May 27, 200916 yr so if/when the streetcar gets built are they just going to have to tear up this street again to redo it with tracks? I asked interim director of Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering, Michael Moore, this question and he said that the way it's being constructed that it will be very simple to go in and lay the tracks down in The Banks development...more so than the rest of the route which is already pretty simple and non-intrusive.
May 27, 200916 yr Since it is a concrete deck with no indications of a streetcar track being installed at this time, I assume they will saw out the runners needed for the track placement.
May 27, 200916 yr After just spending some time in Millenium Park in Chicago this weekend, I am really excited for the Central Riverfront Park. This park could be a destination even without the Banks, and I hope construction will start on it soon. I know they have had their formal ground breaking, but I don't see much activity down there. The plans have no where near the creativity or dynamics of Millenium Park or the price tag.
May 27, 200916 yr >Since it is a concrete deck with no indications of a streetcar track being installed at this time, I assume they will saw out the runners needed for the track placement. They do two pours of the deck, with a seam about 10" under the surface. The top layer can can be removed very easily without damaging the base layer. This method only increases the total amount of concrete and labor slightly, like 5% or something, which means it's very economical. The Walnut St. and Main St. overpasses were built this way with rail in mind, which will save the project millions, because other wise those decks would have had to be completely rebuilt.
May 27, 200916 yr After just spending some time in Millennium Park in Chicago this weekend, I am really excited for the Central Riverfront Park. This park could be a destination even without the Banks, and I hope construction will start on it soon. I know they have had their formal ground breaking, but I don't see much activity down there. The plans have no where near the creativity or dynamics of Millennium Park Yes, of course I know this. I was just referring to having a signature park right next to downtown, adjacent to the water.
May 27, 200916 yr ^Not right next to downtown. The walk from Fountain Square to Sawyer Point is not one that many people would take due to distance as well as not having a direct path to the park. The new CRP is a 5 minute walk to FS, and is obviously much more centrally located.
May 27, 200916 yr Sawyer Point will pale in comparison to the new Central Riverfront Park. The CRP will be the crown jewel of the Cincinnati park system.
May 29, 200916 yr Master crafter gets Banks done With big picture in mind, engineer coordinates all the pieces that make up huge complex http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090529/BIZ01/905310317/1055/NEWS/Master+crafter+gets+Banks+done It's the "face-to-face stuff" that really matters, says John Deatrick. The 64-year-old engineer and planner has spent more than 30 years heading up multimillion-dollar transportation projects and developments considered pivotal to transforming urban communities...
May 30, 200916 yr Dustyt Rhodes reminds me of the type of zit that's really painful but you can't get rid of it because it's right under the skin.
June 1, 200916 yr Stimulus will speed up Banks http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090601/NEWS01/906020309/1055/NEWS/Stimulus+will+speed+up+Banks Federal stimulus dollars will pay for most of a $35 million parking garage planned in the Banks riverfront development project, allowing work to start there years ahead of schedule, project executive John Deatrick said Monday...
June 1, 200916 yr ^ This is fantastic news. We are going to end up getting the Banks built for pennies on the dollar. This is the perfect time to be building a project like this. Now let's get the Feds to pay for those decks over FWW.
June 1, 200916 yr Well, to an extent it's not "pennies on the dollar" since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is federally funded through our taxes, so we are all paying for the project in some shame or form.
June 1, 200916 yr So the garage to the west of the Freedom Center will be built and be operational before any building are built on top of them? Does this mean those spaces could be used to satisfy requirements for Bengals parking and excavation work could begin sooner where some of the parking lots are located?
June 1, 200916 yr Well, to an extent it's not "pennies on the dollar" since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is federally funded through our taxes, so we are all paying for the project in some shame or form. This is true, but building this now will be a savings as the garage wasn't expected to be built until later using inflationary figures from five years out. Plus by building it now we will take advantage of the lower labor and material costs that exist now and bring this thing in under budget hopefully.
June 1, 200916 yr "This is true, but building this now will be a savings as the garage wasn't expected to be built until later using inflationary figures from five years out. Plus by building it now we will take advantage of the lower labor and material costs that exist now and bring this thing in under budget hopefully." Also, doing this project now will keep people in their jobs, and/or create new temporary jobs. This means increased payroll taxes and more people with income that they will use to buy stuff. Not sure on the total measure of this impact, but it is at least a positive number :-). "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
June 1, 200916 yr See, the bright leaders of the city and county knew this money would be coming down the pipeline like 10 years ago, so they waited/hem-hawed until now to build The Banks so they could take advantage of it.:-D
June 2, 200916 yr They have put up some nice signs on the sidewalk fence that illustrate the project quite well. Obviously this will help advertise what's going on to people coming and going from the Reds games. It's always a mystery as to why they can't do this at more construction sites, such as Queen City Square.
June 2, 200916 yr I noticed that today while walking around the site. I also noted that the deck is looking quite nice, and that the forms for the sidewalks are in place. The Hoff Academic Quad development at Xavier University, another project by Messer, have similar signage.
June 2, 200916 yr It almost looks like a rendering. :) I think once things come up out of the ground, there will be a heightened sense that FWW should be capped with that park.
June 2, 200916 yr I hate to repeat this question, but does ANYONE know if a live webcam will again be available for us to view construction?
