CMH_Downtown

I don't see any reason to vote for COTA's levy increase either. The authority is incompetant and ineffective, and I simply won't support it; nor do I think the majority of voters will either. The sentiment has been echoed here before, but now is definitely the time to dissolve COTA and create a true regional, multi-modal transportation network for Central Ohio. I think a fresh face and a new look at transportation in our region would help stimulate a broader interest in public transit, especially in the face of high gas prices. It would be nice if the Downtown Streetcar Working Group could somehow either force the demise of COTA or merge with the authority and create a new transit group. Either way, something has to be done, or Columbus will severely lag behind the rest of the nation as more cities our size see the usefulness of rail transit and embrace its advantages.

New focal point is in the works for historic downtown Dublin Monday, July 10, 2006 Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH In the 19th century, a water pump stood at Rt. 161 and High Street in downtown Dublin. For decades, it was one of only two sources of safe drinking water in the village. Today, the intersection is still regarded by residents as the heart of the city’s historic district. But the square is unfinished. The northwest corner of the intersection is mostly a swath of grass next to a parking lot. For years, the city has sought to fill in the half block with development. It looks as if the block will become whole beginning in 2007. Dublin is negotiating a development agreement with Stonehenge Co. and Bird Houk Collaborative, two companies that plan to turn the site into a center of activity. They’re planning a $4.8 million project that will result in 20,000 square feet of space for shops, restaurants and offices. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/10/20060710-F6-00.html

Columbus backers get city featured in United Air Lines flight magazine Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 by Doug Buchanan Business First Whether on their way to Columbus or headed to any of United Air Lines Inc.'s 201 destinations in 26 countries, travelers on United in June had the chance to peruse a 36-page spread on Columbus in the airline's magazine. The section included articles on Columbus-backed initiatives in logistics and medicine and was the work of a staff of reporters and advertising executives, at least one of whom spent six weeks in the Columbus area preparing the section. It was replete with advertisements from regional stalwarts, such as American Electric Power Company Inc., Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., Ohio State University Medical Center and, interestingly for a package on Columbus, a full-page ad promoting Dublin. The publication, which has the potential to reach 3.5 million fliers, is a good way to get the word out about Columbus, said Patty Donahey Geiger, a spokeswoman for Experience Columbus, which worked with the Columbus Chamber to help promote the city to the magazine's staff while they were in town. Of course, the magazine's cover story was a package on Chicago, but you take what you can get. More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/

High Street hopes for growing retail crowd Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 by Kathy Showalter Business First For 20 years, dozens of art galleries have designated the mile-long stretch of High Street north of downtown as Columbus' arts district, but apparel and home decor merchants are gentrifying the strip and expanding its commercial appeal among consumers. The newest shops, which are opening ahead of condominium construction in the area, are filling prime retail spaces in the Short North's midsection, pushing development closer to the Ohio State University South Campus Gateway project and improving even more High Street city blocks - some that were seedy not too long ago. An open question for Short North residents and backers is how much of the recent development can be attributed to the Cap at Union Station, an $8 million retail bridge spanning Interstate 670. The Cap, which was developed by Columbus-based Continental Real Estate Cos., will celebrate its second year in September and was seen as repairing what many considered a scar that separated Short North from the convention center and downtown. Michael Wilkos, vice president of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, acknowledged he sees more people walking from downtown into Short North than he did two years ago. "Downtown and the Short North are once again seamless," he said. "The sidewalk space on the Cap is one of the best public spaces in the city for people-watching and enjoying all that urban life has to offer." Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/07/10/story4.html

Soy fuel turning into tiger for COTA's tank, wallet Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 by Adrian Burns Business First Smoke-belching, mass-transit vehicles aren't typically mentioned in the same sentence with soybeans, but since the start of the year, the Central Ohio Transit Authority has been running its buses on biodiesel fuel made from the common vegetable. Officials said the effort has been a success on several fronts. The soy fuel costs less than regular diesel and it eliminates the nasty black engine exhaust. The biofuel also leads to better mileage and fewer harmful emissions, and it improves the buses' engine life - all factors that have led COTA to include biodiesel fuel in its long-range plans. And if hurricanes roil energy markets as they did last season, COTA won't be hit so hard, officials said, because the agency plans to run 90 percent biodiesel fuel blend through its buses into the fall and can run at 100 percent if necessary. More: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/

