Future vision

The city of Amarillo offered a listening post for all who wanted to speak.

In four nights of community meetings at four spots in the city, audiences of 30 to 50gave their input on every aspect of a city.

They talked about parks, traffic, housing, neighborhoods, filling in abandoned areas, access to services, better bus transportation -- every aspect of a city that touches their lives.

Their feedback will be used as a springboard for the city's Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee to work with consultants from Kendig Keast Collaborative to draft a comprehensive plan for the city's next 20 years.

And that feedback is vital, according to Bret Keast.

"From that, we will say, 'What is the community telling us?' This is your plan. Our job is to put your words and your visions on paper."

The plan will take about 14 months to complete. You can keep track of the process through our coverage here at www.amarillo.com and also through the committee's Facebook page.

Below are some of the comments that didn't make our print coverage of the final community meeting tonight at Puckett Elementary School.

A positive: "The elementaries (schools) are neighborhood-based, smaller in size, rather than large."

On the need to keep improving the Ports-to-Plains trade corridor that helps to link roadways running north-south across the United States from Mexico to Canada: "If our politicians don't get after our governor in Austin, they should be kicked out of office. You know what they say, 'Build the highway, and they (businesses) will come.'"

On the look of the Interstate 40-Interstate 27 interchange near downtown: "The state made some major improvements, but it doesn't seem like they've been maintained."

"I'm a big fan of infill and adaptive reuse," for older areas such as downtown Amarillo. "But you have to provide areas for lower-income (residents) to still exist."

"I think we need to support WT (West Texas A&M University and their move into Amarillo."

"The (arterial) roads are entirely too narrow in older parts of the city."

"I would like to see less cul-de-sacs and more ways to access the neighborhoods, so it's more efficient -- just more connectivity."

On the need for traffic control on Southwest 45th Avenue for pedestrian and vehicle access to the Southwest Branch Library: "I feel sorry for people going to that library, because there's no way to enter that library in a safe manner."

"I don't understand why they can't figure out how to make better streets so they won't get potholes every winter."

What comes to mind about Amarillo? "The smell. They say it's the smell of money. But some days, you can almost taste the smell of money from the feedyards."

"Coming from out of the area last year, what was known in Pennsylvania was the Big Texan (Steak Ranch) and Cadillac Ranch, of all things."

Amarillo "has everything you need,but it's not a huge city."

"Amarillo Boulevard, out on the north side, is tacky. There's not enough green space there. There's a lot of abandoned businesses."

"The Rails to Trails was designed to look pretty. It wasn't designed for transportation."

"The city could lead the way (in water conservation) by using native plants."

There's a need for "educating the public, in general, about water conservation, landscaping -- what we're doing at our own homes."

"We have (stormwater) drainage issues, especially on this side of town."

About traffic congestion on Coulter Street between Interstate 40 and the Medical Center: "I don't know how the emergency vehicles get through there, myself. ... I don't know what the solution is. But the more we let development go, the more expensive it's going to get."

Say something

You've got one more chance to get in on the ground floor of a plan that will guide the future of the city of Amarillo.

The final community meeting to gather public input for a comprehensive plan for the city will take place at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, at Puckett Elementary School, 6700 Oakhurst Drive. Anyone can join in.

More than 30 residents turned out at Lawndale Elementary School tonight to talk about their vision for Amarillo for the next couple of decades.

Their number was more than matched by representatives of the city -- members of a city Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, the city Planning and Zoning Commission, city staff and elected leaders.

Consultants who are working with the steering committee to draft the plan for led discussion groups. Here are some ideas that rose to the top:

"Amarillo is becoming known elsewhere as a speed trap."

"We have world-class arts and music. But there's a disconnect. People don't always feel like they could be or should be a part of that."

"The southeast part of town is growing. It might be time to look at another junior high, another high school."

"Maybe (add) a police substation in the southeast, northeast."

"It seems like everything used to be centrally located. But now everything is in the southwest. We're the forgotten stepchildren on this side of town."

"The behavior of the citizens governs a lot of where people are going to put things. Restaurants, they'll go anywhere there's money. But if people don't think they're safe or the area is pleasant, they're not going to come."

