Letter: linear park commendable

I'd like to commend Mary Fischer of GROW for her timely and persuasive letter regarding the potential for a linear park along the route of the upcoming bypass.

With all the media coverage and ongoing communications from NDOT it would be impossible for residents not to be aware of the physical impact the bypass will have on our town. In addition you only have to notice the right-of-ways that have been purchased over the last several years to get a clear impression of just how dramatically this new freeway will forever change the landscape of Carson City.

Ms. Fischer's article was very effective in portraying our potential future where residents decided to make the presence of the bypass work to their collective good. The idea of a linear park addresses the need for alternative forms of safe and efficient transportation within our city limits while securing a significant piece of land whose use would serve to improve our very quality of life.

Several years ago I attended public forums where the future vision of Carson City was examined in detail. As I drive around town there are countless examples that our voices were heard and, more importantly, heeded.

Statements were made through these visioning projects that we wanted some control over how we appear not only to ourselves but to potential members of the community as well. The inclusion of a linear park along the bypass would separate us from other communities too mired down in bureaucracy to affect similar changes. I believe we would be seen as the progressive, clear-thinking, innovative kind of city that others will choose to emulate.

It would also do no harm in attempting to attract quality businesses who

look for specific examples of how a community handles adversity. Despite

the obvious benefits we will derive from the eventual completion of the

bypass, it could bring significant adversity as well if we choose to let it

merely divide our city instead of representing one more way for us to come

together.

Mary Fischer and GROW as well as our fair city in general all deserve the support of anyone concerned about where Carson City is headed and whether we'll like what we see when we get there.

RICK BARTLETT

Carson City