EnvisionLaie.com Update

In a previous post I spoke about the Northshore community of Laie, Hawaii, going through an amazing community-based urban planning process. A committee which is heading this process held a series of meetings where they gathered input from the community, and they have posted their results on the envisionlaie.com website. It's an interesting view of how government, since the advent of reinventing government in the 1990s, is seeking the input and knowledge of the community in the governance process. The long term success or failure of this community will be interesting to gauge, especially if this success or failure is due on part of too much government intervention or community intervention.

Dust Abatement Wrap-Up

The other day I had the opportunity to see 56-lane miles of dirt shoulders go through the dust abatement process. It's amazing how much work actually goes into this process, and the paradigm we face here in Arizona: conserve water but fight dust (which requires A LOT of water).

Also, it was frustrating to see that some parts of the project will need to be redone due to the fact that some individuals went 'mudding' through the dirt shoulders and destroyed the integrity of the dust abatement process. More time and money the municipality will need to spend; two commodities they do not have.

Wrapping it up

The end of the term is just around the corner, so it is causing me to wonder whether my internship is also coming to an end. When I started at Queen Creek we never talked about a time to end my service there. Technically I can leave whenever I want, but I'm receiving great experience and I like the team I'm working with. Unless something else comes along in the next few weeks, it looks like I'll be sticking with Queen Creek for as long as they can stand me.