ThisWeek UA 3/16/2011
Twenty-six participants braved the snow last week, accepting the city’s invitation to discuss how to focus resources to improve quality of life and the desirability of the community.
This was the third public conversation hosted by the community facilities & services committee, which is reviewing the 17 master plan facilities objectives that were adopted in 2001. The master plan is required to be reviewed every 10 years.
Assistant City Manager Joe Valentino facilitated the conversation, which was done in a “cafe style,” where participants joined each other in groups of four around small tables in the municipal building’s concourse gallery.
Valentino led the groups through a series of questions: “What negatively impacts your quality of life; how do you define quality of life; if the city was your household, what criteria would you use to allocate resources; and, what are the top three to five things that brought you to, or keep you in, UA?”
Each table discussed their answers one question at a time, and then one member reported his or her table’s consensus to the larger group, before taking on the next question.
Participants reported that traffic, speeds and bad roads; lack of sidewalks and walking and biking accessibility; safety concerns; economic uncertainty, high taxes and fees; and onerous regulations on property all negatively impact quality of life.
The groups all defined quality of life similarly, doing a little more as individuals and a community than just the necessities.
One group summed it up as, “the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It’s the ability to do what you want to do as long as you don’t negatively impact others.”
When asked about resource allocation, most of the groups responded with a prioritized list of specific resources they thought should be given funding; topping that list included public utilities and infrastructure, safety, public education and recreation. Only one group provided criteria they would use to judge the city’s needs versus wants.
“I’d like all of the groups to refine their answers to tell [the city] what criteria you used to come up with your list of priorities,” Valentino asked.
Following this refined question, the groups responded that it is important to separate needs from wants, and judge resource allocation based on what impacts the greatest number of people.
The final question of what keeps people living in Upper Arlington led to several reoccurring answers: high quality schools, location, city services and safety.
At the end of the event, Valentino asked participants to state one thing about the conversation that impacted them.
“I was impressed by the relatively minor negative responses and the relative consensus and positive attitude,” participant Bob Harmon said.
Several participants commented on this positive attitude and a focus on fulfilling the basic needs of the community.
“I am really impacted by the can-do attitude of this group and our community,” participant Catherine Hackett said.
Council member Debbie Johnson, the committee chair, was thankful for the turn out and participation.
“There has been a good mix of new people attending each one of these conversations,” Johnson said. “People want their voices heard, so I think it is important that we give them that chance; and right now, it’s apparent that people see quality of life as getting back to the basics.”