OK you want to be mayor? Council? Fianance Director?

[Will Brown]

I'm wondering how a parking permit would work. I know when I visited Los Angeles, you didn't need a permit for parking on a commercial street, but you needed one for parking on a residential street, but only during certain hours. So if you had a gathering at your house, you had to do it during the approved parking hours, or put your guests at risk if the gathering lasted too long. It didn't seem like a good idea for me, a visitor.

I don't see how they could equitably require each of us to buy a permit, when some of us don't park on the street. I would be unhappy if I had to buy a permit, but couldn't even park in front of my house, since that spot has been homesteaded by the guy across the street! And do we really want to penalize someone from Rocky River who has the temerity to shop in Lakewood?

I don't personally know anyone who views Lakewood as being a walkable community, other than in the sense that our parking is so limited that we have to walk, which is probably a major reason why retail and dining is limited to very small establishments. And as to biking, we don't even have bike lanes on our roads, nor consistent paving. If we were really a walking and biking community, why did we just spend a lot of money establishing and improving pick-up areas at each school? It is because so many people don't want their kids walking or biking to school.

[Jim O'Bryan]

As regards recycling, I recently read that recycled material fetches almost nothing these days. I suspect, unfortunately, that recycling programs are no longer paying for themselves and I also suspect that any program (like Recyclebank?) that counts on the sale of recycled material is on shaky ground. Someone weigh in here please.

Tim

This is a growing trend of paying to recycle as it is the right thing to do. Costs are down, it no longer pays to steal sewer lids and copper gutters, and everything else is in free fall. Add in the labor cost and carbon footprint of recycling it becomes even worse, then throw in the fact very few are willing to buy recycle goods. So it is a losing proposition.

You might want to answer Will's comment on bike lanes. No one knows this stuff better than you.

FWIW

.

[Tim Liston]

Hey Jim thanks for the recycling update. I thought so. I wouldn't mind paying to recycle but I'm afraid that puts me in the minority. And I fear for our recycling program and for programs such as Recyclebank. Wouldn't it be ironic if we paid to recycle but the rest of our rubbish was hauled away for free?

And I'll provide my thoughts on lanes but not here. I don't want to take this thread off-topic because I think it treats an important subject, ideas for improving our city. I will start a different thread for the bike lanes....

As for parking permits, first let me say that I have practically no idea how they work in Lakewood or in other cities. I live in one of Lakewood's less densely populated areas, and in fact parking is prohibited on my street between 2 AM and 4 AM.

Will, people don't get parking permits, cars do. If you don't park a car in the street you won't need a permit. As for guests, I would presume that ticketing would only take place for cars parked overnight (the aforementioned 2 AM to 4 AM). I would also presume it would be possible to arrange some kind of exemption, perhaps by visiting the police station to pick up something for the dashboard of a guest vehicle. That is, if you can't find space in your driveway or borrow space from a neighbor for a night or two.

As for your squatter, I believe there is a city law that requires cars to be moved every 24 or 48 hours or something like that, to prevent squatting. Cars should not be parked in one spot permanently. Call the police department. But remember, the street in front of your house belongs as much to your neighbor, and to me, as it does to you. It is city property and we all pay for its upkeep.

Finally, like I mentioned in my post, the biggest source of revenue from on-street parking permits would seem to be by checking to see that permitholders are on city tax rolls. Does this make any sense? Is anybody looking into this Talk to me....

[chris richards]

I don't personally know anyone who views Lakewood as being a walkable community, other than in the sense that our parking is so limited that we have to walk, which is probably a major reason why retail and dining is limited to very small establishments. And as to biking, we don't even have bike lanes on our roads, nor consistent paving. If we were really a walking and biking community, why did we just spend a lot of money establishing and improving pick-up areas at each school? It is because so many people don't want their kids walking or biking to school.

I think Lakewood is very walkable. Perhaps not so much in the winter, but definitely in nicer weather. I walk from Mars down to bela dubby, or up to Aladins. And over to the Pop Shop. To the Detroit Theater. and so on. In warmer weather, I would walk up to the library, or Drug Mart every other day or so. When my former employer was in Lakewood, I would walk to work, or bike. And now that I'm working over near W. 110th, I plan on biking to work in warmer weather as well.

I don't think of it as a necessity to walk, I find it very convenient.

But I too think a parking permit would be a poor idea.

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
Sorry to see this thread drop off the radar. I hope in the new spirit of openness the City Administration that this or a similar thread will become loaded with comments and information.

I saw this the other day on how other government agencies are saving money. Its a simple notion, one I sure each and everyone of us have done at home. The idea is pool cell phone minutes.

See: http://www.govtech.com/gt/566327?topic=117688

The State of Colorado just did this and they started saving $600,000 a year by doing this.

I know for my business we review our Cell Phone plan about every 3 months. We usually can get a reduction in or bill or additional service each time.

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
2 more ideas that seem to fit the stimulus package:
1). LMP - Lakewood Municipal Power. We are getting a new grid and I think the City should be in control of it. This could then be the conduit javascript:emoticon(':lol:') for the new organization providing green renewable energy to Lakewood energy users.

2). There is money for new sewage facilities. Let's get our rebuilt and run it with renewable energy.