KJP

There also is the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center in Bay Village which is a terrific place for people of all ages to visit. While it's not an aquarium or a zoo, it has some features of each. Check out: http://www.lensc.org/

I don't think it's dead, just delayed.

Put it in the old Howard Johnson's on East 55th! :-P BTW, I don't think the Salvation Army said their open-access rec center wasn't going to happen. It just didn't win funding this time around. I suspect there's a backlog of similar projects awaiting funding.

Gold-Level Service RTA Introduces New Type of Transportation Service to Commuters in Northwest Corridor (CLEVELAND), January 11, 2006 – RTA will formally unveil a new bus fleet for the Gold Line today to commuters living in Cleveland’s West Side lakefront suburbs. The line represents a new transportation approach in Northeast Ohio, incorporating elements of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in order to achieve express bus service along a street corridor, instead of through a freeway or interstate. RTA purchased a new fleet of metallic gold colored buses for the line, which follows three different routes initiated from Avon Lake, Bay Village and Westlake at Crocker Park to downtown, with evening returns. To celebrate the launch of the new Gold Line fleet and the fulfillment of the transit authority’s New Year’s resolution to provide enhanced service to the lakefront suburbs, RTA’s marketing staff will be boarding Gold Line buses on Wednesday morning, January 11, to distribute gold envelopes filled with discounts to Geiger’s Clothing & Sports, Fitworks Fitness Center, and Nature’s Bin to help riders keep their own 2006 resolutions. Riders will also receive free ride tickets, and have a chance to win monthly fare passes as part of the launch promotion. Providing enhanced work trip service to residents living along the Northwest Corridor, encompassing the communities of Avon Lake, Bay Village, Westlake, Fairview Park, Rocky River and Lakewood, has been a major priority at RTA. Initially, the idea was to create a bus flyer line that would enter I-90 at various points. But after holding community meetings last year and receiving feedback from residents recommending the line follow Lake and Detroit Avenues and Clifton Boulevard, the transit authority decided to create a different kind of express bus service. The Gold Line cuts commute time through limited stops at dedicated stations, similar to a transit line. “Combining the best of rail and bus service is the concept behind BRTs,” explains RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese. “The Gold Line offers a service that is closer to rail than our traditional bus flyer service, and better addresses the transportation needs of those living along the Northwest Corridor. We see great growth potential for this line.” The introduction this week of the new gold bus fleet is the final piece for the Gold Line. Since August, the line has been operating under the route designation 55F GL. RTA has recorded a steady 10 percent increase in ridership on the line each month. About RTA RTA is the nation’s 13th-largest public-transit system, serving more than 45 percent of all public-transit riders in Ohio. Its 2,753 employees operate 108 rail cars on 34 miles of track and 624 buses on 1,606 route miles. In 2004, more than 55.5 million passengers rode RTA’s trains, buses, Community Circulators, and Paratransit vehicles.

I'd put it at Dock 32, next to where the Mather has been relocated. It keeps North Coast Harbor a museum area, which is not a 24-hour land use. Developing mixed use west of North Coast Harbor ensures that that area will be a 24-hour neighborhood. Adding an aquarium to a neighborhood weakens it, in my opinion.

I haven't had the courage to ask!

