David Jones , July 30, 1998

In an interview with Troy Reeves on July 30, 1998, David Jones discusses his involvement with the Greenbelt and Pathways Committee beginning in 1997. He describes how the duplication of reports from the various committees to the Parks and Recreation Department led to a consolidation of the work and disbanding of the committee, his support of the decision to create the Capitol Bridge underpass, and his overall positive opinion of the work the committee accomplished. He notes the discussion about how public access could be curtailed if inadequate parking was not added to the Harris Ranch and Spring Meadow developments, and the value that the Greenbelt provides to the city as well as the large parks in the downtown district. He expresses his opinion on the need to deal with safety on the Greenbelt, explains how the committee meetings were conducted, and the credit he gives to Earl Reynolds and Bob Whipkey in advancing the project. He also discusses the competing interests between development, public access, and wildlife habitat management that the committee had to grapple with, how the Boise River Greenbelt compares to other greenbelts, and the incredible foresight of those involved to ensure that development did not go to the edge of the river like has been done in other cities.