Arnold expo snatches weightlifting qualifier Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 By Jeff Bell, Business First Jim Lorimer is pumped up about USA Weightlifting Inc. deciding to hold a world team qualifying event at the 2007 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus. The agreement, whose details were finalized in June, is another sign the festival has grabbed the attention of national sports governing bodies, said Lorimer, who has run the event for 31 years in partnership with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the film star and California governor. Past Arnold weekends have attracted Olympians in sports such as weightlifting, gymnastics, fencing and table tennis. But Lorimer said USA Weightlifting is the first national governing agency to bring a team qualifying event to the sports-and fitness-extravaganza, which is scheduled for March 2 through March 4 next year. MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/

New theater to help CAPA? $2.9M project could be part of Casto's idled South High St. apartment complex Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 by Brian R. Ball Business First The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts is seeking a $1 million state grant that would help build a new 250-seat theater downtown for the Contemporary American Theatre Co. CAPA in late May asked the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission to grant it the remaining 2002 capital improvement money the state agency had set aside for an arts project in downtown's RiverSouth district. If it lands the necessary financial backing, CAPA is projecting the theater could open as early as January 2008. MORE: http://www.columbusbusinessfirst.com

Developers have hope brownfield projects pump life into downtown Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 by Scott Rawdon Business First Mark Wagenbrenner, a principal with the Wagenbrenner Cos., a Grandview Heights developer, said it cost about $4.75 million to clean the soil beneath the AC Humko plant, a century-old factory in the Harrison West neighborhood that produced vegetable oil products. The site is now home to the developing Harrison Park project, a 16-acre upscale mix of single and multiple family residences and condominiums. The city of Columbus helped Wagenbrenner secure $3 million in state money from the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund to clean the site. The remainder was privately funded to bring the soil quality up to standards suitable for residential living. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/07/07/story8.html

Developers have hope brownfield projects pump life into downtown Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 by Scott Rawdon Business First Named for Columbus' Henry Morgan "Hank" Gowdy, a professional baseball player and noted war veteran, Gowdy Park has been many things - a community garden that once helped feed hundreds during the Great Depression and a park with more than 20 community baseball diamonds. Eventually, the field, near the Goodale interchange west of Route 315, became a landfill. Now, Gowdy Field is about to become a 160,000-square-foot, $20 million Time Warner Cable office. The field that once provided food for the community soon will create nearly 200 jobs and help retain 400 more for Columbus and anchor the city's new technology corridor initiative along Olentangy River Road. The key to a healthy downtown, said Sloan, is a partnership between public and private entities to rebuild downtown brownfield sites - previously developed land whose reuse has been complicated by environmental contamination. When that happens "anything can happen," Sloan said. Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/07/07/story8.html

Nightclub owner makes apologies Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 by Dan Eaton, Business First The backers of the Bar of Modern Art are building it, but will people come? A skeptic can look at the project and might think a high-end club is too big-city for Columbus. They might think the East Broad Street location is out-of-the-way from the city's other nightlife districts. But co-owner Tom Starker disagrees. "I hate that cow-town crap," he said, which is exactly why he dreamt up the project. Columbus has a large, growing population and an active and respected arts community, factors that Starker said means there is a population wanting the experience he hopes to provide. "Will this go over people's heads?" he asked. "Maybe. It scares me a little, but there are 1.3 million people here. There has to be X-amount of cool people." More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/

Trio prays church's change into club works Business First of Columbus - July 7, 2006 by Dan Eaton, Business First The only sounds emanating from the First Baptist Church on East Broad Street for the last 108 years were the voices of parishioners and the heavy tones of the church's pipe organ. But those sounds will become something different this summer - pounding beats of dance music, bustle of a busy restaurant and hushed discussions over a work of art - as the Bar of Modern Art opens in the space at 583 E. Broad Street. High-end and high-concept are words that come to mind when chatting with Tom Starker, one of several owners of the establishment and the driving force behind its creation. Part nightclub, part restaurant, part art gallery - the space will offer plenty to see and do, provided one can get in. "Columbus is a major market," said Starker, a veteran of multiple New York City clubs. "It is time for the community to support this. In L.A., in New York, in Las Vegas, this would be a monster." Starker meant monster as in monstrously popular, but the term could easily apply to the job he and investment group 583 E. Broad St. Partners LLC undertook in the conversion of a church into a happening destination. More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/

Zoo makes do without star tenants Friday, July 07, 2006 Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH With its pricey, new Asia Quest exhibit just opened and an ambitious 10-year plan to develop dozens more acres ahead of it, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has made some bold and tough choices. For example, the zoo has decided to go without some of its most popular animals for periods rather than display them in conditions that aren’t ideal. If you go to the Columbus Zoo today, you won’t see polar bears or giraffes, though you can buy gift-shop items bearing their likenesses, and you can see giraffes in the zoo’s logo. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/07/20060707-A4-02.html

The CMH designator came from the original airport. The code stands for Columbus Metropolitan Hangar.

