KJP

I agree 100 percent! If the convention center and medical mart are built at the Tower City site, we will have: > a vacant, former convention center > a very underutilized Public Hall > a continued disconnect between the lakefront and downtown > a very underutilized Cleveland Browns Stadium Plus: > a Cuyahoga County Administration building that's soon to become vacant > and a Public Square in need of redesign Anyone in the city's leadership see how all these line up -- including leading right toward Tower City Center? ? ? This is where Corporate Cleveland seems to have sacrificed reason, sound urban planning and community benefit for the gain of a few. I realize that's how this country is going, but is that how this city has to go? Sad thing is, is Forest City really hurt by expanding the existing convention center, linked to Tower City via attractive all-weather pedestrian linkages? Add vision to the things sacrificed in this process.

And running below street level, as the proposed routing I've seen would have it use the former Erie-Lackawanna RR right of way. That railroad ran north to the erstwhile ore docks on the old river channel. The docks had Hulett unloaders too, and were located next to the Garrett Morgan water intake plant. I'd like to see the Flats Intermodal Connector be built for trucks and trains, with rails in the pavement, to provide a freight route to the new port island.

Excellent article. I posted another article earlier this year about a new refinery proposed to be build near Yuma Arizona which has received its environmental approvals to start construction. The refinery is to receive oil from Mexico. However, construction is not certain because the refinery could not get a commitment from Pemex that it would receive oil.

Since the election campaigns of Jackson and Hagan were funded heavily by Forest City, guess where their convention center conversations will be steered. And, who is going to negotiate a tentative deal with Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. for the existing convention center? No one is in a position to do so. However, Forest City is able to do so for their own properties around Tower City. If the casino gambling issue passes this fall, then they will be one step closer to a funding source for building the convention center. As noted in the Crain's article.... Both Mr. Dimora and Mr. Hagan say no decision will be made until the end of the year about how to pursue a new convention center. Once the dust has settled from the November election, they will have a better idea of how to move forward.

I thought the Cuyahoga River Valley Intermodal Connector study and Quigley Road Connector were addressing all of this. I was going to suggest that's probably what's going to be needed for moving the truck traffic remaining in the Flats as the West Bank project proceeds. And, Corna mentioned to me that the aggregates businesses can literally be located anywhere along a waterfront, though the port island is probably the best place for it. And, nice to see Crain's has finally caught up to this story! :wink:

Columns like this are irrelevant in the absence of a transportation free market. Get rid of all the subsidies to all modes of transportation, to their supportive land uses and to the fuels they use, then we can see what people actually can afford and prefer to use. The widespread scale with which we subsidize car use is simply not understood (or even considered) by all but a few researchers who cannot convey that scale in a matter of a sound bite or two. For most of us, we cannot see all the things around us that encourage driving at the expense of alternatives, including sound land use planning. In that regard, we're like fish who don't contemplate the water. Until we have a transportation free market, such contentions like those in this column are impossible say are true or false. The presence of such massive government interference into reducing the costs of driving (subsidizing oil consumption, having governments serve as "bankers" by holding capital investment trust funds for highways, local governments requiring a minimum number of parking spaces at businesses, the widespread practice of free or underpriced parking, huge subsidies for massive storm sewer projects that benefit auto-dependent sprawl, etc etc). Perhaps if we better understood these costs and had motorists pay them, I suspect many of us wouldn't be living in sprawlville, driving our cars, or have to subsidize transit anymore. I say, privitize everything transportation related, then let the chips fall where they may. And this Globe & Mail columnist can say what the free market is really telling us.

