Prayer for the Homeless

This will be my last posting on this site. Thank you all for stopping here over the past couple of years, sharing your thoughts, challenging my positions, venting your frustrations, and for your kind words. It was a great four years on the commission, and I wish the best to Mike, Dave, Tim, Brad and Dennis as they move forward. Treat them kindly, they are doing what they think is best for our community.

I'd like to leave you with a final thought, an excerpt courtesy of the Dorothy Day House newsletter (sorry, I don't know who the author is):

Prayer for the Homeless

There is no place like home.
Home is where the heart is.
Lose heart...and lose home.
We feel the truth of these words, for home and heart are bound together.
The state of one reflects the state of the other.
For who has not lost their home without feeling like the heart has been cut out of them?
And whose heart has not healed faster by being in the right home?
So help me with this prayer.
For I bring to you a brother and a sister in need.
They are beloved, Divine, and have talents within them to express and share.
But they don't know this.
They live on the street and eat out of garbage cans.
For living this wretched life, I have blamed and mocked them.
I do not know their name, but call them Homeless.
I do not know what has injured them. In fact, I do not know them at all.
I have only seen them -- sleeping in doorways, wandering aimlessly -- staring up at me with hollow eyes.
They barely survive, yet their legacy, as Your Children, is to thrive.
My blaming cannot stir them from their pain, but only increase it.
I release all blame now and call compassion to fill me...
I am so grateful that I have a home; that I have a place in which to eat, bathe, rest and love.
I cannot imagine the chaos of living without one.
Therefore, Lord, I ask You to intervene on behalf of this beloved.
You fill this one, who is so dear to You and has so many faces -- male, female, old and young -- with the knowledge of Your most intimate love.
For this is Your vision: that each of us know our own worth and be nourished.
Enter the hearts, minds and bodies of my brothers and sisters, and awaken within them knowledge of their holiness and gifts.
Call them -- and me -- to the Work You have laid out for us.

Posted by: Linda Coates on 6/12/2008 at 3:00 PM | Comments (12) | Permalink

Thanks

Although I was disappointed by tonight's election results, I am not disappointed in all that we have accomplished during the past four years. I am proud of the work I did, although some of it was not easy. It was an honor to serve as city commissioner in this community that I love, and I wish Mike Williams and Dave Piepkorn the best in their upcoming term.

Posted by: Linda Coates on 6/11/2008 at 1:04 AM | Comments (39) | Permalink

Flood Protection FAQ

What's with the FEMA flood plain maps?
Federal flood insurance criteria are based on 100-year flood plain maps created by FEMA. Fargo had FEMA flood plain maps in place for many years (which were consulted by realtors, homeowners and developers), until the game-changing flood of 1997. Whenever there is a catastrophic flood event, FEMA comes in to re-study and re-draw the flood maps. After 1997, FEMA had to do this in affected communities throughout the Red River valley including Grand Forks, Wahpeton, etc. Since they are a federal agency, there was nothing we could do to rush the procedure (and the surveying and development of the maps takes a lot of time). However, we hoped to get our own flood protection plans in place before FEMA's new maps were finalized, to prevent homeowners from having to purchase expensive flood insurance for a few years, then attempt to get their status changed and off the rolls once our approved plan was in place (this would have been a huge hassle and expense for homeowners).

What about properties east of University Drive?
University Drive forms the eastern border of the flood protection area. We are working on coming up with workable solutions for homeowners outside of the protection area on the east side. This is challenging, since homes are built very close to the river, so building dikes or floodwalls through their yards is not feasible. We are studying all alternatives in an effort to leave no stone unturned, including buy-out/relocation options. However, these are not likely to be the options chosen. It is true that many of these homes were not breached in 1997 because they were on high enough ground. What we will likely end up with is a plan micro-tailored to nearly each individual homeowner in an effort to make this as safe yet amenable to as many properties as possible.

Why has this taken so long?
Since cities like Grand Forks and Wahpeton were struck more severely in 1997, their flood protection projects came first, and Fargo agreed to wait until last. Now it's "our turn," and we are appealing to the same state and federal sources of funds that helped our neighbors and were assured we would receive. There will still be a sizable local share required, which would likely be special assessed to the protected area. The special assessment for this project, spread over 20 to 30 years (I'm not sure what the final time span will be) will be far, far less expensive than purchasing flood insurance.

Please let me know if you have additional questions, and I'll do my best to answer them myself or find out the answers for you from the engineers.

Posted by: Linda Coates on 5/15/2008 at 11:00 PM | Comments (6) | Permalink

Dear Friends,

It has been such an honor to serve these past four years as Fargo City Commissioner. Your support made this possible four years ago, and I hope that I can count on your help again as I seek re-election for a second term.

The past four years have been an exciting period of growth and development for Fargo, embodying a healthy balance of economic development and community development. This is my area of particular focus -- to make Fargo a welcoming, appealing, affordable, responsive and family-friendly community for all its citizens.

Economic Development - From downtown to NDSU to new areas south and southwest, we are seeing bold yet sustainable investment and development. Global firms such as Echelon, Alien, Case New Holland and Microsoft are expanding their presence in Fargo. Downtown has been transformed into a bustling urban destination for shopping, living, dining and entertainment. Serving on the Renaissance Zone Authority, I have had the pleasure of seeing exciting new projects take shape over the years, putting us today at 165 total projects and more than $71 million investment.

Community Development - Three new voter-approved libraries will be completed by this time next year, on time and on budget. City support of the arts has reached record levels. Transit use is growing dramatically each year, led by the next generation of students and workers. Fargos investment in renewable energy is paying off by generating income from the landfill through the mining and sale of methane gas, with more revenue to come from a city-owned wind turbine, sale of treated wastewater for ethanol production, and trading carbon credits. Our core neighborhoods are being preserved and rejuvenated through Fargo's successful Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, down payment assistance program, and targeted special assessment assistance. Fargo's Ten Year Plan to End Long-Term Homelessness, which is now being used nationwide as a model plan, is now in its second year of implementation -- the newly-opened Gladys Ray Shelter, as well as new units of supportive housing already in production, are key components to this plan.

I believe we are on the cusp of a rapidly-evolving future. Fargo has enjoyed steady growth to this point, mostly generated by regional rural-to-urban migration. However, demographers tell us that flow is slowing to a trickle. Our future growth must be generated by attracting and retaining young families, and by becoming a destination of choice for people from outside our region. If we don't position ourselves wisely as a community that is competitive and attractive to people who could choose to live anywhere, the steady growth that we depend on to maintain our healthy economy could begin to decline.

I look forward to working hard the next four years to help position Fargo for a thriving future. By balancing economic development efforts with community development values, we can make Fargo a destination of choice for our own children and for families throughout the region and even the world.

I thank you for your past support, and I ask for your continued support and your vote on June 10.

Posted by: Linda Coates on 5/12/2008 at 10:19 PM | Comments (24) | Permalink

Welcome!

Those of you who are new visitors to this blog, welcome! Although it has been a while since there has been a recent posting (for which I apologize to the "regulars"), I plan to make up for it in the weeks to come. As you can see by exploring previous posts, this is a forum for open discussion on a host of issues - most having to do with city issues, but not necessarily all. Feel free to post a comment, ask a question, or contact me directly via e-mail at lcoates@cityoffargo.com.

Posted by: Linda Coates on 5/12/2008 at 9:46 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Southside Flood Protection

It's in the news and on people's minds - the proposed alternatives for city flood protection. Several public hearings are being held on the issue, and the matter will come up for a vote by the city commission soon.

You can find detailed information about the plan, scheduled hearings, proposed costs, various options, etc. here.

The main points I feel are important to keep in mind are these:

Citizen input. These new proposals are the result of citizen input from a year ago, when initial southside flood protection plans were presented. There was widespread concern at the time that the options presented resulted in more water being sent through the city - downtown and North Fargo. We were given the charge (and rightfully so) to go back to the drawing board and come up with alternatives that did not raise the Red River level downstream of the southside project. The new proposals represent either NO increased river level or actual reduction in river level downstream. The current proposals include a mix of a levee system, channel extensions cut across the Red River's oxbow bends (similar to what is already in place near Cardinal Muensch seminary in North Fargo), and supplemental water retention/storage.

Who would bear the cost. As anticipated, the cost will be spread among federal, state and local sources. The special assessment portion that is being proposed in the area actually represents a much smaller dollar amount to property owners than the cost of flood insurance premiums. This is a less-expensive way to take homes out of the FEMA flood plain map and eliminate the need for annual flood insurance.