CVG is the IATA (International Air Transport Association) 3-letter identifier for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The letters come from the City of CoVinGton, the largest city in Kenton County, where the airport is located.

If by region you mean the Tri-State, then yes. Chicago by far reigns supreme as far as international traffic goes in the Midwest/Great Lakes region, followed by Detroit, which has quite an impressive line-up of international carriers (BA, LH, RJ, AF, etc) as well as a plethora of nonstops offered by Northwest. CVG has definitely taken a backseat to JFK recently, but a pulldown of international service from Delta's second largest hub isn't likely at all. The equipment for Delta's international expansion is being supported by redeploying domestic 767-300/400 aircraft to these new routes, so CVG won't face any route cuts due to aircraft availability. A new transatlantic route from CVG probably isn't very likely, just because Delta already serves most major European markets from the airport. My guess is that if any international expansion happens in CVG, it will likely be to Caribbean, Mexican, or South American destinations.

I heard similar rumors as well. CLE-LGW is slated to become year-round service and the possibility does exist that an aircraft upgrade could be in line as well. CDG and AMS would be the most logical choices for expanded European service, since they are both Skyteam hubs. I personally would imagine AMS would be the next destination to be offered nonstop from CLE, followed by CDG. The next few months could be interesting for Continental and Cleveland if things work out as rumored.

Simplifares was most definitely a marketing gimmick. The program capped the highest possible fares at a certain level and eased restrictions on others. So long story short, Delta didn't start offering $99 one-way fares to L.A. from CVG, and likely never will. Besides, the Simplifares program lasted only a few months, and as far as I know, no longer exists with the company still fighting through bankruptcy.

As a sidenote, this is exactly what I alluded to in the topic concerning international air service from Cleveland. Any good air service development team will seek out all avenues in recruiting new and expanded air service to an airport. The likelihood of Columbus seeing nonstop flights by either of the three carriers mentioned is slim to none (actually more like none at all). However, getting Columbus' name out and aiming high can yield results later in time or spark interest by other parties. It's a chance to network and find out exactly what these airlines are looking for in a potential new city. It also gets the word out on the opportunities available from a city that these airlines might have otherwise never known about. While I don't expect a nonstop to Paris anytime soon, hopefully the airport's tireless work to secure new service does yield positive results in the near future.

More international flights sought Port Columbus officials working to make overseas travel easier Wednesday, July 05, 2006 Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Parlez-vous Port Columbus? Airport officials this week are making their yearly trip to Europe to try to persuade international airlines to make overseas travel from Columbus easier. They will meet with Air France/KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa, offering loads of statistics showing that central Ohio should be one of the chosen few markets they enter next. "It’s very competitive," said David Whitaker, vice president of business development for the airport. "There are very few opportunities because of the state of the airline business right now, and there is obviously a lot of cost associated with going into a brand new market." Easy international air access to and from a city has become a hotly sought-after prize among cities trying to attract businesses and conventions. While an airport with a respectable number of flights to major U.S. cities once was adequate, the growing importance of international business has put pressure on cities such as Columbus, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh to attract nonstop international service. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/05/20060705-D1-00.html

Hmmm...AmrapinVA. You wouldn't happen to work for the Great Silver Fleet, would you? Either way, it's great having a fellow aviation afficianado here, and I definitely agree with the majority of your assessments regarding the state of affairs in CLE. The introduction of the 787 could definitely be the answer to CLE's quest for greater international service, as the efficiencies provided by the aircraft could allow for profitable, year-round service to more than just London. Or, depending on what Continental plans to do with its transatlantic 757 fleet, the 75s currently flying those long, thin transatlantic routes could be freed up by the 787 and redeployed out of Cleveland. It should be interesting to see how CLE evolves over the next year or two as the industry as a whole continues to react to the ever-changing market.

