As a resident of Bemidji, I am writing my two cents worth on roundabouts on Paul Bunyan Drive. My thoughts are this:
Put one in at the Menards stoplights and another at the Perkins junction. I think that will keep speeds down on Paul Bunyan Drive since all the stop lights favor east-west traffic.
ADVERTISEMENT
The other junctions are horribly busy and the city streets cannot stand up to rerouting.
And since I'm stating my opinion, if you travel to other communities that have roundabouts, theirs are attractive. We have weeds on each of our roundabouts. Ugly weeds.
Ugly weeds along the main drag through town, too. In the sidewalks and even growing in the road along Midway Drive, Bemidji Avenue and U.S. Highway 2. In the medians, too.
Drive around yourself and look. Bemidji looks drab on the main drag through town. No flowers on light poles like some other cities do. Another city has banners naming the veterans that live/lived there. Kudos to First National Bank for their pride in appearance planting all those flowers.
The Bemidji Sculpture Walk is an asset to downtown but it's mostly off the main drag. If I were traveling through Bemidji for the first time I would think, "What a drab city."
Appearance speaks loudly. On Midway Drive there are places to stop and look at Lake Bemidji only there are trees in the way so you can't see the beautiful body of water.
I think Bemidji needs a cosmetic change, obviously.
The Trust Project