Buckeye Central school board picks design for new building Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune, 7/18/06 The Buckeye Central Board of Education voted Thursday night to base design for the proposed new campus on a building of roughly 133,000 square feet. This means 22,551 square feet would be a locally funded initiative, beyond the size covered through an Ohio School Facilities Commission 80-percent construction assistance program. The additional space would allow for a larger gymnasium, shared common area and administrative requirements. The district also would be responsible for 20 percent of the cost of the first 110,449 square feet of a new building. The building is estimated to cost $19 million, and the overall number would be about $21 million including demolition of the existing structures. The state also provides assistance toward demolition costs. The project would hinge on voter approval of a bond initiative planned for November, meaning the board would need to decide ballot language by Aug. 24.

Ah, yes, Giordano's! I still have the stretch marks from trying to finish one of their pizzas back in '97. Alas, I could not, and was ashamed to take home leftovers and a bulging tummy.

"cool" pics!

You mean there's another way to play music? :wink: Oh yeah ... 8-track!! :banger:

When I go to Chicago, I often prefer to visit the neighborhoods, which are always a treat. Based on what I see in those pics, you were NOT cheated by not going downtown! I'd never been in the neighborhood you stomped around in, but I recall seeing it when riding the Blue Line. Now I see I have to rectify that oversight! BTW, some of my favorite neighborhoods are along the section of the El shared by the Red and Brown lines (and Purple Line!) not far from where you were. That area is similar to Lakewood, but instead of the homes being made of wood, they're all brick. I seem to recall that has something to do with city building codes enacted after a little blaze in 1871....

If you'd like to see something fascinating (at least I think it is), The Guardian newspaper has a special section on the $8.2 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link project (see below). This all-new rail line, only 68 miles long, costs that much because 16 miles of it is in tunnels, including its entrance into London. That entrance is scheduled to open next year (half the UK route is already open, closer to the Channel), replacing 90 mph operation over existing tracks with 190 mph service over the new line. That will cut nearly an hour off the trip from London to Paris, to 2 hours 15 minutes, and put Brussels within 2 hours flat of central London! Here is the link to the special section in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/ctrl/0,,1464378,00.html

OK, here's one..... http://www.engineerlive.com/rail-international/2221/a-new-crossroads-for-europes-railways-after-eu-expansion.thtml Rail Industry International July 22, 2006 A new crossroads for Europe's railways after EU expansion Earlier this year, the hub of Europe's railway network moved well to the east as 10 countries, formerly part of the Soviet Union, accessed to the European Union. The countries are Cyprus, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Slovenia. This near-doubling in size of the EU is matched by its plans to improve railways throughout Europe led by 10 so-called Helsinki Corridors, intermodal road and rail links that will provide fast and reliable passenger and freight transport throughout the region with links eastward to Asia. More at link above:

P99, that's a key issue in the regional rail project I'm pushing for the Cleveland - Lorain corridor. One of the most compelling statistics in my latest PowerPoint presentation ( http://members.cox.net/kjprendergast/West%20Shore%20Corridor.pdf - 190k) is that only 8-15 percent of all jobs in the Cleveland-Lorain-Akron metro area are accessible within a 40-minute trip via public transportation. Even if we improve inner-city schools, an educated person lacking a car sits untapped when our ongoing changes in land use keep pushing the jobs farther away from the jobs seekers. But I digress from the fuel price discussion. Go visit the Cleveland-Lorain commuter rail thread in the transportation section if you care to chime in.

