theguv

I attended this past Saturday's home opener for the CSU Vikings men's basketball team. They played George Mason University, a small school from a small conference, that has been very competitive of late in the NCAA tourney. With a bit more experience, CSU likely could have won their home opener, but alas, they lost. However, the fun of going to games seems to be back as they have a new announcer, and perhaps most significantly, they have halved the size of the arena with a curtain in the middle, that makes it feel much cozier. I'd estimate there were about 2,000 folks at the opener and it felt about half full. I think the crowd was mainly parents, relatives, alumni, but few students, meaning it wasn't a very loud crowd. In short, I would highly recommend going to a game. The team looks to be very athletic and new head coach Gary Waters is doing a lot to raise the bar of the program by scheduling more high caliber teams (george mason and OSU this year) and recruiting more local talent. If you are a current CSU student, you should definitely plan on attending a game - this could be the breakout year for the program - who knows? I was bit a wee lad the last time the Vikings had a George Mason caliber team, so this is exciting stuff indeed!

i thought columbus had installed rather funky bike racks along high street in clintonville as part of a streetscape project? i remember the racks being of the 'hitching post' variety. http://bikeparking.com/bikebollards/index.html <<< bottom of the page my favorite bike racks/bike parking was in seattle where they had what looked like a railing running parallel to the street btwn street and sidewalk. it was a great piece of street furniture enabling simple to figure out bike lock-up as well as a great leaning spot while waiting for the bus! i remember columbus being an easier city to ride bicycles in b/c the streets are smoother, the landscape even flatter, a definitive grid makes navigation easier, and the larger population of students = more cyclists. though in the last two years, i feel there has a been a massive increase in cleveland cyclists, esp. on the near west side. i wonder why cleveland or columbus for that matter, doesn't have a policy mandating bike racks for all new construction and renovation projects? it would be wonderful if ohio's metro areas were progressive enough to draft legislation that enabled bike parking to offset parking requirments for retail businesses.

I think and hope that City Prowl gets connected with both the Travel Cleveland website so visiting folks can download her tours as well as the Digital Airport Initiative as a content provider. I agree, the tours are well thought out and feature a fun, quirky production.

TOWPATH EXTENSION DETAILS click through to the ODNR press release which has a blurb about how $$ will be used to fund the 3/4 mil http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/news/oct06/1004cleanohio.htm

A means of selling the new cleveland to the 11M+ people that pass through ever year and also providing a sustainable means of funding for the airport's future. quite fascinating. would be great if someone from UO could get in on the ground floor of this idea. meeting details follow. promo video > http://www.iq-digital.com/airport/ website > http://digitalairport.pbwiki.com/ meeting > via I-Open For 11.3+ million air-travelers passing through Hopkins annually and millions of residents who connect with them, the Cleveland Airport presents an opportunity to showcase cutting-edge technology and present the best of what is current in Northeast Ohio. Join us next week to learn about The Digital Airport Initiative, a Public/Private collaboration working to transform the Cleveland Hopkins Airport into an ultra-high tech communication venue for everything Northeast Ohio. Check out the video here. The Digital Airport Initiative demonstrates how regional economic development should now be done: through collaboration and "strategic doing": Set a clear vision with understandable metrics ("Where are we going?"), connect interests ("Who's on the bus?"), align resources ("Who can contribute what?"), focus on practical next steps ("What's next?"). Learn from this exciting model of "strategic doing" and strengthen your work! Forum Leader: Barbara Siss Oney Date: Tuesday, October 3 Time: 4:30 P.M. - 6:15 P.M. Place: FUTURE: Center for Design and Technology Transfer @ The Cleveland Institute of Art 11610 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

a means of increasing transit ridership..... the pictures on the www or worth the visit! http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories/2006/09/17/0918marta.html Via HotLanta.... If MARTA looked like this, would you ride it? Adman pitches a whole new MARTA 'concept' By PAUL DONSKY The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 09/18/06 How's this for a smarter MARTA? Leather couches in a furniture-store sponsored train car. Free rides on MLK Jr. Day — "Free at last," get it? Bicycle carts delivering "traffic jam" and toast to drivers stuck in gridlock, courtesy of MARTA. Pictures of reindeer plastered on trains during the Christmas season. BrightHouse suggests that MARTA provide an opportunity for local artists to showcase their work and build their businesses. ....

