What matters

Public Land and Community Assets

Harrison Hot Springs has a limited amount of publicly owned land.

I believe we need to be very careful about giving it away, selling it or committing it permanently to a particular use.

Public land belongs to the community. Just because the Village already owns a property does not mean that property has no cost or value when considering a new project.

Once public land is sold, transferred or permanently committed, future Councils and future generations may never have the opportunity to use it for something the community needs more.

Think Beyond Today's Project

Before committing public land to any major project, I believe we should ask some basic questions.

Why is this the best location?

What is the value of the land?

Are there other locations or options?

What other community needs could this property serve in the future?

What will Harrison need 10, 20 or 30 years from now?

And once we make this decision, can it ever realistically be reversed?

Those questions should be answered publicly before an important community asset is permanently committed.

Seniors Housing

I support having more housing options for seniors in Harrison.

I would support working with an outside housing provider or other organization that is prepared to develop and operate seniors housing.

However, I do not believe the Village should simply give away valuable public land to make a project happen.

Supporting seniors housing and protecting public land are not opposing positions. We should look for partnerships and other ways to encourage seniors housing while protecting important community assets.

The Overflow Property and Emergency Planning

I believe we need to be particularly careful about permanently changing the use of the Village owned overflow property.

Most people know it as overflow parking, but we also need to consider what role a large, centrally located open property could play during an emergency.

Could it be needed as an emergency gathering or staging area? Could emergency personnel, equipment or supplies need that space? Could it have a role during an evacuation or other major emergency?

Those questions should be answered as part of our emergency planning before we permanently commit the property to another use.

The property also provides additional parking during Harrison's busiest periods. If that parking is removed, residents deserve to know where those vehicles will go and what the long term parking plan is.

I am not suggesting that we know every use this property may have decades from now. That is exactly why we should be cautious.

Once a significant public property is built on or transferred, our options become much more limited.

Protecting Natural Public Land

Not every piece of public land needs to have something built on it.

I believe areas such as the East Sector have value because they remain natural.

Trees, habitat, waterways, trails and open space are community assets too. Their value should be considered alongside the financial value of the land.

Planning for the Next Generation

Public land gives a community options.

Harrison is small, and we cannot create more land when we discover twenty years from now that we need space for infrastructure, recreation, emergency services or another community need we have not anticipated today.

I believe major decisions involving public land should be made carefully, openly and with a long term view.

Public land belongs to the community.

Our responsibility is not only to decide what we can do with it today, but to make sure we do not unnecessarily take options away from the Harrison of tomorrow.