Grumpy

^What's the big deal? Even if you don't want the sidewalk, and it won't be used much, how is it hurting your property? I don't get how a sidewalk would make the road, or the property, less atractive. My mom lives on several acres well into the country and has no sidewalks, but I can't imagine her yard would look any worse with a sidewalk across the front of it. What am I not getting here?

What does he know, or who does he owe? I still don't understand how the condition of the foundation is the city's problem. Isn't the plan for the city to sell the property "as is"?

I don't have a problem with the statue, and I was joking about it looking like a stripper, but it doesn't look like a fountain to me. Its probably one of the most distinct peices of art in Cleveland, but the color is a really bizarre shade of green. Aha! Hagan got it. This is the biggest reason I liked the mall site, I wish more people understood that this is a major issue. I hope we're not overestimating how big of a difference this will make. I guess we'll see in a few years. Well, they were close to getting it right. There has been something proposed for NYC. I imagine if Cleveland weren't making any progress in this process, the credit market completely turned around, there was a strong enough demand for a medical equipment showroom for lenders to think the idea profitable, and pigs could fly, they might get a medical mart in NYC. At least the PD didn't openly trash the city in this article.

True, but to me that always looks like its more about the statue, and water was added as an after thought. It doesn't really look like a fountain to me, more like a tribute to flaming male strippers and green body paint surrounded by strange carvings that are only understood by the artist and someone is trying to wash them away with a sprinkler.

I'll vote for grass if they replace the fountain in public square. We need a really nice fountain to show off that we don't have a shortage of water. :wink:

Well I feel really stupid now. I got off work early yesterday soon after the anouncment that there was no anouncement and moped around most of the evening and didn't look at UO out of frustration over getting my hopes up. To some degree I agree with those of you that had stopped caring where they build this darn thing. I prefered the current site, but I really just wanted a decision made. I'm a little surprised that they made the right decision, pleasantly surprised. ^^Builded is an archaic word that means the same as built. I thought it looked wrong the first time I read it too.

OK, can I smack someone for getting my hopes up that someone would actually make a decision? :whip: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/no_decision_today_on_site_of_m.html No decision today on site of medical mart in Cleveland Posted by Joe Guillen/Plain Dealer Reporter January 22, 2009 14:55PM

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/opportunity_corridor_project_b.html#more Opportunity Corridor project between Interstate 490 and University Circle may be back on track Posted by Karen Farkas

I'm not sure if I like this new site better than TC or not. I'd rather have it at the current site, but considering no one with any money is pushing for that... With that in mind how about pushing for the one site that is already owned by the public?

^That's really interesting. I would doubt that spending 22% of funding on bicycling and walking would be even remotely conceivable, what would you spend that kind of money on?

^^ My impression of the project was that the routes that come into downtown from the West side go through Public Square, or around Tower City then take some sort of loop around downtown would now just begin or end their routes at transit center after still going through Public Square/Tower City, and that many of the routes coming in from the East side that already go past here, would still stop here on their way to Public Square/Tower City. Essentially preventing many people from having to change busses at Public Square/Tower City, they could change here instead. Thus for most people it won't be a change in how many seats, just where you would change seats and how comfortable you'd be while waiting. Of course I may be completely misunderstanding this whole project so someone that actually has a clue can feel free to correct me.

At Heinen's I wouldn't worry. At Macy's, Sak's, Bloomingdale's... that's where you need to worry.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. I know shoveling is hard work, and if you shoveled your drive and left the sidewalk alone, it doesn't really bother me. I live in a neighborhood with a lot older people and I did help out one neighbor on Saturday. (Free hot cocoa made it worth it.) But I got ticked at the guy a few doors up that snow blew his drive onto the sidewalk and kept going over it all day Saturday and Sunday and then did it again last night. He's in his 30's and he's not too poor to use the gas and get his short little strech of sidewalk.

The Library idea I really like, but I would think that some adaptive reuses would be seen as disrepectful to former worshipers. The church where my wife and I were married in 2000 is now a nightclub which doesn't really bother me, but my mother in law, who attended there for years is greatly offended by the new use of the building.

^^Are the Blue and Green lines capable of including a 3rd car? I've never seen a 3 car train on those lines, though it would be nice especially if the Blue line gets extended further than Warrensville.