'And the government is about to open bidding on a $12 billion, 180-mph "Tren Bala," or bullet train, the western hemisphere's first...' How sad for America that Mexico is developing the hemisphere's first true high-speed rail service. _____________ http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0106mextrain06.html# Mexico reviving travel by train Billions poured into new Bullet, Suburban trains Chris Hawley Republic Mexico City Bureau Jan. 6, 2006 12:00 AM MEXICO CITY - High-speed bullet trains whooshing across the Mexican countryside. Electric commuter trains slicing through Mexico City. Gleaming new train stations and state-of-the-art switching systems. It's all part of an ambitious, multibillion-dollar plan to revive train travel in Mexico, a business that was mostly abandoned in 2001 after decades of mismanagement and long, uncomfortable journeys in aging rail cars. Now construction crews are tearing up streets along the weed-covered rails leading into Mexico City's crumbling Buenavista station, preparing the way for a new $5 billion commuter-rail system that officials are calling the Suburban Train. And the government is about to open bidding on a $12 billion, 180-mph "Tren Bala," or bullet train, the western hemisphere's first, that will run 360 miles between Mexico City and Guadalajara, the country' second-largest city. There are also plans for a new cargo rail line that could cut 10 hours off the trip from the Pacific port of Manzanillo and Aguascalientes in central Mexico. The government says it needs trains because Mexico's highways are becoming overloaded with cars, especially around Mexico City, the world's second-largest metropolis after Tokyo. Gridlock-weary chilangos, as Mexico City residents are known, are praising the idea. But officials are also reaching out to Mexican patriotism, trumpeting the projects as signs of the country's progress. "This signifies a great step toward modernity," President Vicente Fox said at a ceremony marking construction of the new suburban line. "It's part of a strategy for developing quality public transportation for the inhabitants of our cities." Laying down tracks The government has pledged to finish the first 15-mile section of the Suburban Train system by 2007 and the Bullet Train by 2011. Both projects are being funded by a combination of private investment and government bonds. CAF, the Spanish company building the suburban line, will also operate it under a 30-year contract with the government. It's unclear who will run the bullet train, although it's likely to be a contractor as well. In Mexico, it's not unusual for foreign companies to manage airports and other government-owned enterprises. Several countries have built high-speed rail lines. The most well-known are Japan's Shinkansen and France's TGV, but Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium and South Korea also have them. Taiwan and China plan to build high-speed lines as well. The United States has Amtrak's Acela train, which runs between Washington, New York and Boston. But it shares its track with conventional trains, which limits its speed. "If Mexico were to pull this off, it would be the first true high-speed rail system in the Western Hemisphere," said William Vantuono, editor of Railway Age, a trade publication based in New York. "And as long as they can avoid a lot of political interference, their chances of doing this are pretty good." The government has hired French company SYSTRA to plan the rail line and plans to begin awarding construction contracts within months. The leading candidate in the 2006 presidential election, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has an even more ambitious plan. He is promising to extend the bullet train, which he calls "the Eagle," north to Nuevo Laredo, on the border with Texas, and west to Mexicali and Tijuana. Travelers from Arizona could catch the train in Puerto Peñasco or Hermosillo, Sonora. López Obrador is also promising a rail line to span the 150-mile Isthmus of Tehuantepec separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in southern Mexico. The line would be an alternative to the Panama Canal for companies shipping goods to Asia. Old railroad lines Railroads have played an important part in Mexico's history . The first train line was built in 1857 in downtown Mexico City. In the late 1800s, dictator Porfirio Díaz made railway construction his first priority, in part to populate northern Mexico and discourage U.S. expansion. During the 1910-20 Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa seized rail lines and used the trains to move his troops. Later, the railway workers' union became the prototype for the "charro unions," the corrupt labor groups that helped the Revolutionary Institutional Party rule Mexico for 71 years. By the 1980s, Mexico's railroads were falling into disrepair. In the 1990s, the government sold all the lines to private companies. Kansas City Southern now owns the lucrative trunk route from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo. Ferromex, a company that is 26 percent owned by Union Pacific, controls the southeastern routes to the Yucatán Peninsula and the northwestern lines to Arizona and California. The private companies discontinued the unprofitable passenger service, except in a few places like the Copper Canyon of northwestern Mexico. These days, most long-distance travel is done by bus or airplane. But as Mexico's economic footing has improved in the past decade, the federal government has been spending millions of dollars on transportation projects. And increasingly, it has been looking to the rails. Trains' next stop Mexico's first project is the Suburban Train, which could eventually include 140 miles of track around Mexico City. The first 15-mile section runs from Buenavista to the northern suburb of Cuautitlán. Fares will be about 90 cents, CAF has said. The train is expected to move about 320,000 people a day and keep about 20,000 cars off the road, the government says. With a population of 18 million people, Mexico City has serious problems with traffic congestion and air pollution. The city already has a well-regarded subway system, and last summer it launched the MetroBus, a fleet of articulated buses that serve a string of elevated stations running along Insurgentes Avenue. Not everyone is happy with the suburban train project. "This train is being built according to the whims of the government, and they're not taking into account people who live here," said Juan Luis Mejía Rios of Mexico City's northern Atlampa neighborhood, as workers tore up a nearby railroad crossing. Residents in Mejía's apartment building are angry about bridges that the government plans to build over the tracks. They fear the retaining walls will block the light in their courtyard. "No to the wall and the bridges of death!" say huge letters painted on the building. The government says it's trying to minimize such intrusions by putting the train at the bottom of an 18-foot-deep trench. That will eliminate railroad crossings, paving the way for the bullet train. Commuters, meanwhile, said they're all for the project. With about 3 million vehicles in the capital, rush hour is a daily ordeal of honking horns and crunching bumpers.By car, the trip from Buenavista to Cuautitlán takes about three hours during rush hour, the government says. The train should cut the trip to 25 minutes. "There are too many cars in this city, and it's only getting worse. I think it's a great that they're bringing back the trains," said Elpidio Herrera, as he waited for a bus near the old Buenavista station. ==============================