While passenger leakage certainly exists from Montgomery County to CVG and other airports, I wouldn't doubt that the 20% figure is more than made up by people traveling the opposite direction from Hamilton and Warren counties to DAY alone. The airport also attracts passengers from Columbus, especially for the low fares provided by AirTran and Frontier. Also, as the article mentions, Delta's Simplifares (not Simple Fares) out of CVG haven't been the sole driving force behind DAY's recent revert to declining passenger numbers. A combination of more prevalent factors have set DAY back in recent months, including a pullback by both AirTran and Delta in the Florida market from DAY, as well as cutbacks by both American and USAirways. I think what we're seeing now is a right-sizing of the market. My guess is that DAY will see another decline in '06 or remain stagnant at best. The next year will likely see an uptick in travel, by in large spurred by Dayton's two low-fare carriers, AirTran and Frontier, which both are forecasted to see healthy growth in the next year. Either way, kudos to Dayton's Air Service Development Team for keeping a keen eye on airport patronage. They realize that the environment in which they exists is cutthroat, with several nearby airports all vying for a greater share of the pie. I definitely think they are poised to see a resurgance in passengers number by next year at the latest.

Honda picks Indiana for new plant, source says Announcement to come Wednesday By Paul Wilson The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday, June 27, 2006 3:40 PM Honda has picked Indiana for its new auto assembly plant, a decision the automaker will announce tomorrow, according to an industry source. The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, was told by a Honda official that “all signs point” to the plant and its 1,500 jobs going to a site in Greensburg, Ind. ...

Carlyles Watch taking shape Monday, June 26, 2006 Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Downtown workers and frequent visitors to the city’s core have witnessed the speedy construction of the Carlyles Watch condominiums at 3rd and Gay streets. One reason for the briskness is the building’s bones. Ruscilli Construction is using a prefabricated steel product manufactured by Dietrich Metal Framing, a division of Worthington Industries, to build the eight-story, 54-unit condominium. The light-gauge steel is said to be easier to work with than structural steel. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/26/20060626-E6-00.html

Some discouraging news regarding the proposed residential projects at the Whittier Peninsila site: Whittier development uncertain With developers gone, city contemplates its options Monday, June 26, 2006 Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Columbus’ quest to build a neighborhood on the Whittier Peninsula might be an impossible dream. Three years ago, city officials envisioned up to 2,000 apartments, townhouses and condos for people with a variety of incomes. Whittier Metro Park, along with cafes and shops, would fill up half the peninsula; Audubon Ohio would operate a nature-education center there. Metro Parks is building the 80-acre park and wetlands, and Audubon Ohio is evaluating architects to design its 5-acre spread. However, the only two developers who had expressed interest in the project withdrew in May, saying city leaders might have been unrealistic about the cost of turning an industrial wasteland just south of Downtown into a neighborhood. That has left city officials to decide whether to look for other developers, go it alone or rethink the whole idea. The presidents of the two developers, Pizzuti Cos. of Columbus, and Leyland-Alliance of Tuxedo, N.Y., said Whittier faces a triple whammy: contaminated soil, uncompacted fill dirt and the Scioto River flood plain. "The cost to develop the ground as it stands now exceeds what a private developer can do on his own," said Joel Pizzuti, president of Pizzuti Cos., based at Miranova on the northern tip of Whittier. "I don’t believe Downtown can support another 1,500 to 2,000 high-end (residential) units. It’s not what the city wants, either. But that’s what it would take to cover the costs." Audubon will kick off a fundraising campaign for its center by early next year and plans to open it by late 2008. "Our project is not dependent on if there is a master developer or an adjoining neighborhood," he said. "Our business plan is based on an estimate of zero revenue from the peninsula itself." Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/26/20060626-B1-02.html

Suite hotel finally gets off ground Downtown Residence Inn construction starts after 18-month redesign delay Business First of Columbus - June 23, 2006 by Brian R. Ball Business First A North Carolina hotel developer and operator has begun the long-delayed conversion of the old Buckeye Federal Savings and Loan building in Columbus into a Residence Inn by Marriott. Concord Hospitality Enterprises Co. and development partner Lubert Adler Real Estate Funds of Philadelphia expect to open the 126-suite hotel at 36-42 E. Gay St. by mid- to late-summer 2007. Debra Adcock, Concord's vice president of operations in Ohio, said Columbus-based Ruscilli Construction Co. started the $23 million project June 19 after climbing development costs forced a redesign of the project over the last 18 months. The partnership earlier completed demolition and removed asbestos from the building. "The tough part is over," Adcock said. "Now we're into the fun." More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/06/23/newscolumn4.html