Ohio Rep Mike Foley (District 14 - Cleveland) has introduced legislation that would mandate one E85 pump at every service station on the ohio turnpike. http://www.buckeyestateblog.com/foley_proposes_e85_fuel_pumps_across_turnpike#comment

past presents future ....... http://www.windustrious.com/ via http://realneo.us

past presents future.... a great promo piece for moving cleveland forward with wind technologies.... via realneo.us >> http://www.windustrious.org

cleveland as an innovator for combining live/work spaces with moviemaking as well as the burgeoning local film industry... http://realneo.us/David-Perkowski

Not sure if anyone else has posted/seen this tidbit from Fairmount Properties in regards to the development of Flats EastBank. On their site, they mention a total build out of over 1000 units. Perhaps they meant to say over 1000 residents? http://www.fairmountproperties.com/retail-developments.htm Fairmount Properties was the primary developer of First and Main in Hudson which was recently reviewed by Cooltown Studios http://www.cooltownstudios.com/mt/archives/000872.html

atmosphere &/or asterisk galleries on Professor in tremont have a range of choices and i believe one or both feature local artists.

knowledge is power man. according to economist paul romer, economic growth is all about knowledge sharing and innovation. the wind speed data coming off the tower on the water intake crib (a wise investment by gund & geo) represents knowledge sharing which is finally proving to be economic development http://www.clevelandcrib.org/ when you consider the facts about off shore wind farms in other parts of the world. the best technology is only able to stand in 200 feet of water, ideally no more than a few miles off shore. a shallow lake certainly has it's advantages. check out the local company that is revolutionizing wind turbine design: Green Energy Technologies http://gcbl.org/economy/sustainable-business/sustainable-business-green-energy-technologies-inc

What began as Ohio Ball Bearings Company in 1923, Applied Technologies brings some good news from one of from it's rather strange, but beautiful, headquarters. http://web.applied.com/base.cfm?page_id=1518 Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE: AIT) said net income for its fiscal year rose 31% to $72 million ($1.57 a share), while sales were up 11% to $1.9 billion. (Link: release) The Cleveland distributor of industrial parts reported fourth-quarter net income up 26% to $20 million (44 cents a share) as sales rose 11% to $504 million. AIT noted that it had added two operations during the year, Spencer Fluid Power and Minnesota Bearing, and has the cash on hand to make more acquisitions. It projects earnings growth of 7% to 10% in the current fiscal year, with earnings of $1.76 to $1.80 per share on sales of as much as $2.09 billion.

I like the idea of an all night coffebar/lounge atmosphere. Cleveland really doesn't have much of that sort of culture, though you' d think the one place it would exist would be downtown. It would certainly complement the existing bar, restaurant, music, comedy, bowling! scene very well. I wonder if phoenix or arabica has been approached? I agree with your assessment that AJ Roccos is a good hangout, but less so in the evening when it switches to beer swilling. Have you ever been to Bella Dubby Cafe < www.edesigned.net/bela.htm > in Lakewood ? Though they offer beer, it is less pronounced and the feel is more coffeeshop than bar.

Not sure if this was already posted. what do ya'll think about trees, aka an "urban forest", at lakeside and e.9th where a lawn currently exists? i like it. dwntwn could certainly use a place for trees to reach a more mature state and it would also camoflauge the beauteous federal bldg. plus, it's on a bluff overlooking the lake. connections connections. me thinks evergreens would provide a better wind buffer in the winter months. i dont believe people are complaining about the breeze in the summer time. Federal Office Bldg. plan: lots of trees Makeover of plazas may cost $15 million Tuesday, August 01, 2006 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter A downtown forest could sprout around the Federal Office Building. A plan calls for dozens of trees, a serpentine walk and new lighting in the plazas that flank the building, which houses 4,000 workers at East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue. The urban-forest design, estimated to cost $15 million, would be a counterpoint to the open green spaces that dominate nearby malls. The General Services Administration is taking bids on the project now and hopes to have it done by late 2009. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4695

