Shawnee mayor Richard Finley (left) and vice mayor James Harrod (right) sit at odds on the Broadway Street Project debate at the city commissioners meeting Tuesday. (Photo by Jacob Factor )
This story is continued coverage of the Broadway Street Project, which sought to add bicycle lanes to Broadway Street, a main residential thoroughfare in Shawnee. If the lanes were added, street parking would be removed from Broadway and residents would have to find somewhere else to park. The project began summer 2019. Opponents of the project said Blue Zones, a for-profit wellness organization that seeks to help municipalities forward healthy initiatives, was running the project efforts behind the scenes even though publicly the city commission was heading the efforts.
Published on Feb. 20, 2020 in the Countywide and Sun
“This meeting is a touchstone meeting that will have a seminal effect as to who runs this city. Is it Blue Zones, or is it the people? That decision is up to you,” Glenn Peck said to the Shawnee City Commissioners during citizen participation at the meeting Tuesday. Feb. 18.
Peck was talking about the Broadway Street Project and the board’s decision on whether or not to hire the consulting firm, Freese and Nichols. Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) were received from five companies. Crafton Tull, Johnson & Associates, Lee Engineering and Smith Roberts Baldischwiler also submitted RFQs.
The response to the RFQ will describe the company or individual’s general qualifications to perform a service or supply a product but generally will not include specific details or price proposals.
The board voted 4-3 to hire Freese and Nichols. Commissioners James Harrod, Mark Sehorn and Ben Salter voted not.
Before the vote, lengthy citizen participation took place.
Broadway resident Gene Greenfield said, “The Broadway Street project is obviously a Blue Zones driven project. Blue Zones, let’s not forget, is a for-profit company, and the company being considered for the design work is a Blue Zones company. Is that a coincidence? Probably not.
“I just ask in the interest of transparency and trust, before you light the proverbial match to this stack of taxpayer money, and cause much hardship on many Broadway residents, any of those on this commission with an outside business connection to Blue Zones, please abstain from voting.”
According to Freese and Nichols’ website, the firm did become a Blue Zones Project Worksite in November 2017.
Cami Engles, another Broadway Street resident, spoke in favor of the project.
“Whenever investors and new businesses see the community committing to spending money in certain areas, private money follows,” she said. “All you have to do is look downtown and see that happen.”
Engles said the streetscape project that included repaving Main Street, replacing stoplights and adding bicycle racks was instrumental in the growing businesses downtown. The Broadway Street Project could have the same effect.
“It’s a radiating effect. You do this one project, and it creates a bustling effect where people take pride in their homes, are committed to investing in their properties,” Engles said.
Part of the debate with the Broadway Street Project is the possible loss of street parking if bike lanes are added.
Addressing the parking, LaDonna Bryce said, “Yes, Broadway is historical. Yes, Broadway is a beautiful street. But when people are forced to start parking in their yards, it’s not going to be beautiful anymore.”
Bryce also said there are different issues the city should be using the project money for instead.
“We can put bike paths down Broadway,” said Bryce. “But if you do not address the ugly side, you can make the pretty side pretty all you want to, and you’re still not going to have people come in.”
As an example, Bryce, a real estate agent, said she put a listing of a beautiful house in the rural area outside of Shawnee city limits on Facebook. A woman saw the listing and told Bryce she thought it was gorgeous.
Bryce wanted to set a showing. The client said, “but it’s in Shawnee. I can’t live in Shawnee because the crime is too great and the homelessness is too great,” Bryce said.
When the board got to the agenda item, Planning Director Rebecca Blaine said the Streetscape project downtown brought businesses and investors once it was completed. The city is seeing new businesses and investments all over downtown because of the project.
“I am confident the Broadway Project will do the same,” she said. “It’s a public investment that will serve as a catalyst for private investment just as the downtown Streetscape Project did.”
Blaine said she sees the project as a way to connect OBU students to the city and downtown. “I believe those students will fall in love with our community if we give them the infrastructure to get around our community.”
Commissioner James Harrod voiced his opposition to the project stating the city overspent in the last two or three years by $5 million to $7 million.
City manager Chance Allison said the city has recovered from going that far over budget.
“It’s fiscally irresponsible for this commission even to consider a project until we get some money into the street fund,” said Harrod. “For fiscal reasons alone, I can’t vote for the project.”
Mayor Richard Finley said he thought the city should go through with the hiring and consulting processes.
“This is a design phase, and in order to answer the next questions, it’s worth a consulting fee to get those questions answered,” he said. “I feel just as strongly as Commissioner Harrod’s opposed that it’s something we need to consider to take the first bite of the apple.”
Commissioner Ben Salter said, “I’m under the impression that we’re supposed to represent 31,000 or so people in Shawnee, not just a certain group of people that want us to spend over a million dollars on a project,” he said.
After the vote and Freese and Nichols was hired for the project, Harrod said he felt responsible for what happens next.
“My philosophy on what I’m going to do for the next four years has (changed),” he said.
“I’m not going to sit around and be responsible for the city spending money we don’t have. I guess I’m announcing I’m running again. I’ve served four terms. I just cannot sit by.”
To close out the meeting, Finley had some final thoughts on Blue Zones.
“I’d like to address what Blue Zones is and what Blue Zones isn’t,” Finley said. “You people that think Blue Zones is telling this commission, or people in town, what to do are just nuts. I’ve been very close to this since the very beginning. What Blue Zones does is assimilate and disseminate information about how to make healthy choices in your life. What you choose to do with that information is completely up to you. The thing that this commission has done is we endorsed certain policies they recommended. We’ve not passed any regulatory regime that I know of at all. And it’s not likely that will happen.
“You can go on the internet and read about Blue Zones if you want to, or you can watch Ancient Aliens on the History Channel. The choice is up to you. As far as the impact on this community, that’s what they do and their sole goal is to provide you with information about how to live longer and live healthier, and if you don’t like that goal, I’m truly sorry for you.”
“Blue Zones has hypnotized, mesmerized, and fractionalized this city,” Peck said during citizen comments. “Is it worth it? Notwithstanding the cost; notwithstanding all of the inconveniences. Is it worth it to have a banner or sign that says, ‘this is a Blue Zones community?”