From Illinois..... ______________________ OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR NEWS ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH - GOVERNOR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS: July 21, 2006 Abby Ottenhoff 312/814.3158 Rebecca Rausch 217/782.7355 Gerardo Cardenas 312/814.3158 Matt Vanover 217/558.0517(IDOT) Marc Magliari 312/880.5390(Amtrak) Governor Blagojevich announces nearly 1 million passengers take state-sponsored trains during record setting FY 2006 Partnership with Amtrak increases ridership by 11 percent; All routes post gains as gasoline prices climb SPRINGFIELD - Governor Rod R. Blagojevich announced today that a record number of passengers took Amtrak trains under contract with the Illinois Department of Transportation in Fiscal Year 2006. In total, 955,529 passengers rode state-sponsored trains, up more than 11 percent from last year and for a second year in a row all state-sponsored routes set ridership records. "Amtrak is an important part of our transportation system, providing an affordable travel option to Illinois families, seniors on fixed incomes, students and members of our armed forces," said Gov. Blagojevich. "The people of Illinois want and use passenger rail service, that's why we fought in Washington to maintain Amtrak's federal funding, and that's why we doubled Illinois' commitment to ensuring we have regular passenger rail service." In Fiscal Year 2006, IDOT paid $12.1 million to Amtrak to ensure regular rail service in Illinois, which included one round trip daily on both the Chicago- Carbondale, Chicago-Quincy and Chicago-St. Louis lines, as well as 7 round trips between Chicago and Milwaukee, which Illinois and Wisconsin provide in partnership. "Here in Illinois we continue to see growth in passenger rail as gas prices hover near the $3 dollar mark. In many communities it's the only public transportation available, and for families and really anyone, it makes financial sense to ride the rails and not have to worry about gas and parking," IDOT Secretary Timothy W. Martin said. "This is further proof that passenger rail is a vital part of our transportation system, and one of the reasons Governor Blagojevich and lawmakers voted to increase Amtrak service, starting later this year." Governor Blagojevich and lawmakers provided $24 million under the Fiscal Year 2007 budget to increase frequencies and to pay a greater share of the Milwaukee to Chicago trains. The State's goal is to have one additional train on the Quincy and Carbondale lines and two additional trains on the Chicago to St. Louis line, pending contract negotiations with Amtrak. The new service is expected to begin this fall and schedules will be announced within the next several weeks. "We feel that these record setting passenger numbers give us momentum as we plan for the new service starting this fall," said Don Saunders, Amtrak Central Division General Superintendent. "We believe these ridership gains demonstrate we are providing quality customer service with comfortable, reliable and affordable trains." All state-sponsored trains posted record levels of ridership. The Chicago- Carbondale train (Illini) posted a 9.8 percent increase to 134,531, Chicago-St. Louis (State House) was up by 9.2 to 133,036 and Chicago-Quincy (Illinois Zephyr) rose 4.6 percent to 118,502 passengers in figures calculated by IDOT for the period of July 2005 through June 2006. Figures only include the IDOT- supported trains on those routes. The Chicago-Milwaukee service, or the Hiawathas, had an increase to total 569,460 passengers, up by 13.2 percent from last year's 494,075. The Hiawathas, run by Amtrak, are sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and IDOT. IDOT and Amtrak jointly sponsor regular meetings with community coalitions that work to market and otherwise support the downstate services. For more information about the Illini, State House, Illinois Zephyr, the Hiawatha Service or other Amtrak services, call 800-USA-RAIL or visit the www.amtrak.com website. --30--

And write corrections that the bricks weren't red, but crimson with a touch of burnt sienna.

:laugh:! That's damn funny, but you're not selling me on making the trip, Rob!

She starts in early August and will work on infrastructure and development planning.

But I do wonder what the ppm for busses was in those cities prior to light rail...do you have any idea on that, KJP? I don't know data for various cities' transit systems, and routes within those systems, but when St. Louis started its light-rail system in 1993, overall bus ridership went up. And, the light-rail ridership vastly exceed projections.

