Miller: Some good things in 2017

Sunday
Dec 31, 2017 at 1:01 AM

By Randy Miller for The Hawk Eye

For some reason this year, Christmas seemed a little bit discombobulating for my extended family. Several people thought Christmas Eve was Saturday, when of course it was on Sunday, and thus Christmas Day should have been Sunday, but was actually on Monday.

So we all decided that was the issue. Christmas was on the wrong day of the week. The last time Christmas fell on a Monday was 2006.

So now we have New Year's Eve today, also on a Sunday. That seems wrong, too, but it is what it is.

After passage of the $1.5 trillion federal tax reduction bill, mostly for the wealthy and big corporations, talk in Washington has now turned to a massive infrastructure repair bill to the tune of $200 billion over 10 years. I'm not sure how far $20 billion a year will go, but hey, anything is better than nothing given the state of disrepair of the nation's public transit systems, roadways, bridges, tunnels and other vital infrastructure.

Of course, cities and states across the nation spent what they could to complete projects in 2017, many with a little federal and state help, and Burlington was no exception.

The new concrete, four-lane project past Lowe's and the GE plant is a welcome addition to the local retail environment. It was a headache for drivers all summer, especially for people like me who seem to run to Lowe's and Menard's about as often as to the grocery store.

But now that it's done, it sure is a nice, smooth surface and welcome roadway. And a definite plus is the sidewalk installed on the north side along the GE property. The whole Roosevelt Avenue/Agency Street retail district is sorely lacking in sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians and bicyclists.

I've seen many people over the years dodging heavy traffic to cross Roosevelt Avenue and its arterial roads — Mount Pleasant Street, Agency Street, Division Street and West Avenue, in particular — with little help from traffic control devices or street markings. Pedestrians are supposed to always have the right of way, but that doesn't necessarily apply to the Roosevelt Avenue corridor.

A pedestrian walkway also would be nice to cross the overpass of U.S. 34 on Roosevelt Avenue. There is enough foot traffic in the area that there's a well-worn path in the grass. I presume most of it is from people heading to and from the Iowa Workforce Development IowaWORKS office at 1000 Roosevelt Ave.

Speaking of Roosevelt-area retail, 2017 was a boom year, with several development projects completed in the former Manor area, and others on the way. The Ashley HomeStore is nearing completion near the Walgreen's store. That commercial district seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, what with Hy-Vee's expansion project, the addition of Starbucks and Dominoes Pizza in front of Dick's Sporting Goods and Pizza Ranch and Sonic Drive-In along Roosevelt Avenue.

Further north, the Hampton Inn hotel expansion project at the Pzazz complex is moving along nicely, adding height to the skyline there, and Panera Bread and Cold Stone Creamery opened this year as additions to the entertainment complex.

All of that is good for the local tax base, sales, property and bed taxes included. Burlington has long been a regional commercial center and that is good for the local economy. But apparently not good enough.

City Planner Charlie Nichols recently told me that the city budgets about $2 million a year for street repairs, but really needs about $5 million a year to do it right. But that's a budget buster given the local tax base, so sealcoating and street patch repairs get the nod just to keep things from deteriorating too much. He noted Burlington is not alone in that dilemma; any similar-sized towns in the state that are not growing in population — which means most of them — are in similar straits.

The city did complete and open its first roundabout on West Avenue this year, with few troubles. I'm glad they did. I've enjoyed roundabouts since my stint in the U.S. Army in Europe back in the early 1970s. They just make so much more sense than vehicles idling at stop lights for no good reason.

And not to leave out the downtown, it's sure nice to see the 200 block of Jefferson Street back to normal parking after 40 years of a pedmall-type design that was pretty but didn't work well for shopping. And lots of money is still being spent on downtown buildings. More apartments are being added, as well as niche businesses, which is good for its vibrancy, but people need to keep those businesses in mind when heading out to shop.

•••

And finally, as this crazy year comes to an end, I have to give a shout-out to my longtime friend, David Lloyd, who is celebrating a birthday today. Dave is joining the sexagenarian club today (no, it's not dirty; look it up), so happy birthday Dave and welcome to the club. Wouldn't it be nice to celebrate your birthday every New Year's Eve like Dave does?