From Tim Donovon at Ohio Canal Corridor.... _____________ To All Tonite, at Cleveland's City Council Meeting (7:00 pm - city hall), Cleveland will read into law the designation of the Tax Incremental Finance District, based upon Steelyard Commons. With this action, the city of Cleveland will put in place the funding mechanism to redirect 35 % of the property taxes for the enhanced property values of Steelyard Commons into a dedcicated fund that will supply a minimum of $10.5 million toward the construction of the Towpath Trail from lower Harvard Avenue to Canal Basin Park and the development of Canal Basin Park. This action sets a new precedent not only in our National Heritage Area, but across the country as it represents the single largest contribution towards such a project. The TIF answers a huge question of where to secure local match for federal transportation, which need a minimum of 20%. The TIF funds will be levered locally by the Towpath Trail Partnership Committee to attract other state, federal and local funds to complete the project. The success of the TIF owes a debt to many players. To begin, developer Mitchell Schneider of First Interstate, who showed great patience and perserverance as he partnered with the city to allow the TIF to be created. Two administrations: starting under Mayor Campbell with active roles by then Chief of Staff Chris Ronayne and Economic Development Officer Greg Huth and concluding as one of the first acts by newly-elected Mayor Frank Jackson with help from Cleveland's Law Department under Director Robert Triozzi, Belinda Pesti in Economic Development, and Ken Silliman, new Chief of Staff. Council support was overwhelming with words of significant encouragement and support from Councilmen Joe Cimperman, Martin Sweeney, Zack Reed, Sabre Scott Pierce, Matt Zone, Kevin Kelley, Anthony Brancatelli, Fannie Lewis, Rosevelt Coates, Dona Brady, Robert White and Kevin Conwell. Unlike most TIFs, the Steelyard Commons TIF is different in that it does not use the funds for improvements within the project, itself - Steelyard Commons. Mitchell Schneider of First Interstate has been steadfast in his stance not to use any local subsidy for the project. Instead, First Interstate will even build a one-mile section of Towpath Trail. The TIF funds will be used for portions of the Towpath that will connect from the south and north of the Steelyard site. Ohio Canal Corridor is proud to have played an instrumental role by introducing the idea a year ago and working with the many partners not only mentioned above, but also those who sit on the Towpath Trail Partnership Committee and the Cuyahoga Valley CDCs. Rick Sicha of Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and George Cantor of Cleveland Planning Commission helped in drafting supportive documentation and maps. Cuyahoga County Engineer Robert Klaiber appeared with OCC Director at no less than 3 Cleveland City Council hearings and met independently with Council members during the TIF deliberations. Today marks a landmark moment in the history of building the Ohio & Erie Canalway. Join us if you can!

Probably the downtown Cleveland skyline. You can see it from the top of Broadview Road hill, at Rockside/Snow, and again about a mile farther south on Broadview. It's a great view that not many Cleveland-area residents know about.

The camera would have to pan to the right to be able to view the new bridge, the tower for which can be seen today. Visit construction webcams at: http://www.dot.state.oh.us/dist2/webcams/mrc/MRCwebcams.htm The bridge is slated to be done by the end of summer or early fall.

Look at this another way.... Redeveloping that hotel such as with housing could also be a magnet for the area. If everyone is waiting around for something to happen to area to warrant a major investment, then nothing will happen. Yeah, it's a risk. But when does growth happen without risk? By the way, there are things around there. It's next to the Horizon Science Academy (see http://www.hsas.org/hsasnew/contact.asp ) that's in the old Ohio Motorists Association office. It's a few hundred feet from the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway, a couple of marinas, and a little road called Interstate 90. If you can't sell some condos or lease some apartments with those things nearby, and each housing unit ALSO offers a lake view, then it's time to fire the marketing director. Now, if the building isn't structurally sound, that's another thing. But if you're going to start something in that area, it better be tall and have every residence offer a lake view. Oh wait, that's the old Howard Johnson's!

^ Like the article said, put them on the other side of the hill...in North Royalton!