Chris Ronayne, President of University Circle Incorporated (UCI) has recently been interviewed by Meet the Bloggers (MTB) The interview can bel downloaded in four parts at http://www.meetthebloggers.net MTB is a local group of NEO bloggers who provide an alternative to the traditional press. They have a catalog of interviews, some transcribed, and originally focused on politics, but recently they seem to be branching out. All in all, a GREAT development for NEO. If you are interested in what's happenin' in University Circle, do give this a listen!

Si, Gildone. Imagine if they, or better yet we NEO folks, could formulate a rubber street that could expand and contract with the freeze/thaw cycles, yet be dense enough to support car and truck traffic. then maybe ODOT or more appropriately, Oh Dept Of Autos, could spend their portion of the federal gas tax (approx $0.17/gallon) on something other than road widening and re-paving. regardless, good thoughts on this rubberpaving - im all for saving our tree investments.

Potential indeed! I think they need to create more of a carnival atmosphere as well as promote more interaction between people. I like the "staged" dominos game that got people talking with strangers. And I like your idea wim about adding more interactive games on the street. something to get people excited and keep them around longer while they are waiting for a performance. I personally think they need more greenspace to chill in as pavement intensifies heat! It would also be nice to have some sort of shallow pool to cool down in. I was thinking how cool it would be to float amongst all the lights and sounds. I wonder if it is feasible to install a temporary green space, specifically for relaxing. To that end, I wonder of the feasibility of installing a temporary (large) water feature and floatation pool. Amplifying downtown's connection to the lake certainly warrants it. keep the ideas coming.....!

Listen to Chris Montgomery, the PD's outgoing Real Estate reporter, talk about the big five development projects in Cleveland in the coming years http://www.cleveland.com/podcast_files/business/kroll4.mp3

Wine store, eh? Now that sounds like a good idea. It will be interesting to see how they coordinate the space with the WSM as it certainly is a natural fit next door. Hopefully they will carry beer too. If we think hard enough we can build an entire agglomeration economy around food. yum!! On that note, anyone want to open a bagel stand in the WSM? I think we could make a mint. Where does one buy bagels on the west side anyhow?

at stonebridge, apparently every condo sold in the last phase is helping to finance construction of the newest phase and so i guess it perpetuates..

Greenspace for visitors with money. Greenspace for healing in the outdoors environment. Greenspace for taking a break while cycling down Euclid. Greenspace to unify the suburbanized campus of the Clinic. How many patients to you suppose are "locked up" inside the Clinic afraid to come outside into what is a rather frightening urban area. If the Clinic can better orient the strip shopping centers in order to make them ped-friendly and keep the bike lanes, I'm basically all for this project. Are we strengthening our main street as a whole? What exactly do you mean by MAIN street? Car carrying capacity? Transit capacity? Historical Significance? People Experience? Who/What are streets for anyways? I think Euclid would be better utilized in the long run and in it's entirety without car lanes at all.

GREAT question! Any thoughts? I would think: --low expectations; largely as a result of 50+ years of decline -- lack of a unified downtown living campaign look at c-bus for inspiration > http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/downtown_housing.php (BID) >http://www.columbusretrometro.com (individual) retrometro is one hell of a site, in a nutshell, that's one optimistic, driven individual with either a lot of free time or tech experience or both! I think we, the people on this board who live in cleveland and are not involved in the planning profession and therefore have little to lose, ought to attempt action to change the tide.

I cannot find the other public square discussion. take a look at another plan for the square at improvised schema: http://improvisedschema.blogspot.com/ i believe someone on this board has aerials of the square, yes? wouldn't it be fun if everyone got some tracing paper and drew their vision of the square? i only wish i could draw a decent tree. ;>) this might be the start of some sort of design competition, eh? we've certainly got the talent on this board. we may not possess the paper based media clout of mr. volpe, but alas, we do have the internet!