Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Here's an Idea

We in North Kingstown have recently had some modest public works projects completed or nearly completed.  The parking area in front of the Town Hall was changed, traffic pattern was changed etc.  Also the town beach area was modified including construction of a new bandstand.
As I view these projects I find that I have some questions and comments about their design.  While I am not an expert and would not want such projects to require voter approval, I do believe that the public would benefit greatly if the projects were posted for voter review and comments before they are begun. Certain issues might have been overlooked and citizen comments prior to construction might make a significant contribution to the final results. The town would be under no obligation to accept or even consider the suggestions but they would have to be posted along with the images, schedules etc.
Perhaps someone might introduce legislation requiring (non binding) posting such municipal projects (and possibly state projects) with visuals of intended outcomes so the public might have input beforehand and avoid some of the complaints after the fact.
Using the internet the costs would be minimal but the benefits could be very great.
But Maybe It's Just Me