There are two important public meetings next week about proposed highway projects in Central Iowa--I hope you can attend. If you would like more information on these highway projects, please contact me at [log in to unmask] These meetings are a "open house format"--there is no specific presentation but maps will be available for viewing and comments maybe me made in writing. The MLK Extension/NW 26th Street Interchange would impact a large river greenbelt area. Thanks, Jane Clark Forwarded from: 1000 Friends of Iowa Central Iowa Update Dear Friends, As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and what we are thankful for, let's be prepared to advocate for protection of our agricultural and natural resources next week on at two public input meetings about proposed highway projects. Residents in Polk County who wish to be informed and give input for both these projects have been handed a challenge by Polk County leaders: go to two meetings, two nights in a row. Who is up to the challenge? The price of gas is hovering close to $3/ gallon and experts expect that price to rise. Iowa legislators are considering giving $200 million extra per year to the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) next session. Some of that funding is proposed to come from a gas tax increase, which a road construction industry group has requested. Projects like the proposed Northeast Polk County Beltway and the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway Extension/ NW 26th Street Interchange will only further exacerbate our reliance on the automobile, sprawling development, and dig the hole deeper for Iowa DOT's expressed "shortfall of funding." Meanwhile, the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority is considering taking out a loan or cutting bus services because gas prices are devastating the DART budget. This comes at a time when metro leaders should be substantially increasing financial support for transit, and making sweeping changes to land use plans and ordinances to support Transit Oriented Development. We encourage you to attend the meetings, email comments to the addresses listed at the end of this email, contact your legislators, and/or write a letter to the editor. Please join other Des Moines area residents in the long-term commitment to create healthy, vibrant communities for future generations. Sincerely, Stephanie Weisenbach 1000 Friends of Iowa Tuesday, November 27 - Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway Extension and NW 26th Street interchange 5:30-7:30 pm Northside Senior Center, basement of Park Fair Mall Located at 2nd and Euclid Des Moines This proposal is to extend MLK Parkway north of Euclid across the Des Moines River to I-80 with an interchange at NW 26th Street, then also connecting to Morningstar Drive. This will be an open house format and held by Snyder and Associates, the engineering firm doing the study for Polk County. This will be a meeting to collect input on the study for the Environmental Impact Statement, a federally required evaluation for a project that has extensive environmental impacts. This project would impact the Des Moines River corridor and natural areas surrounding it, four recreational trails, and wildlife habitat. The project would bring more traffic from Interstate 80 through Des Moines and affect the character and quality of life in existing neighborhoods. With the Target Store on Euclid closed, and neighboring Harding Hills Hy-Vee at Euclid & MLK anticipating closure, the neighborhood is already seeing a decline in quality of life for residents. Alternative revitalization proposals should be based on neighborhood character and residents' needs, not based on an assumption of this project being the inevitable centerpiece of new development. Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - Northeast Polk County Beltway 5:30-7:30 pm American Legion 396 2nd Street NW Bondurant This is a proposed beltway extending from Altoona at I-80 north to the edge of the city of Elkhart, then west to Polk City at the mile-long bridge. This will be an open house format and held by Snyder and Associates, the engineering firm doing the study for Polk County. This will be a meeting to provide an update on the study and collect input for the Environmental Impact Statement, a federally required evaluation for a project that has extensive environmental impacts. This beltway would impact prime farmland, native prairie, a state and federally owned wetland Errington Marsh, and natural areas owned by the Army Corps of Engineers near Polk City. The cost is currently estimated to be at least $400 million. The beltway would also be a tool for new auto-dependent neighborhoods, big box stores, and sprawling commercial enterprises as the city of Ankeny now has an additional 1800 acres on the NW side of the city, as of October 11 when the state-level City Development Board unfortunately approved this annexation. Learn More & Comment on Your Transportation Views Visit Polk County Public Works Special Projects webpage here to learn about the NE Beltway and MLK Pkwy/NW26th St projects and see maps. Email your comments to: Polk County Board of Supervisors [log in to unmask] and to Jamie Tunnel at Snyder and Associates [log in to unmask] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp