Mayor Alan Autry is still pushing his river for downtown Fresno, but the idea was dealt a blow on Tuesday when City Council members questioned the cost, and whether Autry can get this done so late in his term. He has only about 18 months left in office.
The river is a key to the mayor's downtown revitalization plans. The problem is Autry has been talking about a downtown water feature since he was running for his first term back in 2000. The idea languished until recently and now it could cost $65 million. Had Autry done more than talk about it over the past several years, he may have had a chance of getting it approved. Now it's doubtful.
Here's The Bee's story on the council reaction to Autry's proposal.
Do you think a downtown river is feasible and would it bring people to the central city? Fresno residents need to let the council and mayor know how they feel about this idea. Comment on our blog and we'll make sure the City Hall folks know what you think of this proposal.
I'm sure it's feasible from a technical standpoint. Whether it's worth the expenditure is another question. I would certainly go downtown to see it if its built. But whether I would go back again depends on what else is around there. Will it draw businesses that attract people, or will it sit there mostly neglected like the Fulton Mall has been allowed to do?
Craig Scharton recently had a number of ideas for that money that would be more effective in revitalizing downtown, in my opinion. I would definitely go there on a regular basis if some of those were implemented.
I have a well know aversion towards most politicians. No secret there! Mayor Autry is one exception to my general rule. He is genuinely a nice guy, who, I am convinced has the well-being of the local citizenry at heart. I have no complaints about his style or life-style. He is a likable guy!
But, he is dead wrong when it comes to a downtown river park. It's simply an unworkable, irrational and unaffordable pipe-dream. Personally, I kind of like the idea of a river park down town, but then reality takes over and I know that it can never be. The political will is just not there, the money is just not there.....
The City Council members require forward thinkers, and not pipe-dream history. If they look at other downtowns, there is clear effidence of river importance. Portland Oregan can save Fresno if anyone is smart enough to look and learn. The Mayor and others from outside the commmunity gave Fresno a helping hand, now its time to get the City Council up to speed with the rest of the world.
Stop living in a tiny bubble folks. If you can't make the hard decisions, do the research and learn more about development and growth, Fresno may need a new group who can.
Ann On Fresno
Has anyone from the city or the community approached Donald Trump to see what he thinks about the downtown river park idea? If he buys the Running Horse development maybe he would want to invest in the downtown project!