Randy Miller is a retired former city editor for The Hawk Eye. Readers can reach him at rmilleronmain@gmail.com

Sunday
Dec 31, 2017 at 1:01 AM

By Randy Miller for The Hawk Eye

For some reason this year, Christmas seemed a little bit discombobulating for my extended family. Several people thought Christmas Eve was Saturday, when of course it was on Sunday, and thus Christmas Day should have been Sunday, but was actually on Monday.

So we all decided that was the issue. Christmas was on the wrong day of the week. The last time Christmas fell on a Monday was 2006.

So now we have New Year's Eve today, also on a Sunday. That seems wrong, too, but it is what it is.

After passage of the $1.5 trillion federal tax reduction bill, mostly for the wealthy and big corporations, talk in Washington has now turned to a massive infrastructure repair bill to the tune of $200 billion over 10 years. I'm not sure how far $20 billion a year will go, but hey, anything is better than nothing given the state of disrepair of the nation's public transit systems, roadways, bridges, tunnels and other vital infrastructure.

Of course, cities and states across the nation spent what they could to complete projects in 2017, many with a little federal and state help, and Burlington was no exception.

The new concrete, four-lane project past Lowe's and the GE plant is a welcome addition to the local retail environment. It was a headache for drivers all summer, especially for people like me who seem to run to Lowe's and Menard's about as often as to the grocery store.

But now that it's done, it sure is a nice, smooth surface and welcome roadway. And a definite plus is the sidewalk installed on the north side along the GE property. The whole Roosevelt Avenue/Agency Street retail district is sorely lacking in sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians and bicyclists.

I've seen many people over the years dodging heavy traffic to cross Roosevelt Avenue and its arterial roads — Mount Pleasant Street, Agency Street, Division Street and West Avenue, in particular — with little help from traffic control devices or street markings. Pedestrians are supposed to always have the right of way, but that doesn't necessarily apply to the Roosevelt Avenue corridor.

A pedestrian walkway also would be nice to cross the overpass of U.S. 34 on Roosevelt Avenue. There is enough foot traffic in the area that there's a well-worn path in the grass. I presume most of it is from people heading to and from the Iowa Workforce Development IowaWORKS office at 1000 Roosevelt Ave.

Speaking of Roosevelt-area retail, 2017 was a boom year, with several development projects completed in the former Manor area, and others on the way. The Ashley HomeStore is nearing completion near the Walgreen's store. That commercial district seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, what with Hy-Vee's expansion project, the addition of Starbucks and Dominoes Pizza in front of Dick's Sporting Goods and Pizza Ranch and Sonic Drive-In along Roosevelt Avenue.

Further north, the Hampton Inn hotel expansion project at the Pzazz complex is moving along nicely, adding height to the skyline there, and Panera Bread and Cold Stone Creamery opened this year as additions to the entertainment complex.

All of that is good for the local tax base, sales, property and bed taxes included. Burlington has long been a regional commercial center and that is good for the local economy. But apparently not good enough.

City Planner Charlie Nichols recently told me that the city budgets about $2 million a year for street repairs, but really needs about $5 million a year to do it right. But that's a budget buster given the local tax base, so sealcoating and street patch repairs get the nod just to keep things from deteriorating too much. He noted Burlington is not alone in that dilemma; any similar-sized towns in the state that are not growing in population — which means most of them — are in similar straits.

The city did complete and open its first roundabout on West Avenue this year, with few troubles. I'm glad they did. I've enjoyed roundabouts since my stint in the U.S. Army in Europe back in the early 1970s. They just make so much more sense than vehicles idling at stop lights for no good reason.

And not to leave out the downtown, it's sure nice to see the 200 block of Jefferson Street back to normal parking after 40 years of a pedmall-type design that was pretty but didn't work well for shopping. And lots of money is still being spent on downtown buildings. More apartments are being added, as well as niche businesses, which is good for its vibrancy, but people need to keep those businesses in mind when heading out to shop.

•••

And finally, as this crazy year comes to an end, I have to give a shout-out to my longtime friend, David Lloyd, who is celebrating a birthday today. Dave is joining the sexagenarian club today (no, it's not dirty; look it up), so happy birthday Dave and welcome to the club. Wouldn't it be nice to celebrate your birthday every New Year's Eve like Dave does?

Randy Miller is a retired former city editor for The Hawk Eye. Readers can reach him at rmilleronmain@gmail.com

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