Some things to consider for the new year

As 2015 approaches fast, Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions and predictions.

This editorial is about none of those. Rather, we’d like to present a short list of things we’d like to see or begin to see take place in the coming year.

For starters, we’d like to see Cheney School District’s Fisher Building sold. Sold to somebody with the money to remodel it, who has a positive vision for it and the community. Someone who respects the role the 80-plus year old structure has played in the development of Cheney.

Two such developers have taken a look at the building and decided to pass on final purchase. As an educational facility with a rich history, the Fisher Building has been the home to production of hundreds if not thousands of good people over its lifetime.

But in the last few years, modernization that might have assisted its transformation into something different wasn’t always maintained, making it a costly venture for repurposing. The longer it’s on the market, the greater chance there is for it to fall into disrepair and lose value as a useful structure.

On the other hand, the Fisher Building’s value as a Cheney landmark is priceless.

We’d like to see Spokane Transit Authority’s plans to build a new park and ride/transfer station near Interstate 90’s Medical Lake interchange come to fruition. This is moving closer to reality, with the STA board electing to hold an April vote on a 0.03 percent tax increase to fund the project that will take more cars off the road while creating greater connectivity between cities on the West Plains.

The Spokane Tribe of Indian’s Spokane Tribe Economic Project (STEP) is another local issue we’d like to see some resolution on in 2015. It has been under review at the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs now for nearly three years without any decision.

Whether the BIA decides yes or no, a decision needs to be made and made now so that all parties can move on to the next phase of the controversial issue, whatever that may be.

And any wish list wouldn’t be complete without expressing a desire to see more support for Eastern Washington University and its athletics program. There are many good things going on up on the hill besides Eagle football, from men’s and women’s basketball to women’s soccer and cross country.

All of these teams are becoming more competitive, yet it seems to the world outside Cheney, they remain unknown. Hopefully that will change.

Finally, we’d like to see more of something key to making our communities successful — citizen involvement. By involvement we don’t mean volunteering, Cheney, Medical Lake and Airway Heights residents do a wonderful job of that when the need arises.

By involvement we mean public participation in the governing process. To be sure, when a hot-button issue arises, such as Cheney’s marijuana ordinance and Medical Lake’s deer issue, citizens come out and make their opinions known.

But Cheney’s City Council recently passed a $23 million 2015 budget without any citizen comment at all, written or verbal. Not even a “good job.”

The school district is proposing a large bond issue to fund expansion and modernization of Cheney High School, a project that will span years, and yet public comments have been rare, and limited it seems to school district employees.

We would like to see and hear people speaking up more on these types of issues, pro and con. We’d like to see some of those comments expressed in the forum we provide for such citizen participation — letters to the editor.

True, we do receive letters, but most of those are “thank you” notes from groups or individuals, and while appreciated, aren’t really what the letters forum is all about.

Also true is that by making your voice heard you will run the risk of negative feedback that might be expressed in a more personal format.

We understand, we’ve been there. But if it’s commentary that will make our communities stronger, then the possible consequences are worth it.

We are here for that, and look forward to helping make our communities the best places to live.