Why do we need southside flood protection in the first place? Fargo needs room to grow. Even using conservative population growth estimates, Fargo will need the land in this area to accomodate population growth during the next 50 years. We have limited growth opportunities to the north, and we can't grow west or east. One simply needs to take a look at West Fargo's explosive growth following their Sheyenne Diversion project to recognize the necessity of some sort of solution to the flood plain issues.

Protecting the entire city. Fargo exists at "the bottom of the bathtub," in the words of City Engineer Mark Bittner. As he notes, the only thing that saved Fargo from Grand Forks's fate in 1997 was the freak April blizzard that slowed down the flood. The Southside Flood Protection project fits into a larger city-wide plan to make our entire community secure from annual and 100-year floods.

What about people east of University Drive? The plan also provides for "peace of mind" solutions for people in the various independent jurisdictions and subdivisions along the Red River south of Fargo. Including them in a comprehensive flood protection plan would not be feasible since there are developments outside the city limits built on the river banks (where a dike would go). Engineers will be meeting with all homeowners during this process to explain and explore options. The plan assumes no homeowner will be left without some sort of protection.

This issue is difficult, complex, and large. Have at it in the comments section - I will do my best to find and offer answers to your questions.

Posted by: Linda Coates on 2/15/2008 at 8:08 PM | Comments (53) | Permalink

This Should Be Fun!

Normally I don't discuss my "other lives" too often. But we have a project coming up that my husband Mike and I are really looking forward to. Former RedHawks star and Philadelphia Phillies catcher, Chris Coste, is coming into our studio next week to record an audiobook version of his book, "The 33-Year-Old-Rookie: How I Finally Made it to the Big Leagues After Eleven Years in the Minors"!

Our business (record label Barking Dog Records and recording studio Raptor Studios) has sponsored our son's Babe Ruth Baseball team for the past several years, and my husband enjoys helping coach the guys. Maybe we can sneak some of the boys into the studio during the recording sessions so they can meet Mr. Coste - I'll let you know how that turns out.

Read more about it on our news page here - I'll keep you posted!

Posted by: Linda Coates on 1/23/2008 at 9:05 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Are We Our Brothers' Keepers?

What a week. The same day that Vernon Weigand was discovered frozen to death in downtown Fargo on the steps of the Catholic bishop's residence (where he had received help in the past, although on this day Bishop Aquila was out of town), Jan Eliasson was unanimously approved by the Fargo City Commission as the new Executive Director of the Fargo emergency shelter (soon to be officially named Gladys Ray Shelter, after a tireless advocate of the troubled, afflicted and homeless). This is a truly good thing -- Jan is a person of incredible competence and integrity, and we are lucky to have such a professional person eager to tackle this formidable position for our community.

Only 12 hours earlier, around 6:30 pm Sunday evening, my husband and I were driving to a rehearsal. As we drove north on 10th Street under the Main Avenue underpass, I saw a person leaning against the wall of the underpass sidewalk, head down, arms crossed, and not moving. I said, "This doesn't look good," grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911. I asked the dispatcher to alert the downtown police officers and send someone to check it out. We proceeded to the concert hall but I was shaken, wondering about the person I had seen in the dark hood and lightweight-looking jacket.

When I saw the report Monday (online on In-Forum) of a person found dead in the early morning, I immediately thought of the person I had seen. I called Fargo Police Chief Keith Ternes, described the situation, and asked if officers had responded to my 911 call and if this was, in fact, the person I had seen.

Chief Ternes called me back after some swift fact-checking. It turns out that, even though both people were apparently wearing similar clothing and were out in bitter below-zero weather on the same night, they were two different individuals. Officers arrived at the scene 8 minutes after my call and found a severely intoxicated woman, whom they took to Centre, Inc. for detox services.

Was one person saved that night? I don't know. The fact is, there are no open doors late at night for persons who are intoxicated. We as a society have given tacet permission to allow fellow human beings, who are in the throes of addiction or mental illness (many of whom are also veterans, employed, or both) fall so far through the cracks that they end up on the streets...sometimes for decades.

I have heard people on local talk radio describe the proposed shelter as a place that will "enable" destructive behavior, or that we are "continuing what has been done for decades." Both are incorrect. The Gladys Ray Shelter will be a place where the existing programs that can truly help (social service agencies, addiction programs, etc.) can finally connect with the people who have been shut out of the system, and offer meaningful help.