My new pet peeve of the week, people that snowblow/plow their driveway but not the sidewalk. Or even worse snowblow/plow onto the sidewalk. And by people I'm including businesses. If your grocery store expects to continue receiving the business of the dozen or so people that catch the bus at the far end of your parking lot everyday, you might want to clear the sidewalks so they have a spot to stand and a way to walk to that spot. Oh and if the people 4 doors down from my house are reading this, I would be the one that shoveled the snow from your sidewalk, including the 3 foot pile, onto your freshly snowblown driveway at 5:30 this morning. You're welcome. :evil: Seriously, there's a bus stop at one end of our road (well just around the corner, but close enough.) and an elementary school and middle school at the other end of the road. The sidewalks are well used in our neighborhood (that's part of why I live there). It has been a couple days, get out there and take care of the sidewalk. It's part of being a good neighbor, sheesh. [/rant]

^Besides looking cool, it would work well after RTA moves to a POP system on the RedLine. I have to imagine that adding the third car wouldn't add dramatically to costs, (wouldn't require another driver) while it would significantly add to the capacity.

I was on unemployement for about 4 months at the beginning of '07 and the website sucked then too. I never had any luck with the 1-800 number and always ended up talking to the wrong person, so I ended up using that crappy website. I'd gladly offer assistance if I remembered how the site worked, but fortunately its been a while. I think what I ended up having to do when I started working was file a new weekly claim as if I was still unemployeed but answered questions to the effect of that I was working, if that makes any sense. Good luck to you and your wife.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/inner_belt_bridge_construction.html#more Inner Belt Bridge construction plan, schedule take shape Posted by Karen Farkas

No, most of it isn't. But if RTA wants to defend poor design when it comes to the shelters, I think we have a right to call them out on it. And I think this is poor design. The busses being full is a good thing, and a hand full of people standing on the busiest portions of the route is expected and acceptable. I know I'm arguing semantics but I had an issue with the phrasing of "for us, at RTA, if something's too crowded, it means it's working.". If the word "too" wasn't there I'd have understood his meaning as "RTA wants full busses", with that word I understand his meaning as "RTA wants to pack you all in like cattle". I consider an overfull bus inefficient as it takes so much longer for people to sqeeze past each other trying to get on and off. I don't mind standing some days, and never mind standing during rush hour. But if its 2pm on Veteran's Day there shouldn't be a reason that I should be able to count 25 riders standing on the Healthline. I only had to wait about 2 minutes so I don't know if it was timing or what, but either the timing was off or that bus isn't big enough.

If whoever designed these shelters couldn't figure out a cheaper way of attaching the windows than welding mullions to the columns, than he/she is incompetent and needs to be in a different line of work, or didn't spend 5 minutes thinking about this issue. As far as the greenhouse effect in summer, was RTA really getting significant complaints about how hot the shelters are in the summer? And even if they were to be hot in the summer, wouldn't adding take care of the problem? saving $15 million is "insulting"? speaking as a fellow taxpayer, I do not think that word means what you think it means... Saving $15 million isn't insulting, saying that it would cost $15 million to extend the windows 2 inches in each direction is insulting. Now as far as the following statement goes, where do I go to sign up for the opportunity to hit Mike Schipper upside the head with a blunt object? A full bus is a good thing, an overfull bus means you didn't buy a big enough bus. Does this man not realize that most of us would want to ride a comfortable bus with enough seats for everyone if it was possible? We understand that standing room only happens, but we accept that because we know RTA can't afford to give us all a seat. Most people expect that the goal is to give us all a seat. If the goal is for a large portion of the riders to stand, than that should have been planned for with wider aisles. By definition, if something is "too crowded", it means something is wrong. At a minimum someone needs to tell him to be more careful with his phrasing, this makes it sound as if RTA is happy that I don't get to sit down.

^While I agree with your point, technically one could argue that both studies had a conflict of interest. Cleveland's planning commission had a conflict of interest in that its in the best interest of the city as a governing body to choose the property it already owns. And of course its in the GCP's best interest to choose the property a member of it already owns. What says a lot to me about this process is... Why isn't anyone trying to steer them to the mall site?

^I've been skimming over it for the last few minutes when no one is looking (darn supervisor expects me to actually do some work while I'm in the office) and I like the following paragraphs.

Sorry if this is posted elsewhere, I didn't see it. Ohio transportation priorities: more options for shippers and travelers, panel says http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/task_force_delivers_gov_strick.html#more Final Report is at... http://www.dot.state.oh.us/groups/tft/Documents/21stCenturyTransportationPrioritiesTaskForceReport-Web.pdf

I didn't see MayDay's pix, but this post should do to remind people of the interiors. http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2840.msg337529.html#msg337529