As we approach the Hanging of the Greens, we need to look to the future. The Buddhist Temple Project at 839 W. Moss is moving forward. Assuming no issues at the PZ Hearing on the special use request, the item will be brought forward by me at the November 24 Council Meeting. The petitioner is also requesting permission for a twenty foot tall statue of Buddha. It is not an alteration to the building and would be in the front yard of the temple.
In yet another vein, traffic analysis has been done for the MBRA area. The stats indicate that the reconfigured Main and University intersection rebuild has had little to no impact on the volume of traffic on Moss Avenue. In general, over the last 25 years, traffic has declined and now it has stabilized. Speeding continues to be an issue, however. Accordingly, we are taking the following steps:
- In 2016, I have allocated money for a raised pedestrian crossing on the east side of Moss Avenue to slow traffic down. Enforcement will continue.
- At my direction, we will be adding two permanent speed feedback signs on Moss Avenue west of Mac Arthur. There will be one for westbound traffic and one for eastbound traffic. The engineers are recommending that these signs be located between Institute and Cooper. Enforcement will continue. The engineers are looking at the logistics of the installation. Solar power will not work on Moss because of the tree canopy. These signs will be hardwired so that they will always be operational. I have asked staff to complete them before Christmas.
We have a newly appointed BU President. We welcome back Gary Roberts, a BU alumnus, to serve as Bradley’s eleventh President. In spite of Caterpillar’s challenges, our best days are ahead as a City and Country. I wish all of you a great Holiday Season.