This particular approach has not been tried before, but similar models in other cities (initial connection, intervention, transition to supportive housing via the "housing first" model) seem to work better than the status quo and finally break the vicious cycle of homeless dependency and despair.

We are our brothers' keepers - that is the ultimate definition of "community." Even if you completely disagree with the approach we taking with this shelter (which is set to open in February, the contractors are working as fast as they can), I ask you to do this: if you see someone outside who looks like they need help, grab your phone and call 911. "As you cared for the least of these, you cared for Me..."

Posted by: Linda Coates on 1/15/2008 at 11:39 PM | Comments (45) | Permalink

Letter to the Editor

Voters deserve clear yes/no vote on a total smoking ban
By Linda Coates - 12/20/2007

Everyone wants to see a clear question on the ballot: Do you want a total smoking ban in Fargo? Yes or no.

Everyone, apparently, except local bar owner Randy Thorson.

Since summer, Thorson has appeared at nearly every Fargo City Commission meeting bringing proposals, petitions or quasi-legal opinions on the commissions actions. He railed at the commission to put the smoking ban to a vote, which we started the process to do, only to have him show up two weeks later insisting we dont have the right to put the question on the ballot after all.

He recently brought forward petitions for an initiated ordinance, which was the same as the ordinance already in place. We adopted it (since it simply duplicated existing law) after which he brought forward more petitions two weeks later to refer the ordinance that he had just initiated.

We have tried to be patient and accommodating, but not to the extent of accepting Thorsons legal opinions over those of our city attorney. When Thorson adamantly insisted he alone had the correct interpretation of Fargos Home Rule Charter  an opinion that was not shared by the commission or the city attorney  we sent the matter to the North Dakota attorney general for an opinion, rather than simply rejecting his points out of hand.

Thorson has certainly proved he can get thousands of signatures on petitions by simply posting them in his bars. What he has not proved is that he is sincere in his effort to put a clear question on the ballot. On the contrary, the only rational explanation for Thorsons tireless effort and considerable ingenuity is that he hopes to confuse the ballot issue.

So what exactly is it that Thorson is trying so hard to put on the ballot? At this point, a measure referring (repealing) the existing ordinance he just initiated, which duplicated the one that was already in place  a smoking ban that exempts bars.

If his referral fails, nothing changes. If it passes, nothing changes either  Fargos smoking laws would revert to North Dakota state law, which is virtually identical to our current ordinance. So why would he work so hard to put a question on the ballot that would do nothing either way?

The five members of the Fargo City Commission, in various votes, actions and statements, have unanimously expressed our desire and support for a total smoking ban in Fargo. We have made every effort to make this happen, most recently in our efforts to try to keep the language on the June ballot as clear as possible. Since Thorson has the right to initiate and refer ordinances as many times as he likes, this may ultimately prove futile.

The question for the voters to decide is: Do you want a total smoking ban in Fargo? Yes or no.

Many things have changed since the partial ban passed nearly four years ago, and the citizens of Fargo deserve the opportunity to vote on this issue again.

However, the citizens also deserve a crystal-clear, single-vote, yes-or-no question, not a deliberately confusing array of ballot language and multiple choices.

Coates is a Fargo city commissioner and deputy mayor.

Posted by: Linda Coates on 1/06/2008 at 9:34 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Library Grand Opening This Friday

The goal: bring Fargo's library system into the 21st century with space and materials to fit our growing community. Now, exactly three years from the time voters approved an 18-month sales tax (which expired over a year ago), the second of three on-budget, on-time libraries is set to open. The Northport branch opened July 2006, and the new Dr. James Carlson Library (the south branch) will open this Friday.

Today's front page Forum article describes the project and lists the grand opening events:

The Fargo Public Library plans three days of public events to mark the opening of the Dr. James Carlson branch at 2801 32nd Ave. South in Fargo.

Friday:
9 a.m. Ribbon- Cutting ceremony
10:30 a.m. storyteller Cindy Wray Lowe
Noon to 2 p.m. tours of the new library
2 p.m. senior program: nutritionist Linda Bartholomay

Saturday:
11 a.m. Dennis Warner family concert
noon to 2 p.m. tours
3 p.m. teen program: anime video shorts

Sunday:
2 p.m. Concert featuring Simon Rowe Trio

For more information, call (701) 476-4040.

Posted by: Linda Coates on 11/12/2007 at 8:09 AM | Comments (11) | Permalink