Carson City Supervisor Brad Bonkowski column: Our Changing Community

A couple weeks ago I received an email from a gentleman who I will call Joe. “Joe” said he has been visiting Carson City for over 30 years and liked it so much that he recently moved here from San Diego. He wanted me to know that now that he is a resident he thinks Carson City cannot continue growing or it will be ruined.

While considering his comments, I looked up the changes in population over the decades he had been visiting Carson City. In 1980, the population was 32,022; in 1990, it was 40,443; in 2000, it was 52,457; and currently we are just over 55,000. That represents a 72 percent increase in population during the period that “Joe” visited Carson City, and he continued to enjoy it so much during those decades of growth that he moved here.

So why is today the day that we can no longer handle growth or it will ruin the City? Perhaps this is a case of not seeing the forest for the trees, or possibly wanting to shut the door behind you. The reality is that we have regulations and ordinances in place to control growth. Our community has experienced fast growth in the past and because of our Growth Management Plan, was able to successfully manage that growth.

Carson City is already a great place to live, work and play, even if it can use sprucing up in places. Unlike some larger, major metropolitan cities, Carson City wasn’t laid out 150 years ago by master planners.

After Carson City became our state capital it grew haphazardly with little regulation or planning. Over the past 50-60 years those in charge have worked to implement a master plan, to grow the city in a more attractive and cohesive manner.

Citizens call and email me with concerns about the “downtown plan” (the corridor improvements Carson City will make over the next several years), because they perceive the City as subsidizing certain private business, or they simply don’t want Carson City to change. The fact is the vast majority of these funds will be spent on infrastructure improvements, such as replacement of water and sewer mains, installing ADA compliant sidewalks and pedestrian ramps, increasing lighting and adding bike lanes so bicyclists can safely ride downtown. There is no funding that will directly subsidize any private business, and property owners along the corridors will be contributing to the maintenance costs of the completed improvements (to ensure everyone has some “skin in the game”).

These infrastructure improvements are phase one of improvements we will make along the entirety of Carson Street and most of Hwy 50 East, paid for not only through the 1/8th cent sales tax, but also grant funding from the state and federal government. An important economic function of government is to provide an environment for private businesses to thrive. The more sales tax collected from business activity, the less need for property tax revenue.

We will be meeting with businesses during each phase of the corridor improvements to co-ordinate the construction and to encourage the businesses and property owners to invest on their own in property improvements.

Kudos to FISH for getting a jump on this concept and to the Adam’s Foundation for the improvements they have made to the Adams’ Hub, Tahoe Brewery and Citibank buildings. They have seen the value in working in partnership with the City to create a community that is attractive, vibrant and most of all, safe. I encourage other property and business owners to do the same.

Today we have an opportunity to pull together, get out our civic pride, and work to make our hometown better for everyone — residents and visitors alike. This project is large and encompasses thousands of details. It is unlikely any one citizen will agree with every single aspect. Our great American system allows for dissention and differing opinions, which is what makes our system the best on the planet.

Maybe you believe the corridor improvement project will have no impact on improving our community; maybe you believe the project won’t help enhance the downtown, nor any of the other corridors, and will not ultimately help our tax base by creating more accessible, better lit, safer areas for commerce.

But maybe we can all agree that there’s always room for new ideas, because the great Carson City of 1900, 1950, 1980, and 2000 has evolved. It is our job to make the Carson City of 2015 and 2050 the best it can be. In reality there is no such thing as staying the same, or maintaining the status quo. Cities that do not grow, die.

The corridor improvement plan, the MAC and the animal shelter are just some of many ways for us to take pride in our corner of the planet and work towards making it the best it can be, for us, for our children, and for our grandchildren.

— Brad Bonkowski is a Ward 2 Carson City Supervisor. He can be reached at BBonkowski@carson.org.