Finish what you start

By Todd Dorman

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett wants to - now get this - actually finish something.

Corbett is urging The Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization to use the roughly $3.5 million it gets annually over the next 10 years to expand recreational trails and finish a long-planned trails network connecting regional communities.

Hizzoner argues the metro would get more bang for its bucks on trails than it would dumping a relatively small pot of money into giant, years-off road projects that will have to be, in the end, funded by much larger state and federal appropriations.

“This isn't pothole money,” Corbett said. It's federal “seed money” for transportation projects with a metro-wide impact. “You could have the most comprehensive trails network in the Midwest.”

This is simply not done.

Strategic plans, master plans, strategic master plans, etc., are supposed to be introduced with fanfare, universally praised for vision and then shelved for eternity. Periodically, there are lamentations on how such a great plan didn't happen. Sometimes, a reporter cleaning out a desk drawer will find a plan and shake his or her head at yet another dust-covered relic of urban malaise.

But actually pushing and prodding something to completion? That's crazy talk. Still, Corbett persists.

He's run into immediate resistance from fellow local leaders, who say it's just too dang bold. After all, it's tough to abandon tried and true traditions of incremental, patchwork, faith-based local governing.

Take small bites only. Say prayers for big help from Des Moines or D.C. Wait. Repeat.

Corbett contends that a complete trails network would be a big selling point for Cedar Rapids and its neighbors, especially to young professionals and families who like commuting or recreating on two wheels.

Other Iowa cities have embraced trails and are benefiting. Some cars leave the congested traffic flow. A few parking spots open downtown. A few people get healthier. Some visitors come to check out Trails City. It could catch on.

The mayor talks about a recent trip to New York City and how he was impressed with Central Park. This led to predictable jeering. “This ain't New York City, bub.”

They missed his point. Things that make cities better places to live don't happen by accident. It takes drive and commitment to make them happen, and to keep going when the jeering starts. And a lot of times, those efforts are led by people who aren't willing to just keep doing what we've always done. Like shelving plans, for instance.

n Comments: (319) 398-8452; todd.dorman@gazcomm.com