2009.11.08
Trinkle and Cutler: Storm water challenge
A $60 million problem demands attention
Dave Trinkle and Rupert Cutler
Trinkle and Cutler are members of Roanoke City Council.
One of the sharpest barbs a citizen can level at an official is the accusation that he or she puts tax dollars down the drain. In Roanoke, that's one transgression of which we are clearly not guilty, and it has created a problem we must address. For too long we have failed to invest in our storm drain infrastructure.
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Thank you for raising this issue.
It is time for a robust public debate about the threats to public health and safety posed by our storm water drainage problems and our City's impact on our downstream neighbors along the Roanoke River.
Please do not consider this trolling, but here is a link to a piece I did about storm water issues a few months ago:
http://starcityharbinger.com/2009/07/07/a-river-runs-under-it-the-star-citys-stormwater-woes/
I commend Trinkle and Cutler for having the courage to bring this tender subject up.
We do not have to repair the system all at once. We can't afford to right now. But don't let the naysayers convince us that nothing can be done.
We can lay the groundwork and revisit municipal codes so that when job growth returns and tax revenues rise will be on top of this problem and can ensure that other politically-motivated priorities do not erase our progress.
Cutler and Trinkle have been looking at this problem for many moons now.
Let's give them the support they need to build some consensus on how to do something about the 400 pound gorilla beneath the Star City sooner rather than later.
Comment by Hank Bostwick — November 8, 2009 @ 9:36 am