HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-06-17 Public Comment - J. Wilkinson - Strategic Plan & Historic PreservationFrom:Jeanne Wilkinson
To:Agenda; Carson Taylor; Cyndy Andrus; Chris Mehl; I-Ho Pomeroy; Jeff Krauss
Cc:Chuck Winn; Martin Matsen; Phillipe Gonzalez
Subject:Strategic Plan Needs to Include Historic Preservation
Date:Sunday, November 05, 2017 3:26:10 PM
Dear Mayor Taylor, Deputy Mayor Andrus and Commissioners Mehl, Pomeroy and Krauss,
I participated in all the public meetings I could to give input on the Bozeman Strategic Plan. I
provided my e-mail address for updates and personally called the person in charge of the plan
draft to make sure I didn't miss a step. Yet, here I am, confused and bewildered. Since the
public charette last spring, the early communication channels seemed to have been severed.
Now, I notice the draft you are voting on Monday night contains a huge void - Historic
Preservation.
I know you all know the value Bozeman's historic heritage plays in our attractiveness as a City.
You heard from hundreds of residents who spoke about this surrounding the Olive/Black
proposal, the UDC update and Subchapter 4B discussions. Yet, there is not one mention of it
in this version of the Strategic Plan.
The Bozeman Community Plan dedicates an entire chapter to Historic Preservation. Have our
values changed so much that we completely exclude it now? I think not. Bozeman's rich
abundance of historically and culturally significant resources, in the form of buildings,
structures, neighborhoods, streetscapes, sites and landscapes is one of the main reasons for
the growth we experience today. It sets us apart and makes us unique. Please do the right
thing and do not approve the Strategic Plan until it includes Bozeman's heritage: historic
neighborhoods, buildings and landscapes, as a value we uphold and protect.
Thank you,
Jeanne Wilkinson