JDD941

and when I looked in there...I thought they were building structures that resembled cars!!

LAKEWOOD/EDGEWATER PARK AREA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) just had to stir it up

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: I wouldn't move tomorrow if there were no appeal nor would MANY of my coworkers...but I am glad to have a choice for the future for what I want to do as an individual. I am not even going to argue the point with most people on here who do NOT understand my point because they are NOT in my shoes. I am just glad to have my personal freedom upheld in this court.

I cannot attend the meeting tomorrow, but I really wish I could. One big question I would love to ask (and maybe one of you who might be there would for me?) is why does ODOT have to take so many buildings adjacent to the project? Instead of building the typical ODOT highway, using more space than needed, leaving long swooping grass landscapes that nobody can, use except for littering and extra cost to maintain...why don't they use a true trench through that area, build retaining walls, have the exits and access roads directly adjacent to the trench(without leaving acres of unusable grass) in order to save space for the buildings that already exist. Michigan 696 is a great example of a newer highway system that connects the Northern area of Metro Detroit that did this type of construction. Hell, while we are at it, why not suggest putting a cap over areas of a properly built trench in order to actually take land back? I wish I could pose these questions...I hope if one of you are there, you would pose these for me (if you think they are decent questions that is) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_696 the part that ODOT should read in this article: The portion of I-696 located between the Mixing Bowl and I-75 is known for its extensive use of retaining walls, and three large landscaped caps over the road

I am no architect, but you would think that they could build something INTO the hillside...not just at the top. Sort of like a San Fransisco type thing.....

^ and I think that little space on the corner would make a GREAT surface parking lot! :drunk:

^ Send these to Joe C. and tell him to loop them..watch until it hits him..rail is GOOD!

^^^ I have to agree...up here in Cleveland "white" friends are astounded that I would use the train for a mode of transportation.....and when I say that I actually use the bus...they really flip. Unfortunately many people label the public transit as for lower income people only, and people not able to afford a car. The 55 bus up here is a direct shot (5 minutes) from downtown to where I live (great for Browns games)...after one game I was returning home and while getting on the bus I heard on girl tell her friend that she "couldn't believe" that she was actually on a bus and they should have taken a cab. Unfortunately that attitude seems to transcend to other major cities in Ohio. We are lucky enough to have a train system here and people still act as if it is a social scorn to ride it. Too bad people don't travel more to cities where it "makes sense" to use public transit....

^ see my post ealier on this page...(7th down)

I never understand why ODOT plans highways with all the "land parcels" that are between highways, ramps, and access roads? why not put retaining walls up and keep everything closer together? You get more usable land in the long run, and less land to maintain (cutting grass, trash pickup) Odot should look at rt 696 North of Detroit....it connects all the burbs and runs right to 75. It was done trench style, but it is a true trench. The exit ramps run right next to the trench and the access road runs right along retaining walls. No grass and maximum use of surface land. Odot seems to like to tear all buildings down, build a park...then pave a nice super highway through it! Look at all the wasted land on 71(especially that cluster f*ck of an exit on W65th), 77, and 90. But hey, thats the way they have always done it, so why have vision and change now? Freakin tards!

^ I haven't yet....

I am not against doing SOMETHING...but the plans that they displayed at the meeting were completely ridiculous. It stretched from West Blvd to the Lake/Clifton intersection....and from what I saw...it didn nothing to help traffic. it isn't a matter of being a "NIMBY"...it is a matter of doing something that makes sense. In fact the plans didn't even address new construction...it said it would add 9 acres to the park.

http://governor.ohio.gov/ then go to constituent affairs...

^ AND..the corner ally is having an ANTI V-day bash...you know I'll be there!!

I actually JUST went to the Strickland website and posted MY concerns about alternative transportation (and of course pimped out Urbanohio)...it will be interesting to see if I get any sort of response.

