audidave

Project at METRO RTA to place solar on all their buildings it would appear.. I guess its hard to stop when you start. That's all nice, but hopefully they'll start getting really efficient by start using their trains. Anyhoo.. BIGGEST SOLAR ROOF IN OHIO!!! ---->>>>> METRO has completed a sunsational project at its main campus on Kenmore Boulevard in Akron. METRO is flipping the switch at 10 a.m. Thursday on their 2,080 rooftop solar panels -- the largest in Ohio. "We generate somewhere around 470,000 kilowatt hours of electricity during the year. It'll be a big savings to METRO," explains Executive Director Bob Pfaff. He estimates the savings will add up to between $60,000 and $100,000 a year. http://www.akronnewsnow.com/news/itemdetail.asp?ID=41688&section=news&subsection=localnews&title=VIDEO_Flipping_The_Switch_On_A_Sunsational_Pr

Correct. The republicans have framed the governor's race as a contest of ideas mainly revolving around the 3C. The reason Kasich will lose is because he decided to tie this issue around his neck. Otherwise, there are other issues he could've gone after Strickland on. I think Strickland has done a decent job overall considering all the political jockeying we have in this state. Could there be room for improvement? Certainly. But I won't even bother to look at Kasich and I'm sure there are many others based on this issue alone.

Akron Beacon is on board as is Vindicator. I would think the Dispatch should be on board. I'm sure the DDN is. I would mainly just wonder about the Cinci papers. 3C IS a jobs bill! Lots of steel will be used for upgrades of the track and building new locomotives. Many machine shops will receive work for this project either directly or indirectly. Automobiles are getting more and more away from using steel. By supporting this bill, it is hitting the sweet spot of the pool of un- and underemployed. I cannot think of a negative for the 3C. It gets more (bad, distracted, and/or sleepy) drivers off of I-71. Less constant traffic jams means less wear and tear on the road. Rail improvements help make Ohio more competitive for rail freight. A small on-going stipend of between $10-17 million a year to keep it going is a pittance compared to the rest of the State of Ohio budget. People who are unable to drive or do not have access to a car(or a car that can safely go long distances) are able to use this service. Seriously think how many people drive around with handicap stickers. You can probably quintuple that for the amount of people that are too young to drive, too severely disabled, or economically disadvantaged. The Repuplican argument never looks at that population which is obviously in the multiples of millions in Ohio alone. If they were doing their job, that alone should make this service worthwhile, let alone the obvious use of able bodied people with drivers licenses and insurance that might travel along that particular route. One last comment, rail is how the cities of Ohio grew. If a comparison of growth rates of the cities of Ohio are compared to the growth of service in rail from 1900 to 1960 it is quite evident that passenger rail helps cities grow. Once highways became the norm, sprawl happened since train depots were not important to live near and obviously the cheaper land and taxes. These days distance to an airport is far more of a consideration where one lives. I truly believe that 3C will kickstart billions in investment in the downtowns of all the cities involved.

I see the primary benefit for Columbus area residents. They will have the most to gain since they have three close destinations via rail to choose from. It would be silly for them not to be supportive of 3C. Transit should be getting set up for handling 200-400 people that hop off a train. But also 200-400 that hop on the train in Columbus. That is the major benefit of buses so that when a major change happens in a downtown they can shift routes. I think this is going to create major dynamics change in downtown Columbus which will improve the transit options. Plus there are people that actually have their destinations as downtown or OSU. I don't see this being a big deal. I would expect some free shuttles from various institutions and even hotels.

I took the initial speed guesstimate of 39mph as a worst case scenario. They didn't want to over-promise on a hazy vision of the system. I think this updated speed is more likely a best case estimate of what can be done. It seems pretty realistic. There isn't any sinister political group that is trying to juice up the speeds for political gains. All the time there are freight trains flying by at those speeds why not a passenger train? I really doubt the party of "no" will change their positions.

