Bookman

Somewhere I read that the consumer type shows (Auto, Boat, Home & Garden) type shows will continue to be at the IX Center because of plentiful parking and fairly easy access to highways. Those shows draw people from the region and only generate hotel revenue based on the number of out of town exhibitors. The type of conventions/trade shows that are being courted for downtown are the industry shows, trade associations and manufacturing. These bring people from across the country and internationally. Those events create hotel and dining revenue. While this type of event has shrunk in the past couple of years, it is still steady. Those organizations looks for places like Cleveland to host the event because it is affordable, fairly easily accessible (hub airport) and has interest outside of the event itself (the lake, RRHOF, etc.). When I was involved in the production of one of these events my favorite choice was Indianapolis because of the same reasons I listed, affordable, accessible, other activities. We never used Cleveland because the Convention Center sucked! That being said, the first three years will be key. If the venue opens on time and groups get a good experience, then word will spread. Meeting planners talk (they have their own association too) and referrals are a big part of how a location gets an event. I'm no expert, but if the center can be booked 40 to 50% of the first year, then call it a success. After the first year they need to be closer to 80% in order to give all the supporting businesses (hotels, restaurants, bars) continued success.

As I suspected could happen, the date for the reduction in spaces has been pushed back to October 20th.

For #54, I used to play volleyball in the building on the right.

What type of development would you suggest for the halo around the Wolstein Center?

A long time ago a colleague of mine said that students will always have the right to complain about three things; the price of textbooks, the quality and price of food on-campus, and parking. Before the Internet we could blame Burger King for the "have it my way (and right away)" attitude. Now the Internet can be the whipping post. Even at shopping malls you can watch people circle the lot waiting for that up close spot and getting frustrated. They want it quick and convenient and think that everyone should bend to accommodate their needs. Students of today do not know a world without the Internet where everything is virtually a click away. All that being said, in just a few short years the new students will not know about how the campus consolidated its parking resources. That 1/6 of a mile walk will be no big deal. Others will have learned to compensate by leaving for school earlier of finding a different place to park. I think CSU is doing the right thing in trying to build a critical mass of people who work, learn and live in the area. So it shifts where you park, is that such a big deal??? Could CSU have handled this differently, maybe, but I bet that as with any privately financed project the start date was a moving target. Once CSU knew that shovels would hit dirt they made the announcement. Say something too soon and people forget. There are still plenty of places to park if you know where to look.

^Prepaid parking tags just went up around 28%. I don't think a daily rate higher than $6 would fly.

^It has been said, and not by me, that CSU doesn't have a parking problem. It has a walking problem.

Perhaps a way to keep this whole thing clearer is to define what area or ownership is considered "College Town" versus a Cleveland State University Project? When I look back in this thread it seemed the discussion was focused on the private development on property not owned by CSU. Now there is discussion about projects on CSU property which I would think should be part of the Cleveland State University Developments. Is this a legitimate question for the group? For me, the "College Town" area is roughly bordered by E.18th, Euclid Ave., E.21st and Prospect. This at one time was all privately held property. CSU has acquired some of the land which has been turned into an open space. I would think that the issue with the Wolfe Music Building should be part of the Cleveland State University Developments thread along with the North Campus Project since they are on CSU owned property. Of course this is just me trying to keep things straight in my already over taxed brain. Whatever works for the group is fine with me. I just wanted to give my two cents.

I agree, to a point. A large greenspace would give the campus the opportunity for events and outdoor meeting space (both formal and spontaneous). The challenge is selling it to a student body that clamors for parking spaces. As it stands right now the greenspaces are not heavily used.

From what I understand, the building is practically falling apart. The elevators alone were going to cost 7 figures to replace. It's a stock Holiday Inn hotel from the 60's. Built quick and cheap. It was never intended to be used as a dorm. The sooner it comes down, the better!

^oops, I read the article too quickly. Still, I'm betting the restrictions will be similar to the rec center. Just add in being a resident of the complex gets you access.

Outdoor pool??? Where is there an outdoor pool at Cleveland State?

If you take just one class each term, you get access to the CSU rec center and the pool. Otherwise just get a yearly membership at the rec center to have pool access. It's $480 a year.

^The building on the right is complete. I don't know what type of material was used.

^^^^I'm glad to see the "Bookstore Has Moved" sign is still in place. You'd be surprised how many phone calls we get asking what happened to our building.

To Murray Hills complaint -- Yes, operations in the student center do close earlier on Fridays than during the rest of the week. The cold hard facts are that the demand simply isn't there yet to justify staying open later. I was keeping the bookstore open until 6pm on Fridays but after averaging about $5 in sales from 5pm to 6pm the decision was made to pull back to 5pm. We actually looked at all days and hours to make sure we were being effective in our use of labor and meeting the demands of our customer base. I will pass along your friends experience to my counterpart in the food service operation. If I had a line at the bookstore when it came time to close, I certainly wouldn't close until everyone had made their purchases.

^I don't know. What I do know is that it was determined that the sign was not going to be used as was originally thought due to the low quality of the graphics that it could display. Images would look fine if you were at least 100 feet away, but any closer and it would become difficult to interpret.

Before anyone gets upset about the sign, I don't think it's going to stay in front of the Student Center.

I ran into one of the RTA officers at the CSU NIT game on Saturday. He was at Tower City on St. Patricks Day helping to keep things orderly on the platforms as people boarded the trains . He remembered the group that I encountered and told me that the call did go out about the fighting. Officers were evidently waiting at stops past 117th to deal with the knuckleheads. Frankly, not only small children, but anyone that finds that type of behavior offensive should avoid the rapid on St. Patricks Day. While some of the partiers were subdued, others were not. The lack of respect shown to "regular" riders was disturbing. At least we don't have to worry about the next two years since next year is a leap year and St. Patricks Day will be on a Saturday.

One thing for sure, I would never use the rapid to take my children downtown to see the parade on St. Patricks day. The ride home on the 17th was not what I would call a child friendly environment. Beer being passed around, smoking, swearing and finally a fight. I guess my one suggestion for RTA is that at every platform should be a uniformed officer or two. That way if there is something unsafe going on, they can be involved quickly. When we got off at 117th we didn't see an officer until we left the building. Fortunately the person that was in a fight was put off the train by the time the officers made it to the platform.

^Yes, the MAC would be a downward move. The Horizon League is the 11th ranked league for Division 1 Men's basketball. The MAC is the 20th out of 32 leagues. Horizon League teams played several MAC teams this season and I believe the majority were won by the Horizon League team. CSU beat both Kent State and Akron this year. As for moving up to another league, I personally think that we need to prove that we can dominate this league first. To me that means consistent 20 win seasons and top three finishes in the league. There is also no reason to move if the Horizon League could become a consistent multiple NCAA tourney team source. Now the real reason for my response... Saturday, March 19th is a big day at the Wolstein Center. The CSU Women's basketball team is in the WBI and is playing a second round game against Chicago State at 11am. At 2pm the Men's team will play a NIT second round game against College of Charleston and it will be televised on one of the ESPN channels. Tickets are $20 between the baselines and $10 for the endzone which covers both games. CSU students get in for $5 with their ID card. With the games at the Q on Friday and Sunday, this gives something for those college hoops fans in town to do on Saturday. The Men's game will match two of the best guards in the country. Cleveland State's Norris Cole is one of the five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award which is given to the top point guard in the country. Norris is also one of the 20 finalists for the John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award. The College of Charleston's Andrew Goudelock has scored over 2500 points in his career. This will be a very interesting match-up.

Norris Cole has been named one of the five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award that goes to the top point guard in the nation. The other finalists are from BYU (Fedette), Duke (Smith), Wisconsin (Taylor), UConn (Walker). In other words Cleveland State is the only Mid-major represented. This is a MAJOR feather in the cap of Norris and the CSU program. The winner will be announced April 1st and the presentation is on April 4th at the Final Four.

Don't forget to wear black. If you don't, be prepared to buy some black gear from the CSU Bookstore concessions. Say hi to Keith (me).

First things first, Thursday, February 3rd at 7pm the Vikings take on Valparaiso. Valpo is currently a half game back of the first place Vikings in the Horizon League. Win Thursday and we significantly increase the chances of bringing the Horizon League Tournament to Cleveland in March. A win on Saturday the 5th at Noon against Butler will revenge the spanking Butler gave the Vikings just a few weeks ago. If you come to the game, wear black to blackout Butler! By the way, "BEAT BUTLER" t-shirts are on sale at the CSU Bookstore.

Under the new Student Center there is a visitors lot which puts a recruiter right in the middle of campus.