Councilman Shane Blanchard Discusses His Vision For the Future of Waukee

Waukee, Iowa---As a journalist, a mother of four and Waukee resident/taxpayer in Waukee, I requested a sit down with Councilman Blanchard. When asked about the future of Waukee and the development of Alice’s Road, Councilman Blanchard responded, “With Alice’s road now becoming a reality and the road to be completed from University Ave to I-80 in 2015, it will be a great connection for the residents of Waukee and the rest of the Des Moines metro. Alice's Rd will spur much needed Economic
Development in Waukee."

Councilman Blanchard, not only focusing on Alice’s Road, discussed his vision for the growth of Waukee including other goals he intends to focus on pending he is reelected on November 5th.

I asked Councilman Blanchard, “The City of Waukee is an At-Large, Councilperson represented system. which worked for the city until now. Waukee’s population has grown to more than 15,000 residents. We have many parts of Waukee that do not have council people in their neighborhoods. Since all Council people are at large, they represent the
city as a whole. However, with the rapid growth of the city, how would you change that?”

He responded, “The problem is that three council members live in the same area. If Waukee is moved to ward system then council people would be spread throughout the community and people would have a person they could hold accountable for different issues happening in their area. It’s a common sense solution to the growing pains we have in Waukee. Council members could hold monthly ward meeting to better communicate to constituents on what’s happening in the city. It would stream line communication, and would give residents a person they can actually talk to, rather than hoping to hear from a council person on an issue.”

I recently upgraded my 1992 minivan to a 2008, however, I see many new “City of Waukee” vehicles on the road. Is this what our tax dollars are going to? New vehicles?

Councilman Blanchard responded, “We have a lot of taxpayer dollars that goes towards our public works. One of the biggest areas I see we need to change is on our equipment and vehicles. We need to keep vehicles longer and maintain them better, just as our residents do in this economy. I see many city vehicles on the road, and a lot that are brand new. We need to keep them longer, and create a program for when we trade out for new ones.’

We attend and I teach Faith Formation at St. Boniface. The five way stop at Laurel, Ashworth, Warrior... is a nightmare. I have four young children who will soon be attending middle school. I feel a round about would be unsafe. How would you change this?

Blanchard stated, “My goal is to have this as one of our capital improvement projects for the summer of 2014. It is time we make this a four way stop. Round abouts work when you have others along the same route. With this being the only one, traffic would only become congested further down Warrior lane or Ashworth, and since a round a bout is only a yield type intersection with constant flow, it would make it very unsafe for kids to cross
from Ashworth or Warrior lane to get to the Middle School. I feel this would cause more congestion and with bus traffic, make the process of picking up and dropping off kids worse.”

He continued, “Traffic is terrible in the morning, and I have two kids in the school system, one at Waukee middle and the other at the high school. My wife and I experience this every day so I know other residents feel the stress of this intersection and would appreciate a change.”

I asked, “I find myself waiting longer at interchanges that do not have lights. If re-elected, how would you change this and where are the problem areas?”

Councilman Blanchard responded, “Now that we have Waukee South Middle school and another school being built across the street along LA Grant Parkway we have to widen this street. Traffic is a huge problem in this area, and we must make it safer for our kids by adding a cross walk and stop sign for kids to cross the streets safely."

He added, “along Hickman Rd we need a stop light on NE Dartmore Dr. We need to reduce the speed limit to 35 mph from SE Westgate Dr to 6th. Many children are crossing the road to go to the YMCA, eat at Cherry Berry or Taco Johns after school. I can’t tell you how often I see accident in this area, and it’s because we have a high speed limit and people are slowing down to not miss a turn. A stop light would help with the flow, and slow traffic to lesson the number of accidents.”

Councilman Blanchard is seeking re-election to the Waukee City Council. The election will be held on November 5th. If you have comments, questions or concerns, you can reach him on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/blanchard4waukee.