Opinion: Flawed Process Wastes Donors’ Dollars
A letter from Joanne Semitekol on the Blair Park process
According to Geoff Grote in the June 22nd ‘The Blair Park Project’ article in East Bay Express, $65,000 is now needed for environmental and legal studies regarding a traffic plan for the project. Early on in the process, I for one, and several others requested, even pleaded with City Council, to conduct a thorough traffic study for Moraga Avenue to insure a viable project BEFORE embarking on a premature Environmental Impact Study. Instead the City Council chose to move ahead and conduct a low-ball traffic study concurrent with the EIR which turned out to be inadequate and now will most assuredly require a supplemental EIR. Because the project was pushed through without adequate groundwork, it is now costing the proponents countless additional funds that could have been avoided. It was a shame to waste PRFO’s and Mr. Ellis’ money in such a manner.
It still stands that the Blair Park project was a good idea in a bad place with inadequate foresight and unsure financing. It’s never too late to stop the endless bleeding.
Joanne Semitekol
Abbott Way
(This letter expresses the personal opinions of the author. All statements made are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)