It is pretty fairly clean since there isn't a huge amount of area to downtown. The main bulk of downtown business and government district is maybe 20-25 blocks. The big rubber companies did not have much of a downtown presence except for BF Goodrich on the southern end which now has Gojo in their hq

The building is complete now. They are still working on lining up retail tenants. Further down the block in the same complex they have a Brubakers Pub, a soon to open Nervous Dog coffee shop, and a Jimmy Johns Sub shop. It looks like they can add around 4 or so more retail/restaurant establishments on the ground floor. I'm not sure what would go well in the marquee corner. Perhaps a high end restaurant to consolidate the great choices available in that corner with House of Hunan next door, Bricco(Italian) and Cilantro(Thai) across the street. Lord knows a sandwich shop is not needed with at least 5 available within a block any direction.

Thats AWESOME!! :clap: :clap: :clap: Guess we know who the clowns are now..

Another factor in why a 3C wasn't a huge priority previously in the century is Columbus wasn't as large or important of a city compared to Cinci and Cleveland. Its only been the last 30-40 years where it has caught up in size with the other 2. By that time, the ODOT mantra was roads, roads, roads. Adding to Dmerkow's thoughts, I think that this should be a huge selling point in Columbus since they aren't concerned about the length of an end to end trip. They are the beneficiaries of a choice whether to go to Cinci, Dayton, or Cleveland for a weekend or a day trip.

There is another major factor beyond just job training programs. Location of jobs. The complexity and specialty of jobs has grown quite significantly over the years. As such, very specialized type of jobs are available in a variety of places that the job seekers are not. That means that the population must be more mobile and willing to travel or move to where the new job is, whether it is across the state or out of state in California or wherever. If one is not prepared to move right away for a new job, that job can be lost. I feel this is a significant percentage of the unemployment. It is systemic and job training programs will not ever solve the problem of location. The governor has the best way of creating jobs through infrastructure improvements to improve shipping for industry and agriculture and tax policy changes as well as easing of other regulations. I do not see a mass exodus of companies leaving Ohio because of harsh tax policies. Last point is this is going to be an ugly 60 day period because the corporations will be getting involved in politics with commercials likely for the republicans so that the republicans win the re-apportionment board and put the republican stamp on Ohio again for another 10 years.

^^Also, Akron isn't really on any realistic statewide plan for a rail line for the next 10 years. The issue is now a political football using the traditional break of northern Democrats vs southern Republicans of Cinci. I feel it is always distrusted that if the Democrats are for something then it is a kneeJERK reaction of the Kasich and friends to be naturally against it. Since this is seen as a pet project of Strickland's even more the reason. I would be willing to listen to Kasich if he was for the project and wasn't playing political games.

Not that this is the right thread for this, but I hate hypocritical politicians that are vehemently opposed to something to use it as a political ploy. Like Kasich has a better, more productive plan/idea of what multi-modal in Ohio would look like. Slimey. :shoot:

The Carnegie Mellon smartypants probably will want to have some part to play in this. Perhaps make this a testbed for high speed rail for going up mountains since they are looking at that in Colorado alongside I-70. Maybe overhead rails to be placed alongside highways in some kind of electric or pulse type system.. This could go along I-76 and head to Akron before heading up to Cleveland Hopkins. Certainly this would be far cheaper than a maglev.

I thought that the AP article was a lot more professionally written. The Dispatch reporter didn't seem to add anything to the article stating a lot of very obvious things. I would think the average reader in Columbus is aware of the Rickenbacker terminal. Since it has expanded quite a bit it would be pretty hard to get back to capacity again. By the strong announcements of other railroads doing quite well, I would be surprised if they are "down significantly' still. If she was putting a local spin on it she didn't flesh out the other nearby cities the freight is coming from or going to as part of this project or how the project is being added onto going to Cinci. If she was going for the bigger picture overview, she didn't mention the importance of the panama canal project as to how this will become more important in the next few years. As far as the hyperbole of the "single biggest railroad engineering project in modern history" I would think that the National Gateway project is bigger.

^^^I'm a little more positive. I see it as taking the cream of the scum, if you will, off the top. The people on the lower rungs will learn not to be as slimy. A new county government with a central executive will be on the hot seat and will not be so easy to pass the buck. I see a new regionalism taking place more so with the Summit County executive than anyone else since the counties alone share the same structure more or less. I would think sewer district, water district, park systems, bordering fire and police districts, school districts, and more could be possible negotiation points. I feel a 3 commissioner system is fine for rural counties of Ohio but counties that have medium-sized cities or larger really should move to a strong executive system so they are not run by Moe, Larry Curly/Shemp..

Since you're coming down to Akron area anyways, I'll recommend Babushka's kitchen in Northfield Center near Macedonia on olde 8. Pretty good big pierogies among other dishes like Chicken Paprikash and various sausages dishes.

I immediately thought of Stonebridge. Aren't there places in that range there? Also on that same kind of loft idea, she could look at the Akron lofts at www.northsidelofts.com. Benefits of Akron would be its not in the primary snowbelt also it is maybe a half hour closer to Columbus.

1. Angel Falls in Highland Square you will likely love. Nervous Dog is a quickly growing new Akron chain that started in Wallhaven by Highland Square. There's Pearl Coffee roasters just south of downtown. Not sure if they brew any coffee there. Another local roaster is KC coffee. Here's where that can be found: http://kccoffeeco.com/kccoffeeco/default.aspx?i=14 Pretty phenomenal coffee. Oh, and Mocha Maiden too.. 2.Lots of restaurants in Akron. Crave prob has the best website. www.eatdrinkcrave.com. Lockview downtown will not disappoint with the assortment of grilled cheese sandwiches and their amazing macaroni bites. Cilantros just opened under the former manager from Thai 9. Briccos is worth a look next door. A new lunch place called Stew Pot focuses on inexpensive soups/stews/chilis. In Highland Sq. Aladdins is popular as is Mary Coyle/Trecasos which combines Italian food in an ice cream parlor.. 3. Musica is probably the main venue with music almost nightly. To me, its fairly hit/miss mainly miss since its more of an emo/christian touring acts/acoustic indie stuff. Lockview occasionally has music upstairs on their patio. Northside has a variety of music mainly with blues and jazz. Annabells constantly has indie music upstairs and punk/metal/indie downstairs. Lounge has bands also at times in their "backstage" with their KISS touring sound system. Blossom has the big touring acts. Check out a local monthly paper called Buzzbin for shows. 4. Highland Square is the main funky neighborhood. There are definitely other little neighborhoods that don't get the attention in Firestone Park, Ellet, Goodyear Heights and I'm sure a few other's I'm missing. West Akron area is like Oakwood but it's part of Akron. Don't miss Stan Hywet mansion and gardens there. Definitely take a trip on the CVSR ($2 each way with a bike) to see the Cuyahoga Valley maybe stop in Peninsula to take in the shops there and the best of the Winking Lizards. Rent a bike there to bike down to the Beaver Marsh and Szalay's market or up to Boston Mills or Brandywine to see the various waterfalls nearby. 5.I don't think Akron has much urban ag since Akron doesn't have much urban. Definitely there are farmers markets but I believe they are mainly on weekends. Might be one at Lock 3 on Fridays. As far as local food perhaps Swensons in Wallhaven for their burgers. WestPoint Market is like an even better Dorothy Lane. Acme #1 a block away is like a giant Dorothy Lane. I just added in the Akron area restaurant forum a sweet list the Beacon Journal did on the various types of markets available in Akron. Peanut Shoppe by Lockview is a classic store for roasted nuts. Stricklands custard shop by the Akron Fulton airport by the Goodyear Airdock is a classic stop to watch planes take off.

Not quite restaurants but food markets.. Excellent list and story of the diversity and strength of the amazing variety of markets in Akron. Ethnic bounty at Akron shops Specialty markets sell tastes of other continents, cultures to a more diverse population By Lisa Abraham Beacon Journal food writer http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/101457319.html You'd be surprised what you can find to eat in Akron if you know where to look. The area has a wealth of ethnic and specialty markets selling ingredients imported from throughout the world — Mexico, India, Korea, Greece, Serbia, Peru. There are virtually no ethnic foods that can't be found in the Akron area, and so no need to shy away from trying authentic recipes. Exotic spices, tropical fruits, unique cuts of meat are all here, thanks to the area's diverse ethnic population, which has been growing and changing for more than 150 years. When the Beacon Journal last compiled a list of ethnic markets eight years ago, there were no Hispanic or Latin American markets in the city. Shoppers had to resort to small international sections at grocery stores for their finds or head to Cleveland for items like ancho chili peppers or corn husks for tamales. What a difference eight years have made.

