Two infrastructure projects have come before the City Commission in the recent few months, both with large price tags. The pedestrian bridge over Second Street would cost $6-12 million and the North Broadway bridge $10-21 million.
The pedestrian bridge was to be part of the entire plaza to be built in front of city hall. The vision for that includes a public gathering space, potentially a small performing venue and green space for children to play or people to just gather.
The north Broadway bridge was a bridge for vehicles, principally, but also used by bicyclists and pedestrians. It faltered and had to be demolished for safety reasons. The bridge on County Road 20 exists only ½ mile away. The traffic on the north Broadway bridge is the lowest of all the bridges in the city.
It has recently become clear to me that we are falling behind in funding for maintenance of our existing infrastructure. Projects are being delayed and we are pulling from a reserve fund to pay for essential projects. An attempt to raise additional funds by increasing special assessments a few years ago was not acceptable to the public (rightfully so). So, we are at the point of needing to carefully examine projects and set priorities.
I do not support building either project at this time. We need a long-range financial plan for funding infrastructure in this city. Until then, it is the responsibility of the City Commission to prioritize the funding we have. That means making some tough decisions.
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Arlette Preston is a Fargo city commissioner.
This letter does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum's editorial board nor Forum ownership.
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