Three resolutions for a better 2010 – Editorial

In the spirit of marking the New Year with hopes for a better 2010, we offer a trio of resolutions for some public officials that we believe would improve Baton Rouge’s quality of life.

Mayor Kip Holden: Bring the city dock back to life.

The bond proposal, which included your dream for a signature riverfront destination, has now failed with voters twice. But there’s another, more feasible way to harness our fantastic riverfront. Best of all: you already own the property.

The old city dock just south of the I-10 bridge is a rock-solid, glorious palate just waiting for some visionary to bring it back to life, creating a fabulous riverfront venue along the way.

Why not request proposals from designers and developers to breathe new life into the dock? It could be the launching point for new restaurants, shops, public spaces, even apartments or condos, all overlooking the river. Rather than twisting the private sector’s arm to pay for it through higher taxes, the city-parish is in a rare position to motivate investors through incentives. For example, you could lease the dock to the winning bidder for a buck a year. In return, the developer gets a financial leg up, Baton Rouge gets a signature riverfront destination and you leave a lasting legacy on our greatest natural resource, the Mississippi. Word is the mayor likes the idea and is ready to move forward with it.

Library Board of Control: Plan better.

It’s hard to believe that nearly five years have passed since voters chose to trust the East Baton Rouge Parish library system with a property tax renewal and increase, yet still our library system has not started on a new main branch, nor two satellite branches the tax provided .

Since then the board has changed plans, changed locations and changed designs for the new facilities.

Even if all the changes are improvements, the board should be doing a better job of planning for the future. Coming up with and embracing good ideas has to be part of long-term planning, not the product of political whim or untimely discovery.

We challenge you to dream big and plan better so that the library system’s future consists of new, better facilities and services, rather than aging plans on drawing boards that collect dust.

Metro Council: Recognize downtown’s changing.

Bars and restaurants continue to spring up downtown, which draw ever-larger crowds and traffic on Friday and Saturday nights. The days of sleepy weekends downtown are long gone, yet the mayor and the Metro Council are sitting idly by as downtown’s character has evolves on its own. Downtown is screaming for sensible, modern regulation that supports the economic impact, provides for the public safety and recognizes the importance of a culturally inclusive downtown.

It’s time leaders view the district not simply as a clutch of bars and restaurants, but as a cohesive neighborhood. Downtown should reflect the city’s culture, and it should help and nurture artists. It needs clear and reasonable rules on the regulation of the sale and consumption of alcohol, while the added cost of policing and cleaning up the area should be spread fairly onto the shoulders of everyone who benefits.

The mayor should demand action, and the Metro Council should carry it out.