A change of town’s
venue will encourage
public participation
The officials of the town of Eureka have, time and time again, clamored for public participation.
Yet time and time again, on that second Monday evening of each month, the Town Hall is, more often that not, occupied by only those very officials, a reporter, and a few people on the agenda, who often scatter as soon as their time is up. This can fluctuate, of course.
But the public’s unwillingness to spend multiple hours of a Monday evening with their knees crammed against the chair in front of them in that dismal, cramped hall with its fluorescent lights and peeling paint is understandable. We wouldn’t want to either.
In short, we have yet another suggestion for the town of Eureka.
Try making the public a tad more comfortable.
Monday’s monthly meeting was a case in point. It was preceded by a “public hearing” to discuss the town’s wastewater extension to Midvale.
If the town truly wanted the public – more than the 15 chairs crammed into the town hall space – to attend that hearing, couldn’t they hold the meeting in a more hospitable space?
The LCHS Auditorium, for example. That venue has worked well in the past for the town, on the few occasions it has chosen to use it.
Anything, however, would be more appealing for the public than the Eureka Town Hall chambers.
Yes, the town needs a new town hall. But the original plans the town had made for a more modest, yet largely improved new structure, somehow ballooned in the past years into a multi-million dollar monstrosity of a “justice center” that only a large amount of grant funding and the wave of a magic wand could afford.
Why not keep the goals attainable? The original plans for a new hall were.
But while we are waiting for that magical wave of the wand, we suggest the town at least try to encourage public participation.
Make the public comfortable. Try a change of venue. We understand it can be inconvenient. But at the very least for special “public hearings,” a change of scenery could help to make them truly public.