First, let's give credit where credit is due. The board deserves accolades for listening to community input and showing signs they're open to compromise on our wall and entryway project. I've also been impressed with the volume of work produced over the past two weeks contacting vendors and soliciting bids across many aspects of the project. There's a reason that before all of this controversy it was hard to get anyone to run for the board. It's mostly a time-consuming and thankless job.

I do think the board buried the headline yesterday when they waited until near the end of the meeting to mention they’ve started exploring a hybrid concrete-foam option for the wall. That's a big step toward dispelling the criticism that they were only open to a foam wall to match the original one.

There was also real, tangible movement on the bigger project. Lighting budgets for the fountain, entry, and park were all approved, with installation for the entry and park held until the project design is finalized. A budget for park benches and trash cans was also approved, with final selection of color and style likewise on hold until the design is set. Additionally, a budget was approved for a structural engineer to prepare formal drawings and draft an RFP. This is a necessary step before soliciting contractors to bid on a defined scope and give a detailed picture of what the project entails, who will do the work, and what it will cost. 

Other items not related to the wall and entryway were also considered, including approval for fixing uneven sidewalks throughout the neighborhood. The board also decided, at a neighbor's suggestion, to table a vote on a replacement landscaping vendor in order to solicit additional bids and review the scope of the bid in hand. 

There are still many important steps before we have a comprehensive plan, and there is still no consensus over whether to hold to the board's strict interpretation of the original design or update it to more modern standards. But the board does earn real credit here for listening to the community and exploring options beyond their original vision.

Call it trust but verify. Still, for the first time in a while, it feels like we may be able to find a path forward that brings the community together rather than drives it further apart.