Closed Streets and Traffic Insanity
We've all been frustrated with trying to get around the city these days. I think it might help to remind ourselves that quite a bit of disruption has to happen to accomplish the wonderful outcomes that Imagine Kalamazoo has envisioned. Add in lead water pipe removal and the new arena and whatever else I’m forgetting.
As many of you know “Kalamazoo has a vision for its future: action!” Beginning in 2015 "a diverse community of more than 3,500 community voices joined together" to develop a creative and powerful plan for the City of Kalamazoo. That huge effort, called Imagine Kalamazoo, set several strategic goals.
Shared Prosperity – Abundant opportunities for all people to prosper.
Connected City – A city that is networked for walking, biking, riding, and driving
Inviting Public Places – Parks, arts, culture, and vibrant streets
Environmental Responsibility – A green and healthy city
Safe Community – Creating a safe environment for living, working, and playing.
Youth Development – A city with places and supports that help young people thrive
Complete Neighborhoods – Residential areas that support the full range of people’s daily needs
Strength Through Diversity – An inclusive city where everyone feels at home
Economic Vitality – Growing businesses and stabilizing the local economy to the benefit of all.
Good Governance – Ensuring the City organization has the capacity and resources to effectively implement the community’s Strategic Vision in a sustainable way.
This is not just empty talk or wishful thinking. We are making progress on many fronts.The City of Kalamazoo website has mounds of information for you. Click on this for background
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57582dcbf85082d2ca1fb7f0/t/59f9cd6d085229220f4c5dee/1509543282362/Strategic+Vision+Final+2017.pdf
Try this for a huge list of the projects our community is undertaking
http://www.imaginekalamazoo.com/projects/
Put this massive undertaking together with painful choices that had to be made because of funding, Many projects had to be started before November. They don't have to be finished, they just have to be started in order to get the funding. So I guess what I'm hoping to do is help people understand what worthy and ambitious goals the city is undertaking. I know it won't solve the frustration when it seems as if we can't get anywhere because of construction, but it might make us feel better about it.
What on earth does that have to do with Sarkozy Bakery? Well, we at the bakery have seen the city improve for 47 years. During that time many projects have caused disruption (granted, not as much as this time) and we almost went out of business because of it more than once. But the city got better each time. We still have our problems, but take a look at the websites above, and you'll see that the city is making massive efforts to address quality of life and shared prosperity.
We are trying to do our small part. So we started making some short videos showing how to get to various businesses.
We have these videos for Victorian bakery, which also covers Park Street Market, and one for Midtown Fresh and Ace Hardware. As we make the videos we post them on our website. We also have paper copies in our store. We plan on doing maps and videos to Namsan, Shawarma King, and others. To find them, click below to get to our website or check out Instagram.
https://www.sarkozybakery.com/shortcuts
To quote our mayor, David Anderson, who says at the end of every commission meeting, “I [we] love you, Kalamazoo”.*
* Bracketed items added by Sarkozy Bakery.
Thanks for listening,
Judy
P.S. I promise to talk about the bakery and FOOD in my next ,soon to arrive, missive.
To quote our mayor, David Anderson, who says at the end of every commission meeting, “I [we] love you, Kalamazoo”.*
* Bracketed items added by Sarkozy Bakery.
Thanks for listening,
Judy
P.S. I promise to talk about the bakery and FOOD in my next ,soon to arrive, missive.