I was at the meeting last night for a brief time (had to get back to the fire station) and I must say, after looking at all the proposals that were displayed, Westbrooks is the only one that made any sense. Every plan that ODOT had on display looked as if it would make that area more of a clusterf*%K than it needed to be. It just seemed as if the "improvements" would only make that area more dangerous for pedestrians and not really do anything except waste taxpayers money. The short time I WAS there though, I did manage to ruffle the feathers of a few ODOTians. I was one of the early ones there, so it was obvious that I was looking at each proposal before the presentation. I was approached by a few people from ODOT and was asked which one I thought was best. I LOVED watching the dismay when I answered they are ALL bad! When asked why I came to this opinion, I stated that ODOT, RTA, and the city are really dropping the ball on this project by not including an alternative in the plan. I went on to say that it seems EVERY plan that comes out to the public is ALWAYS an autocentric one. If traffic reduction is a concern, what better way to reduce it than to reduce the numbers of cars using it. (again..a puzzled look) Stating that the Clifton corridor has MANY downtown employees living within a few blocks, and that Clifton once did, and still can ac comadate rail lines, why wasn't this part of the plan? It would promote mass transit (in an area that people actually live and is highly visible...unlike the WFL and Red line), reduce the number of cars using the corridor, and relieve parking needs downtown as well. Here are the answers I received in response..... 1) People won't ride trains...there is already enough problems getting people to use the BUS! my response: because busses can be cramped during rush hour and unlike trains...a bus is STILL in the same traffic that you are trying to relieve. 2)Rail lines are very expensive to initiate ME: maybe Ohio should look to Portland, St Louis, and Pittsburgh to see how they are funding their efforts 3) There may be plans for BRT in the future ME: isn't that still a bus...that still waits in traffic? 4) Finally, Westbrook overheard my concerns and stated that there is talk of a commuter rail line but that it would be WAY down the road. I asked if he was referring to the Lorain/Cleveland line...(he seemed almost shocked that I knew of it) He asked if I needed any web links to read up on it, I thanked him and politely said yes, but I also said there is PLENTY of info on a site that I have been reading for some time called Urbanohio.com He was like hmmmmm....never heard of that one. Just about that time I threw up in my mouth and decided I had better return to the station. My efforts were like trying to explain trigonometry to my brothers third grade class. How sad!

In Cleveland it would have to be the Free Times or Scene (wish we had the Onion on a regular basis!)....The Plain Dealer pretty much sucks! :)

^ As does Medina....

I have a feeling that the media is pointing out N.O. because of the alarming murder rate with approx half of the population no longer in the city. I hope the trend of murder rates don't continue to climb in our city.

PeeDee Wednesday, January 17, 2007 The Plain Dealer Police questioning three suspects in rec center shootings 3:32 p.m. Cleveland -- Two young men shot last night outside the Fairfax Recreation Center are recovering and police are questioning at least three suspects in what may have been the city's latest gang-related violence, police said. Timothy Willis, 22, of East 83rd Street was shot twice in the chest and twice in the abdomen. He remains at MetroHealth Medical Center. ... — Donna J. Miller www.cleveland.com

Sounded like the script from "Breakfast Club"!

from the peedee Firefighters get new heat protection gear 5:28 p.m. Cleveland firefighters are jumping into new $1.1 million pants and coats. The city has replaced turn-out gear that was up to 12 years old, Chief Paul Stubbs said. The new black clothes withstand flash temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees, which meets National Fire Protection Act standards set in August. The old gear fell several hundred degrees short of that mark, spokesman Larry Gray said. --Donna Miller,

From the peedee : Stabbing victim identified The Plain Dealer posted 10:54 a.m. updated 3:42 p.m. Bernard Robinson, 47, was stabbed to death this morning in an apartment in the 2600 block of Grand Avenue. A roommate found his body in a bedroom at about 6:45 a.m., Sgt. Daniel Fay said. ... -- Donna J. Miller www.cleveland.com

Not quite sure what field you work in, but I work for CFD...and let me tell you, those helicopters are worth their weight in gold! They can reduce the need for high speed chases, they light up crime scenes at night, they have heat detecting cameras to find the bad guy(or even someone lost), and they have even helped us light up emergency scenes at night...trust me..they are worth every penny! I disagree....it ALL starts at home..plain and simple. You can keep putting ointment on you fingers when you burn them...or you can go to the root of the problem and quit touching the stove. IMO I happened to be at the double shooting on Harvard the other night...sad scene..what a waste to have to solve your problems with a gun

Can't wait til next year..... :roll: