gottaplan

That sucks. I was hoping some good coverage from the news on this but not likely if it was unstructured & a waste. Who was the moderator? I am 100% of the opinion that if more people know more of the FACTS about this, there would be a big change in public opinion.

Hope someone can recap the discussion hosted by the PD http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/12/future_of_rail_in_ohio.html

^ yeah that's a sweet link & schematics. I'm sure it's in their "long term" plans. I highly doubt the vollyball court is part of the long term plan. I was involved with this back in 06 & 07 when it was supposed to have all the residential housing, several parking structures, a big boat slip notched out of the river, a movie complex, restaurants, etc. All that got whittled back quickly when the economy tanked. Hopefully someone in the know can post up, but I believe all the infrastructure (gas, water, sewer, storm lines) are being installed with that master plan still in mind.

Lukewarm seems a bit negative but I can understand not doing backflips for it too. I predict we'll see a 2nd phase for this site announced before the first phase even opens.

I agree to a certain extent, about the zero sum game and the logic about simply stealing clients from one building to put them in another. What that doesn't take into consideration is that many companies WANT to be in Cleveland, and if we don't offer them a competitive supply of Class A office space, they will relocate elsewhere, whether it's to Beachwood or out of the area altogether. A better question is, when was the last time new high end commerical office space was built in Cleveland? This new Flats Development certainly puts pressure on the owners of the Huntington building and the entire "9-12" district has high vacancies now, but they need to look at attracting new clients interested in a little less modern space for a lower lease, or perhaps renovating to become current & modern, or even look at a residential conversion as has been discussed on this board.

Just refi'd my house in Cleveland with no issues. I know sales have been steady also in the West Park neighborhood. Then again, neither area is dealing with 15k appraisals closeby....

So who is the construction manager on this project? First go 'round it was Marous, now it's someone else, Gilbane or Turner? If they say they are planning to start right away, they must have civil plans ready to go? Foundations for the garage & tower & hotel?

Looks like Fitzgerald is filling out his staff and seeking out some new faces, lots of job openings posted http://www.cuyahogacounty.us/home/employment.asp

I think he's more pissed at the press trying to make an issue of something that isn't an issue. Goes with the territory of elected office though

I hit up the Niko's coney island last night. Place was empty, but it was clean, staff was friendly & helpful & the food was good. They have some authentic greek items, also a few other standards to bridge all taste buds including wings, etc

I only have myself to blame. I get sucked into these threads hoping to actually read something which is news worthy or thought provoking, what this board used to be full of. Now it's full of the alot of hot air & opinions.

This is going to become a really long thread, really quickly

Just joining this conversation for the pictures of the foreign country, and got sucked into the dating/romance/drama. Not that you asked for my opinion KJP, but I would punt on all this foreign bride stuff. I think there are alot of great women here in the US you could be happy with. Probably not young & attractive as these women overseas, but you won't be fighting that cultural battle with them, constantly longing for a home back in Ukraine, etc. I think finding the right woman here would lead to a much happier satisfying life than finding someone from over there and trying to get them accustomed to our life & culture. My $0.02

^great point. Really fascinating. Thanks for taking us completely off topic.

What bartenders/servers make and are paid are two different things. High paid bartenders & servers make good money in tips because they are SKILLED at customer service. Your point is invalid. Good bartenders & servers are a perfect example. Should these people be in a union that keeps them all at the same wage level regardless of how good or bad they are at their job?

. I'll explain it - there are no specific skills or experience required. No specific language requirements, written or spoken needed either. Essentially you could pull someone off the street and they could mop floors and empty trash, change lightbulbs, etc.

Hts - I've warned you before - Don't lump me in with "you all...." I make a comment that it's ridiculous to have janitors making more than $8/hr and you respond with a comment about trust funds and wealth gaps? Get a clue. You're so quick to paint with a broad brush and "classify" people based on a few posts here?

Custodial staff? Seriously? So you're in favor of people who empty trash & clean the floors making top wages? How about offer $8/hr and if they pass a background check they are hired? How does a custodian remotely impact a child's education? It doesn't, so don't bother trying to explain. If you think keeping the wages higher will help screen out some weirdos, that logic doesn't work either.

Interesting article in WSJ yesterday by Minnesota Gov Tim Pawlenty on taking on public sector unions (not specifically emergency forces though) and how all states need to be tackling this issue sooner than later http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703766704576009350303578410.html?KEYWORDS=pawlenty

I'm not sure how much of the above posts are legit or simply sarcasm, but I think that Kasich is on the right path with a push to successfully eliminate the prevailing wage rule. Union companies would be toast. Construction businesses could hire any person off the street willing to work for $8/hr, immigrant, whatever. The downside is tons of high paid union workers would have a hard time finding work for the same wage because all the projects would be awarded to whomever had the most scabs working for $8/hr figured in their bid. The upside is that Ohio would see a ton more construction because the cost to build new roads, buildings, etc would drop dramatically and we'd also see a big increase in immigration into the area. Essentially we'd see some of the same boom that's been going on across the south. Mixed progress I guess. Hold on to your hats with this governor, he's determined to shake things up.

I think Cleveland is fairly liberal. More so than any other large city in Ohio. Certainly not as liberal as other cities like NY or San Fran or the like. Home of Howard Metzenbaum & Dennis K, also elected first black mayor to a large city even though we still had a majority white population.

A lot of cities have settled for that 'worst case' in the form of just a new convention center.... and at a much heavier price tag. Oh really? A lot of cities? Which would those be? What was the price tag that was so much heavier?

This area is really gaining momentum, based in part on the 100th anniversary celebration for the WSM. I hope it continues after that and doesn't flatten out. It has so many key ingredients for a great neighborhood.

see it's comments like that which make this board less than useful.

^so your thought process is that any position the guy took with a contractor after his position as ODOT director is a payoff? Of course there's some back scratching going on but don't you think that a person who managed thousands of workers, and a billion budget could be useful to a company in a leadership role?