"The parks staff does an excellent job during the summer. They have all kinds of events and activities (for kids). And the director of Parks and Recreation (Department) is probably the best around -- Larry Offerdahl."

About Alamo Park: "I think they did a great job with it. I've never seen so many kids and families picnicking there."

About the senior park amenities being added to Ellwood Park: "I think we're going to have to do more of that, more projects in the parks where they (seniors) feel safe."

"Our alleys are very bad. ... It's overflowing with trash continually, people just throwing out their couches and tires."

"There are cars on properties, not tagged, no tires."

"With all the new development, the dirt's gone away. Asphalt and concrete has taken its place, and there is a drainage problem."

More about drainage issues: "Especially on the access roads of I-40, it will be from curb to curb most every time we have a rain."

Many entrance and exit ramps to Interstate 40 were designed in the 1960s. And they're short and dangerous.

"Can a lane be added to I-40 to improve traffic flow?"

"Here in the east part town, we have to drive to get to anything. We're the ones who are pretty much on I-40, so we know. Yes, lanes need to be added to I-40."

Newer thoroughfares such as Coulter and Soncy already are congested. Other streets mentioned included Bell and Western.

"While we do have to wait (through lights due to traffic), our son, who lives in Dallas, laughs at us when we talk about it. It's nothing at all to him," one woman said. And then, speaking directly to the consultant, she added, "You're talking to a spoiled people."

To the question, 'Is Amarillo a good place to walk or bike?' came this reply: "There are too many buildings that are terrible. Who wants to be around buildings where we don't know if there are transients."

"There are people parking on the sidewalks."

About the bus system, came a comment about the need for "different routes so people don't have to walk eight, 10 blocks to get to a bus stop."

Another bus system comment: "You have to go all over the place before you get to where you need to go."

Sim City for real

What do you want Amarillo to look like, act like and feel like in the next 20 years?

Last week, the city of Amarillo launched a planning process designed to put ideas for the city's future into a blueprint that will guide city development.

Consultants from Kendig Keast Collaborative will lead the comprehensive planning effort with the help of a 21-member steering committee of Amarillo folks appointed by the Amarillo City Commission. The work will take more than a year.

Kendig Keast Vice President Gary Mitchell, the project manager for Amarillo's plan, gave committee members an overview of the job they've been assigned -- no easy task.

"This committee discusses things to, at the end of the day, get (the list) down to manageable priorities," Mitchell said. "You need to take a 30,000-foot view of the city and decide what do you work for in the near term to get to where you want to be in the long term."

The plan will touch on every aspect of life in Amarillo:

-- Land use: Development patterns, zoning, and even aesthetics.
-- Growth management: infrastructure, constraints, annexation, green building and conservation.
-- Mobility: streets, bike lanes, pedestrian travel and transit systems.
-- Parks and cultural offerings, including historic resources and preservation.
-- Housing and neighborhoods: available housing stock, variety and needs, undeveloped areas within the city that could be filled in, neighborhood design.
-- And, implementation: Determining priorities for the next one to three years, and action strategies for accomplishing short- and long-term goals.

"These things don't happen in a couple of years," Mitchell said of the long-term goals. "Some things you need to plant seeds for. You'll be laying groundwork for significant things."

Committee members are: Barry Bedwell, Anette Carlisle, Bill Chudej, LuLu Cowan, Beth Duke, Lilia Escajeda, the Rev. Darrel Fincher, Belinda Gonzales-Taylor, Ken Graham, Dr. David Hernandez, Bob Juba, Claudette Landess, Grover Martin, Rosie Powell, Four Price, Bobby Sanders, Don Sanders, Eddie Scott, Betty Trotter, Ben Whittenburg and Dana Williams.

At the June 17 meeting, Carlisle was elected to chair the committee. Escajada will serve as vice chair.

The input of residents in the city will be vital to the process. A series of public meetings will be scheduled so that the committee and consultants can hear what you want.

The meeting last week opened up a number of avenues for conversation. Because there's only some much room in the print edition, I hope to post some of the comments here and blog about the process as it goes along.

So check here, and please comment. And consider attending the public meetings when they're announced. Whether you want to plan the perfect city or just fix problems you perceive around here, this process is for you.