Let's add other parts of the world to this. A friend of mine sent to me this e-mailed message... Need we any other argument for the Ohio Hub System and the Chicago-based Midwest Regional Rail Initiative? "The U.S. government needs to take a hard look at the country's physical infrastructure. People who travel abroad often have a slight feeling of returning to a developing country. While most foreign cities have a fast rail connection from the airport to downtown, most U.S. cities do not. The whole U.S. air traffic system, from the airlines to air traffic control is obviously under stress. In Europe and Japan, rail is fast, comfortable, convenient, and efficient. U.S. rail travel is torture. Among international travelers, the U.S. telephone system has become a bit of a joke. My mobile phone works better in Bombay than in Washington, D.C. ... We cannot become competitive with second-rate infrastructure. The U.S. government needs to make improvement a top priority." -- from p. 270 of Clyde Prestowitz's book: Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Wealth and Power to the East Prestowitz was a high-level official in the Commerce Department during the Reagan administration. The basic premise is that we are losing our economic competitivenes to China, India, Japan, and even Europe and we're reacting with blindness. I believe he has credibility because of his background and because his arguments are completely non-partisan and he wrote his book in a completely non-partisan fashion. We're not paying attention, we're being totally complacent, and as a result our economic position is weakening at an accelerating pace. This isn't an if or a when, it's started happening slowly in the 60's and is now quickly accelerating. There's a lot more to it than infrastructure, but it's a key part of the equation. It's all fixable, but no one in Washington right now, whether Republican or Democrat, gets it.

That could also be eased by the designed slope of the parking deck's "roof" on which West 6th would be extended northward. They could even start sloping West 6th just north of the shoreway/boulevard by cutting into the escarpment.

Here is an interactive map I created with web links to specific rail projects in Cuyahoga County (mostly RTA Rapid transit projects). I thought this might help orient visitors to what's going on project-wise with rail transit in Greater Cleveland... http://members.cox.net/corridorscampaign/Cleveland%20Rail%20Projects.ppt

This article also underscores the reason why RealtyOne moved from the suburbs to downtown Cleveland. It's where the land is and where the new residential construction will be for years, at least in Cuyahoga County.

Here's another terrific site, with much detail, photos and maps of urban rail transit systems throughout the world. Very easy to navigate, but note that not all cities/systems are shown on the maps -- you have to scan down through lists below the continental map: http://www.urbanrail.net/

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=436819 Albany New York Times Union Rail plans at full speed Bruno lays out ambitious timetable to improve state's train service By CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Friday, January 6, 2006 RENSSELAER -- With a blueprint for overhauling train service throughout the state now in hand, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Thursday that it's time to start making it happen. At the top of Bruno's to-do list with his Senate High Speed Rail Task Force in the next six months: get the pieces in place for a $22 million program of track and signal work, consolidated rail corridor management and new express trains that will cut the trip to New York City to just over two hours and ensure that trains arrive consistently on time. "You didn't get here by train," Bruno wise-cracked to a crowd gathered at the Rensselaer Rail Station. "If you had taken the train, we would be guessing what time you'd get here." Bruno, a Rensselaer County Republican, pledged during a conversation with Times Union editors later Thursday to make funding of the first two-year phase of his ambitious passenger rail plan a high priority in state budget negotiations this year. "It's all going to be part of negotiating a budget and what's in the best interest of the Capital Region and the state," he said. He noted that Republican Gov. George Pataki and Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of Manhattan are certain to have their own pet projects and programs in mind. "They don't get done unless we make them our priorities in the Senate," he said. Thursday's release of a Senate task force study piloted by former Albany International Airport CEO John Egan set out a series of short-range, mid-range and long-range goals that Bruno said will require the sustained commitment of state and federal money and interest to become reality. Over the next 10 to 12 years, the task force recommends some $1.8 billion worth of improvements between New York City and Buffalo, including tracks and sidings to eliminate bottlenecks and conflicts with freight traffic and additional trains to provide more frequent service. With more frequent and reliable trains traveling between New York City and upstate New York, Bruno predicted "the economic impact, job creation and the effect on the economy is just going to be tremendous." Ultimately, the task force envisions a system of super-fast trains, perhaps using electrically powered magnetic levitation -- or "maglev" -- technology along the Thruway, traveling as fast as 200 to 300 mph between New York City and Buffalo. Such a system would be two decades away and would cost $10 billion to $20 billion to build, the task force and its consultants estimate. "We in New York state were literally left at the station when it comes to moving people by rail," Bruno said. "We have got to come into the 21st century here." Bruno repeatedly dismissed suggestions that this plan will go the way of some 22 previous studies on New York passenger rail now gathering dust. The state's most recent attempt at faster train service, a $185 million program that included refurbishing a fleet of 1970s Turboliner trains, collapsed and is mired in litigation between the state Department of Transportation and Amtrak. "We're moving from planning to action," Bruno said. "This is different from before, when balls were in the air and dropped. We're going to stay with it." With more than 160 pages of charts, analysis and recommendations, the task force report caps three months of intensive work by the task force and a team of consultants headed by Parsons Brinckerhoff under a $1.2 million contract. While Bruno initially launched the high-speed rail initiative in March with talk of European-style "bullet trains" zooming across New York, the task force's approach evolved to include an early emphasis on incremental changes Egan and Bruno said are necessary to improve rail service far sooner. While the initial phase should shave 20 minutes off the travel time between Rensselaer and Manhattan, Bruno said an even more important goal is reducing delays. An average of 70 percent of Amtrak trains now are on time between Rensselaer and Penn Station. Only half of trains traveling west of Albany arrive on time at their final stops. "You have to know that when you get on this train at eight in the morning, you are going to be in New York City at 10:05," Bruno said. "You have a whole day planned." A critical early step -- and perhaps one of the most difficult -- will be to achieve agreement among Amtrak, Metro-North and CSX freight railroad to unify control of operations between New York City and Rensselaer, the task force's experts said. All three railroads own portions of the tracks and ground equipment and manage operations of their own trains running on the line. "With all the players that interface, it's a wonder that trains run at all and get there," Bruno said. Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, said his committee would go to work soon on any legislation required to launch the rail program. He said he'd look to Assembly members, including high-speed rail advocate Sam Hoyt, a Buffalo Democrat, to collaborate on the effort. Cathy Woodruff can be reached at 454-5093 or by e-mail at [email protected].

