hamlett, JoAnn Mack and
John Dickinson, Administrative Committee, and Jon Kimberling, Nancy Chaney
and Linda Pall, Public Works/Finance Committee. On the Public Works agenda
will be further discussion of sidewalks and pedestrian mobility. The needs
of those of Moscow who have mobility issues (read: wheel chair, cane, walker
users, unsteady walkers for whatever reason and those with limited stamina)
will be particularly reviewed.



AND SPEAKING OF SIDEWALKS...



Don't forget to remove the snow from your sidewalks within 24 hours of the
snowfall!



Whether you own or rent, your sidewalk can be a magnet for accidents and
serious injury. Believe me, you would not want on your conscience the broken
hip of a neighbor who slipped and fell because your sidewalk was an icey
trap! That fall could be the beginning of a life-ending, declining
experience for an elderly person.



PLEASE clear your sidewalk during the winter... it makes it possible for
people to move about with less fear and loathing of the winter ice and snow.
I have been the beneficiary on many occasions of my neighbors and friends
who have helped me keep ahead of the game AND, of course, the regular and
wonderful service of Steve McClaine of Me and My Truck who, for a small fee,
will put you on his regular list for sidewalk snow removal. He's great!



ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SINCE YOU ASKED...



The City has brought forward, from 2002, funds and a strategic plan goal of
preparing and implementing an economic strategic plan. Some work was done on
this in 2002 but many felt that a broader discussion was necessary. The City
has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with the Latah Economic
Development Council and will soon be talking with them about the shape of
things to come, including the scope and process of the planning effort.



Meanwhile, at the National League of Cities meeting last December, I
attended a thrilling (yes, really!) seminar on economic development that
introduced me to a new group that Moscow might qualify to participate with,
the New Cities Foundation. They have a New Cities Initiative that will be
deciding which among a number of candidate cities of various sizes which 12
cities will be their first participants in the New Cities initiative. These
12 of varied sizes and varied locations will work with Foundation staff to
bring their respective cities into the 21st century with a unified,
progressive and innovative attitude and set of strategies for the
community's economic life and more.



The Council took a crack at the New Cities Assessment tool that covered
interesting topics for any city council to look at with respect to Moscow.
The exercise covered many questions under provocative topics: Connection to
the Wider World; Encourage Youth, Diversity and Inclusiveness; Feed the Mind
and Nurture the Soul; Embrace Healthy Living; Remain True to the City's
Uniqueness; Don't merely Grow... Plan and Develop over Time; Build
Beautifully and Steward the Environment; Cultivate Leadership and Civic
Involvement; Recruit, Retain and Generate Wealth; Overcome Obstacles;
Rethink Boundaries; Buy Locally, Sell Globally.



We'll be looking at this opportunity which could give us more flexibility in
our economic development expenditures and bring additional positive
attention to Moscow, if we were ultimately selected from among the many
cities who would like to be the first set of "New Cities."



Stay tuned. In the meantime, read more about it on www.newcities.org Take a
look at the press releases from December in the center/lower part of the
home page on the Initiative. exciting, yes!?!



I think we have "new" potential, especially if we move forward together!





All the best,



Linda Pall

Moscow City Council
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