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The men’s lacrosse team practices four times a week. embers appointed to Vision 2020 council BY ROLANDO GARCIA The Battalion The eviction of the College Sta tion Police Department from its of fice on Northgate is a selfish politi cal ploy to protest the city’s removal of on-street parking on College Main, said one city council member. In a letter dated March 22, Susanne Pledger, the special projects director for Loupot’s Bookstore, gave the po lice 30 days to vacate the office space at the Loupot’s building on 105 Col lege-Main Street where the police de partment has housed its Northgate substation rent-free for nearly a year. The action comes on the heels of the city’s decision to eliminate store front parking on College-Main St.,be tween University Dr. and Church Rd., which some Northgate merchants said will hurt their businesses. Pledger said the arrangement had become too burdensome for Loupot’s. According to her calcula tions, the bookstore was subsidizing the police department to the tune of $ 15,000, and not having full operat ing space had become a problem during book rush days. But City Councilman Dennis Maloney said the eviction is a retal iation against the city on the part of Northgate businesses unhappy with the new parking policy. “That’s what’s known as a tem per tantrum. What they’re saying is ’We don’t care about safety here, we don’t care about people throwing beer bottles or women getting as saulted, we just want our parking spaces,’ ’’ Maloney said. Mayor Lynn Mcllhaney said the Northgate substation, one of three in the city, is a critical component ofthe city’s community policing efforts. “The police are there to help, and the best way to do that is to get to know the individuals and businesses they’re protecting,” Mcllhaney said. Mcf lhaney said that she hopes pol itics is not behind Loupot’s decision. “We have worked with all the en tities in Northgate for the revitaliza tion project, and we will continue to work with them. We all want to see it prosper and develop, but they’ve got to realize that it’s a process of give and take,” she said. Maloney said that so far, Northgate merchants have done a lot more tak ing than giving. “When it’s all done, we would have put $ 14 million into Northgate, and for them to complain about los ing a stinking 27 parking spaces, I just don’t get it,” Maloney said. However, some Northgate mer chants argue that eliminating the free parking on College Main will hurt businesses who rely on customers who do not plan on staying long. “People aren’t gonna pay to park two blocks away to bring in their dry cleaning, and that puts us at a severe disadvantage,” said Bernie Gessner, owner of Aggie Cleaners. Gessner said Loupot’s is justi fied in evicting the police depart ment in light of the city’s unwill ingness to work with Northgate businesses to solve the long-run ning parking dispute. “We haven’t been given the prop er opportunity to present our case. If they don’t want to listen to us, why should they be receiving this free gift,” Gessner said. “We like the po lice there, but we need to get the city’s attention.” Gessner added the city’s main reason for removing the free parking on College Main is to direct North- gate customers to the soon-to-be- built parking garage. Maloney said in addition to mak ing the parking garage feasible, the new parking policy will make the Northgate area safer for bicycle and pedestrian traffic. “We have to make this area safe and attractive for the people who use it most—the students,” Maloney said. The parking on College-Main, Maloney said, made it difficult for large emergency vehicles like fire trucks to access the Northgate area. But Pledger said the city has been unresponsive to the parking concerns of Northgate businesses. Pledger also expressed dismay at comments by some city officials suggesting Northgate merchants were putting personal interests ahead of community safety. “When I told the police chief about our decision, he said would have to go to the press with this and it could get ugly,” Pledger said. “I’m tired of dealing with callous city of ficials. 1 think those comments were very childish of them.” JP BEATO/The Bati ai.ion The College Station Police Department was asked to leave the free space it was occupying on Northgate (above). They were giv en the area with permission from Loupot’s. r’t d-Mm Ht v''! f * V u f BY JULIE ZUCKER The Battalion Texas A&M University President Dr. iy M. Bowen has designated the 18 mem- tsof the University Planning Council, an sory board whose mission is to assist in evelopment of Vision 2020. owen implemented Vision 2020 three s ago, and now his appointed commit- consisting of A&M faculty, staff, stu nts and alumni — will meet to ensure ’s success in becoming a top 10 uni- r eisity by the year 2020. (Bowen said the 250 people involved Hi Vision 2020 will tackle the entire pro- raat once. fNo area is more important than an- Br,” Bowen said. “There are no short- goals. This will all come together by ear 2020.” he goals of Vision 2020 are not with- HBcriticism. The plan has come under fire MBi the Texas A&M gay and lesbian com- ■Hity for not including the progress of gay ®d lesbian acceptance at A&M. B'pTie progress of gay and lesbian ac- Hptancc] is not included into the plan, and 1 Iniversity Planning COUNCIL Co-Chairs •Michael Hitt •Jon Hagler Sn-Campus Reps. IJohn August •G.P. Peterson