Development is as Development does: maybe they can swim to school.

A quick review of recent history:

First, we agreed to pay $9 million in a sweetheart, unbid architect/developer deal for an aquatic center of the sort that, per easily found comparables, other communities are regularly building for millions less.

Then, we agreed to pay another $9 million or so for a probably mostly we think maybe indoor recreation site before anyone had ever actually seen concrete plans for it. What is to actually be built is still not clear.

Now, we're suggesting that an already planned and much needed transportation project may have to be delayed or cancelled in order to pay for the probably mostly we think maybe site.

One would think that someone in Duggins' position would have a perfectly rational explanation as to why building what, according to potential descriptions so far, will essentially be a second indoor volleyball facility in New Albany is more important than providing basic, functional infrastructure to multiple neighborhoods. But he doesn't have one, because there's not one.

I'm not sure how true it is as it's just one official's opinion, but it was recently suggested to me that, owing to Duggins' influence on the mayor, publicly challenging this type of wayward thinking would be "bloody". If that's the case, then perhaps a significant bloodletting is precisely what we need, as an environment in which the competition of ideas is discouraged is pretty much the opposite of what can rightfully be called development. That much I know is true. A director of development and his boss should know it, too.

New Albany councilwoman, residents question status of Slate Run Road project, by Daniel Suddeath (N &T) 

Funding set aside for a $4 million upgrade to Slate Run Road in New Albany could go toward other projects, making unclear the future of the road improvements.

The Charlestown Road TIF district was to fund the effort, but with other projects coming online that will use the same TIF dollars, city officials are taking a second look at their priorities -- upsetting some residents.