Megan Owens, Executive Director of Detroit’s Transit Riders United, sent along this fascinating comparison of bus and light rail operating costs in US cities. ____________________________ Did you know . . . light rail is cheaper and more efficient to operate than busses? Many transit systems have reduced their relative cost of providing transit service by building light-rail. In fact, the 11 cities that have developed light rail lines in the last 20 years find that light rail costs on average 38% less per passenger mile than bus service. (details below) Light rail is much more efficient to operate than buses, because maintenance and labor costs less for each mile a passenger travels. Also, increased numbers of users further lowers per passenger costs. Because Greater Detroit lacks an efficient light-rail line, it costs us much more to provide inferior transportation. By building light-rail in Greater Detroit, we can increase the efficiency of the transit systems while providing a more attractive alternative to driving. Some great examples of how this affects specific cities (costs shown are per passenger mile): In Dallas, it costs 47¢ per passenger mile (ppm) to operate the light rail system, while it costs them 86¢ ppm to provide bus service. Denver - 50¢ ppm for light rail, 64¢ ppm for bus service Los Angeles - 46¢ ppm for light rail, 56¢ ppm for bus service Minneapolis - 69¢ ppm for light rail, 84¢ ppm for bus service Portland - 31¢ ppm for light rail, 76¢ ppm for bus service Sacramento - 62¢ ppm for light rail, $1.10 ppm for bus service Salt Lake City- 30¢ ppm for light rail, $1.46 ppm for bus service San Diego - 25¢ ppm for light rail, 78¢ ppm for bus service St. Louis - 29¢ ppm for light rail, 92¢ ppm for bus service In Greater Detroit, it costs DDOT $1.10 ppm and SMART $1.04 ppm to operate the bus systems. The basis for all of these numbers came from the National Transit Database, a federal government site of transit statistics. All figures are from 2004. Another interesting note - While the costs of constructing light rail are significantly higher than busses, this efficiency savings could potentially be greater than the local building costs. Here are some rough calculations - if 60 percent of the 31,000 current bus riders along the Woodward Corridor each day were to instead ride for 5 miles on a Woodward Corridor light-rail line, and operating costs on the light rail line were 38% less than on the bus, Greater Detroit transit would see an operating saving approaching $10,000,000 per year, just for serving the existing ridership (0.60*31000*$1.08*5miles*.38*260days/yr). Typically, ridership increases significantly when light-rail is built, so that savings based on increased ridership would be even greater. In economic terms, the present value of $10,000,000 annually based on 20 years and an interest rate of 4% is $135 million -- likely greater than the local funding required to build a 15 mile light rail line on Woodward. ###

Put about 100 bricks in some particular order in a closed room with an open window. Then send 2 or 3 candidates into the room and close the door. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours, and then analyze the situation : If they are counting the bricks, put them in the accounting department. If they are recounting them, put them in auditing. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in engineering. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in planning. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in operations. If they are sleeping, put them in security. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in information technology. If they are sitting idle, put them in human resources. If they say they have tried different combinations, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in sales. If they have already left for the day, put them in marketing. If they are staring out of the window, put them in strategic planning. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in top management. Finally, if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they can neither be seen nor heard from, put them in Congress

Terrific photos. I'd been wanting to get up there ever since I first saw the movie Somewhere In Time 20 years ago. The wonderful soundtrack from that movie was playing in my head as I scrolled through your pictures. Minutae tidbit I - The composer of that soundtrack has my last name but shortened it to simply, John Barry (his first and middle name). Minutae tidbit II - I read somewhere that cars are not permitted on Mackinac Island, except for emergency and service vehicles.

I wished I had known they were going to do that, otherwise I would have gone. Free is a price I can afford!

Grant supported for Tracy growth Toledo Blade, 7/20/06 Lake Township trustees have voiced their support for a local company's quest to obtain state funding that may generate growth on Tracy Road. Trustees recently voted to support Tracy Development Ltd. as it applies for a grant through the Job Ready Sites Program to improve 300 acres owned by Rudolph Libbe Properties Inc. on State Rt. 795 at Tracy. Tracy Development is a holding company of Rudolph Libbe. The deadline to apply for the grant was yesterday. Trustee Richard Welling said the industrially zoned area has tremendous possibilities for the township, Rudolph/Libbe, and the Lake Local School District. "This property has been set aside by the trustees for decades for development possibilities," he said.

Careful David, we're going to have to ask you change your address from Cincy to Cleveburg if you keep doing nice work like that for our town -- and not give the same treatment for Cincy!