Brewmaster

She asked about snowfall in Columbus. I used Cleveland as a point of reference since most people know that they get alot. I'm sorry that wasn't clear enough for you.

I think High and Front/Neil have to be the main corridors for the North/South loop. Whittier can create the southernmost stop, and Lane Ave. can bound things at the north. Front dead-ends at Buttles, so the streetcar can make a turn at Goodale Park to Neil, and serve Victorian Village on it's way to OSU. By my rough estimations, that's about an 8-9 mile loop. The east/west line are much easier as you said. Just connect the Conservatory with Mt. Carmel. I'm not really even sure that we need this one initially, and could probably be built after the north/south line is proven to be a huge sucess. This would be about a 6 mile loop. Grandview has to be the odd man out here. It just doesn't make sense to build something all the way out there unless it's a seperate line.

Great read... These two paragraphs were so good that I wanted to post them again...

Columbus gets snow, but not as much as Cleveland. It's almost a different climate down here than it is two hours north. We're out of range of the lake-effect snow and only end up with a few inches each year. As far as the temps, I'd say that we hit single-digits for about 1 week every year.

Thanks for the update Noozer! What was the outcome of the "routing exercise" on the agenda? I've got to say, I'm a much bigger fan of Portland's modern streetcars than the antique looking ones. They'd be much more fitting for "America's 21st Century City". :roll:

^ LMAO! I was thinking the same thing! And I think that answers part of KJP's question!

As much as I dislike some of Blackwell's beliefs, this is the reason I'll be voting for him. His estimates are in the $4-6 billion range.

Wow! It's refreshing to read an article that actually makes the connection! I'm getting tired of reading stories about people complaining and asking the government to do something about it. Elected officials can only do so much about the commodities markets. They also avoid preaching about conservation and lifestyle changes at all costs because that doesn't win elections. It would get my vote though!

http://www.forbes.com/home/businessinthebeltway/2006/05/01/oil-energy-production-cx_jh_0501energy.html Oil Companies Won't Fish Jessical Holzer 05.01.06, 6:46 AM ET With the price of crude well above $70 a barrel, the oil companies have all the incentive they need to scour the world for new reserves and ramp up more costly production of unconventional oil. The notion that Big Oil is constraining supply in order to reap outsized profits is the stuff of conspiracy theory: Private oil companies have no more control over the world price of oil than motorists. So it is puzzling to many industry analysts that instead of using these profits to develop new sources of supply, they prefer to lavish them on their shareholders in the form of higher dividends and buy back stock. The industry protests that it has poured $106 billion into new production already this year. But though that may sound like a lot, it isn't even enough to replace the depletion of current oil fields as well as cover the wear and tear on equipment and machinery.

At least someone in the government has it right... Sunday, April 30, 2006; Posted: 12:59 p.m. EDT (16:59 GMT) Energy chief: High gas prices could last 3 years WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Acknowledging the energy situation is a "crisis," U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said Sunday it could take three years before drivers get relief from high gas prices. Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Bodman blamed the increase in gas prices on the rising cost of a barrel of oil. "The suppliers have lost control of the market and therefore, demand exceeds supply," Bodman said. ... More at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/30/bodman.gasprices/index.html

I drove by The Heights the other day and it's beautiful. I don't know if it's "starting at $299,000" beautiful though. It's nice to see Grandview getting it's density up. It really has the potential to be one of the premiere burbs of Columbus. I can definitely see myself moving there after I move on from Downtown.

It sounds like Blackwell would just like to study it, and may build something if federal legislation is set up to pay for it. Strickland may want it built regardless of federal legislation. For those closer to the politics...is that an accurate statement?

^ I always hear Goose in my ear saying, "We got caught in his jetwash. We're in a flat spin. We need to EJECT!"

There aren't any shots of the goofy busses that shuttle people around the runways there. For some reason, they never cease to scare the hell out of me. I guess I just don't like to be driving on the same road as vehicles with two jet engines.

^ Agreed. That purple thing is a mess.

I'm a big fan of Peninsula. I like the fact that you can ride your bike to it, grab a bite, see some history along the canal, and ride home.

The big strike against Columbus is that it can sprawl in 360°. Cleveland only has 180° to sprawl and Cincy has the hills and Kentucky to deal with. Just think about the equation for calculating area...A=pi*r^2. That's how a 12" pizza is more than twice as large as an 8" pizza.

I wonder if this would have to be a heated roof. I'd hate to design a flat, glass roof that could also support a few feet of snow. Sounds pricey...and maybe impossible!

^ I believe that this is why the city decided to go with the current ballpark site rather than the one in RiverSouth. It'll provide a nice year-round balance for restaurnats and entertainment.

I found this very interesting. Sounds like Hilliard is really feeling the affects of sprawl on thier services! Hopefully this will be a trend among suburbs who realize that sprawl=unsustainable. I think it may take decades, but things will self-correct eventually. This is proof.

Glad to see things are still moving along at Broad and High. The NBC4 turmoil and lack of activity behind the vinyl signage got me a little nervous, but it seems to be a non-issue. It's too bad that the state office tower never happened.

I'm also getting tired of the "woe is me" approach that the media is using to victimize poor, helpless citizens who CHOOSE to drive SUVs and live in the exurbs. As an American Citizen you don't have a RIGHT to cheap fuel! Welcome to capitalism and the global marketplace...it's what this country was built on! And great letter Noozer! Very well said.

They've actually removed about 15 feet of that building to make the empty lot larger for the tower. If you squint hard, you can see it in the picture. Note the black lines (interior floors) instead of a solid outer wall.

I think there's some confusion over the mid-rise Nationwide office tower across the tracks from AEP, and the North Bank Condo Tower (also a Nationwide project). You can see the warehouse demolition for the North Bank Tower, but the mid-rise office tower is not in this picture (although it's well under way).

That reminds me! This is from the Audubon Ohio website... http://www.audubon.org/states/oh/oh/centers/architectselection.html