November 5, 2007
Friends of Red Bridge Withdraws from City-sponsored Road Study
Charrette A No Go
Friends of Red Bridge will not be participating in the charrette being held by Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation as a final step in their process to find a solution for Red Bridge Road. A charrette is a community workshop that should be the first step in the process because that is where people gain the knowledge they need to make informed decisions on a later survey. Instead, the BWR team has chosen to survey the uninformed community first in order to make a decision on what will be presented at their charrette. In May, the City Council passed resolution 070587 directing the City Manager to issue a Request for Qualifications for engineering services to develop alternatives to the previous plan for Red Bridge Road. Instead, Public Works created a process to find a consensus. Throughout their process the community has been led towards a desired outcome. Project Manager Charles Schwinger was quoted in the Jackson County Advocate: "Understand that we haven't asked for [the advisory committee's] involvement to command the project; we're asking you to monitor it." About Friends of Red Bridge Friends of Red Bridge is a community organization with about 500 supporters based in the Red Bridge Road corridor in south Kansas City, Missouri. A big-picture organization, FoRB believes it is not sufficient to simply say 'no' to the city's plans to expand Red Bridge Road. We have a positive vision for the Road that is based in the emerging mega-trend favoring smart growth, eco-friendly development, and "high-touch" walkable communities.
See also companion press release