The PD also had a couple of sidebar stories.... http://www.cleveland.com/economy/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/iseco/1136723432246550.xml&coll=2

http://www.lightrailnow.org/ 16 December 2005 Portland: Green Line line rail expansion project moves ahead San Francisco streetcar motorman and rail transit enthusiast Peter Ehrlich reports (Internet postings, 15 Nov. 2005) that Portland, Oregon's TriMet transit agency has authorized the purchase of 33 parcels of property for the 6.5-mile Green Line light rail transit (LRT) extension along I-205 from Gateway Transit Center to Clackamas Town Center. Peter notes that the right-of-way is already in place, and final engineering is already under way. Revenue service could begin by 2009.

http://www.lightrailnow.org/ 29 December 2005 Minneapolis: City eyes streetcar, funds $300,000 study Is Minneapolis moving toward re-installing streetcars? John DeWitt of the Minneapolis-based Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) reports that on 19 Dec. the Minneapolis City Council approved a 2006 budget which includes $300,000 for a "streetcar study". Apparently the idea came from Mayor R. T. Rybak's office. John adds that the streetcar study will be tacked onto Minneapolis's Ten-Year Transportation Action Plan currently being developed. "That plan basically calls for the implementation of a bus-based Primary Transit Network similar to Portland's Frequent Service Network" he reports.

Some Americans are having to think outside the box, with more in the near future facing choices they've never had to make before. Others are hopelessly addicted to the lifestyle that oil has fueled and may never realize how much healthier their lives might actually be if they weaned themselves from the black crack.

I cover police news for that, as well as Brooklyn Center, Stockyards, Clark-Metro, Tremont and Ohio City. A vast majority of crimes are in the first three neighborhoods, notably Stockyards and Clark-Metro where there is a serious drug epidemic (crack and heroin). Police are targeting those areas with undercover officers but it just keeps on coming. Then again, I've only been covering those areas since October, so I don't have a real good feel for trends/impacts yet. Most of the crimes I see in the other areas I mentioned are stolen cars (lots of them, with people leaving their keys in the car way too often!), shopliftings, assaults (many apparently random involving pedestrians along major thoroughfares in the late night), domestic violence and some burglaries. But I wouldn't consider the numbers of crimes out of hand for the sheer population of Old Brooklyn, Tremont and Ohio City.

^ And, it's owned by Jacobs, who tried to block Stark from building Crocker Park. Imagine how much more that parking lot will be worth if Stark/Asher succeeds in filling in the WHD gaps -- and how much more dead that Jacobs lot will look.

Superb photos. In one of the photos of Terminal Tower from beneath the Detroit-Superior bridge you can see a passenger train on the Cleveland Union Terminal viaduct (I know...a one-track mind <---ouch!).