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New Year's Dreams |
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Copyright © 2000 by Dave Badtke |
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Why bother with New Year’s resolutions when you can indulge in New Year’s dreams. And like Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, mine are ethereal, devoid of concerns about time, money or practicality, and definitely in vivid color: 1. Create an Arts, Literature, People & History Center at the end of First Street. The Center would work in cooperation with local businesses and nonprofits to create a place where people would go to meet, think and discuss. If Carquinez Review is a “Town Square of the Mind,” to use Marilyn Bardet’s phrase, this would be a “Town Center for the Mind.” Perhaps we could call it Mind Place. Located near the end of First Street, the first floor of Mind Place would be a gallery where Arts Benicia artists would continuously display and sell their art. Drinks and light food would be available on the patio outside and also upstairs, where visitors would find a constantly changing inventory of new and used books, provided by local bookstores and Friends of the Library. There would be places to sit and talk and a flexible use of space that would facilitate author events, art discussions and readings. At the information kiosk, one could learn more about Benicia and the greater Carquinez Area, and there would be an online Benicia catalog where books, clothing, art, and other merchandise not available at Mind Place could be reserved at local stores or purchased from and delivered by these same stores. 2. Create the Creativity Place. This would be a center on First Street for teenagers that would be much more than a place to hang out. Adults would volunteer at the center to help kids realize their full creative potential, helping them with their homework, working with them on numerous activities such as art, music, literature, mind games and model construction, to name just a few ideas, and basically getting to know the older children of our town. 3. Create the Benicia Block Assembly. In a previous column, Electoral College Conundrum (found by following my column links at www.CarquinezReview.com), I mentioned that our Electoral College was modeled after the Roman Centurial Assembly, which assigned citizens to groups of 100 who discussed and voted on civic issues. We could use a similar concept to divide our community into Benicia Blocks. One representative elected from each Block would be a member of the Assembly. Benicia Blocks would be a terrific way for us to get together, meet our neighbors and their children, discuss issues, and express our views through our Block Representatives. Assuming 28,000 Benicians, 100-person blocks would result in 280 representatives in the Assembly. Each representative or alternate would attend Council meetings and express the will of their respective Blocks. Additionally, since we realize that only simplicity and stupidity derive from partisan politics, our Blocks would be apolitical. 4. Create the Benicia Electronic Neighborhood. Mind Place, Creativity Place, the Benicia Block Assembly, the Town Council, Benicia stores and all Benicians would be on BEN, where one would go to buy Benicia products, learn about events, vote on community issues, correspond with the Assembly and Council members, and much more. BEN would be a secure Electronic Town Square on the Internet. 5. Put art everywhere. Benicia would facilitate the arts by having permanent art installations throughout the city. There needs to be more than Arneson’s Benicia Bench at the Marina. 6. Renovate Irmandade do Divino Espirito Santo (Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Spirit.) The Benicia Old Town Group painted the I.D.E.S hall in 1963, and I.D.E.S has been hosting the Benicia Old Town Theater Group ever since. It’s time for the community to do it again, especially since the Benicia Follies have begun a renaissance of performing arts in Benicia. Critical to the renovation of I.D.E.S would be handicapped access to the second-floor auditorium and improved emergency exits. 7. Create sensible public transportation. Considering all the needs of our town and region, devise transportation solutions that combine land-use planning with the preservation of open space. Adequately research and simulate transportation solutions before committing land and resources. Make sure that the coordinated regional system is designed so that Benicians can easily walk and take public transportation to work. 8. Create affordable housing. The goal is simple: Anyone who works in Benicia should be able to live in Benicia. 9. Plant more trees. For example, the green at the end of First Street has no trees. Why is this? Please, oh please, don’t tell me that it’s to preserve views of the Strait. And why is there no green buffer between the Arts Benicia building on Tyler and Benicia Industries’ expansive car lots? 10. Enlarge First Street walkways. Every business along First Street should have adequate space for outside seating and displays. The sidewalks should be wider, the car lanes narrower. Utopia, you say. But that’s the nature of sweet dreams. |
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- Dave Badtke can be contacted at: www.CarquinezReview.com; Dave@Badtke.com; PO Box 763, Benicia, CA 94510; or by calling 707-745-5540.
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