Shock, Akron doesn't have big city attractions. OK, no reason to go visit there then. Akronites, I believe are totally ok with that. Cleveland doesn't have the Louvre either. Pretty sure Clevelanders are ok with that. I guess it comes down to what would Clevelanders expect to get out of a mid-sized Ohio city experience. To me what can be experienced is more in the soft attractions, the livability. Chill, friendly environment, ease of access, low threat of making a wrong turn down an unknown road, close to the CVNP to the north and the Portage Lakes to the south, a variety of scenes- zip strip, highland square, the valley, downtown, portage lakes, and a few others. Like others have said there are the basics with museums, zoo, and a large arts community. The towpath goes right through downtown. The CVSR does as well. We have lower taxes than Cuyahoga county. Probably most prices are lower.. I have a friend that goes to Miami frequently and loves coming back to the bars in Akron because he's spending 1/3 the prices on drinks he was paying in Miami. I'm not saying its a reason to visit Akron because of $3 long island ice tea nights.. Maybe it would be the $3 steak nights... I think people are relatively underwhelmed when they visit downtown because Akron is so spread out with Goodyear way to the east and Firestone/Bridgestone way to the south. Many people I've talked to that have visited Akron from Cleveland have only been to the west side or Montrose area. So in all actuality the great divide is right through the middle of Akron. All the water on the north side flows north through the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic and from the Portage Lakes south flows to the Tuscarawas and the Gulf of Mexico.

^^ Well Akron i seeking $55mil for an update on I-76, I'm guessing, which is a 50+yr old piece of highway. Also the Plum Brook facility is looking for $60 mil which isn't too far from Cleveland..

Eh, no animus. A divide? Not really. I live in the in-between and I find myself more often than not in Akron. There maybe something of the sort of the East/West rift in Cleveland. For me, I take advantage of my geography and get around to go to the great restaurants and bars of the region and seeing the great bands that are available whether they are in Summit or Cuyahoga county. Its good to be able to live close to a bigger city for more options to do things than are available in the Akron area. There are a lot of options. That said.. If I lived equi-distant to Pittsburgh and Cleveland. I would probably be in Pittsburgh a whole lot more.. :laugh:

Just looked at Google map to find an area big enough to put a 10k seat arena and there really aren't very many good spots available. I would think a requirement would be a very easy walk from campus. a.) Quaker Square parking lot across Mill St. b.) Approximately the original poster's location going across Maiden Lane from Club Vertigo to Spring St. which saves the Kaiser building(pita pit).. A walkway could be connected to the Polsky deck. There was a comment in the Beacon on Saturday about the fact that EJ Thomas may be near the end of its useful life with potentially many upcoming crippling expenses. In 5 years or so that might be the next best logical location. Not sure if much of that could be re-used to create an arena.. I guess the upside is that downtown Akron has passed the point where no large tracts of land exist or can easily be pieced together to be developed. The only other area that would work, although I think its further from campus than they would like, is if they took out Spaghetti warehouse with their massive parking lot. Sorry, no Arena districts in Akron's future although option b would be pretty close...

To me it seems a little curious and confusing. It should definitely not be a terminus. However it makes a highly logical stop especially near where the new hq will go. Also is it assumed that the train will go directly from Hudson to Goodyear? You make it sound like an Akron station is en route. Actually I guess they would have their choice of downtown Akron stations to use coming from Hudson. To me the obvious one to use would be the Northside since its currently seeing much usage. However Metro RTA might feel they want to start making their new multi-modal station really multi-modal by actually seeing a train stop there. So they are thinking to roll in from Hudson and stop in Akron then run in reverse to Goodyear? Or are they looking to go straight back and forth to Hudson from Goodyear? It would seem like a DMU would be the likely type of train for this. Certainly the most important piece for Metro to set up would be having a stop at the CAK airport. Do you know if Hudson is being planned for because of the potential of it being a stop on the Cleveland to Pittsburgh route?

The Starbucks is going into the other University owned Exchange street dorms up the street.