June 2, 200916 yr Anyone know why they stopped this concrete pour a couple weeks ago and which they are now jackhammering out? "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 2, 200916 yr New sign put up at the site: "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 3, 200916 yr I am still curious as to how a flood scenario would play out with this project. Some questions to ponder: Where will the actual flood wall be? What happens if it is over-topped? Will water inundate the inside of the garages? How would they clean them? What level would the Ohio have to reach to be at Freedom Way street level? Would this be a 100-year/500-year flood?
June 3, 200916 yr I pointed out a little earlier that the flood wall will be the wall on the northern side of Mehring Way. It's the thing that will have the water wall feature and also have staircases leading up the rest of the way. It's a smaller wall due to the upward sloping design of the Central Riverfront Park. You can see my illustrative post identifying these points here - http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2772.msg398702.html#msg398702. As for those other questions, you might want to ask an engineer working on the project, or the project manager. They would probably be able to give you a more accurate response than anyone on here I would guess.
June 3, 200916 yr UR...I remember seeing that now. Anyone care to venture guesses on th other questions that are still valid/relelvant?
June 3, 200916 yr Here is a FEMA floodmap of the area of the Banks: http://map1.msc.fema.gov/idms/IntraView.cgi?ROT=0&O_X=5765&O_Y=7008&O_ZM=0.078048&O_SX=878&O_SY=506&O_DPI=400&O_TH=47648890&O_EN=47656741&O_PG=1&O_MP=1&CT=0&DI=0&WD=14197&HT=10250&JX=1016&JY=566&MPT=0&MPS=0&ACT=1&KEY=47648507&ITEM=1&PICK_VIEW_CENTER.x=683&PICK_VIEW_CENTER.y=389&R1=VIN Zone AE is the 100 year flood zone. As you already know that means that it has a chance of flooding once every 100 years. Unfortunately that number is a ratio and flood levels are not guaranteed to stop at the Base Flood Elevation which is 498 feet above sea level. I am sure engineers on site have taken into account measures to adequately handle and clean up a 100 year flood. What is unfortunate is possible damage and erosion to the park in the even of a flood. Hope this information helps answer these questions! “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
June 5, 200916 yr Freedom Way is concrete from end to end. Huzzah. The great divide has been conquered.
June 8, 200916 yr There is no floodwall per-se for the Banks. The podium level for the streetgrid and buildings on top is well above the 100 year flood or 500 year flood for that matter but lower portions of the garages at the ground level can flood as well as portions of the park and the riverfront transit center. Even if these areas are inundated there should be little long term damage other than cleaning up the silt and debris etc.
June 14, 200916 yr Can moderators delete all comments related to the lack of webcam? Seriously, let it go people. Once someone notices the webcam is working they will post it on here and your lives will be complete again. Dude I didn't even know there was a webcam and I was wondering what's the site name, I'm wasn't complaining b/c I could careless about "the banks." The Project is too far long in scope for me to be focused on.
June 14, 200916 yr The Project is too far long in scope for me to be focused on. There are medications which can help you resolve your attention span issues.
June 16, 200915 yr Great news...also another great rate on the work! (23% less than projected). This thing is coming in a lot cheaper than expected! It blows my mind how the Enquirer doesnt report on this!!! Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 1:45pm EDT Monarch Construction top bidder for Banks contract Business Courier of Cincinnati Monarch Construction Co. is the winning bidder on the sixth of eight bid packages awarded on the Banks riverfront development project... All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.
June 16, 200915 yr Great news...also another great rate on the work! (23% less than projected). This thing is coming in a lot cheaper than expected! It blows my mind how the Enquirer doesnt report on this!!! Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 1:45pm EDT Monarch Construction top bidder for Banks contract Business Courier of Cincinnati Monarch Construction Co. is the winning bidder on the sixth of eight bid packages awarded on the Banks riverfront development project. All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved. That is good news! Could this savings be used toward the FWW decks? If not, this could be a good time for this project to get started anyway before the economy recovers and prices start to inflate. At least get some current estimates.
June 16, 200915 yr The bids that have come in under budget so far -- have they all been county contracts, or has the city enjoyed some of the savings as well at this point?
June 16, 200915 yr That is good news! Could this savings be used toward the FWW decks? If not, this could be a good time for this project to get started anyway before the economy recovers and prices start to inflate. At least get some current estimates. This savings could and probably should just be chalked up as savings for the county. It could go a long way to help restore voter confidence and prove that the county is capable of handling big projects with big expectations again.
June 21, 200915 yr From Driehaus' office... REPRESENTATIVE DRIEHAUS WELCOMES MORE THAN $400,000 FOR RIVERFRONT STREET GRID Representative Steve Driehaus today welcomed an announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) of $444,600 in funding for Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The funding will be used for the Central Riverfront Street Grid project in Cincinnati. “This is great news for Cincinnati. This investment will not only help to create and save local jobs, but it will help to improve our crumbling infrastructure. The Riverfront Street Grid is critically important to our local transportation system, and this funding will help ensure that the project can move forward,” said Rep. Driehaus. According to the DOT, a grant of $444,600 will be used for the construction of the Mehring Way Reconstruction Project. The project will create access to the Central Riverfront Intermodal Center, new private development, and the Central Riverfront Park; and will construct improved pedestrian access to the riverfront. The project is a major component of the Central Riverfront Street Grid Project. Click here to view the DOT grant announcement.
June 21, 200915 yr Cincinnati's Banks project hitting SBE goal; critics want more http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/06/22/story12.html The city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County are exceeding their small- business participation goals in construction of The Banks riverfront development, with nearly 35 percent of contracts awarded through April 25 going to certified small-business enterprises...
June 21, 200915 yr *sigh* “It’s not that we can’t get SBEs involved. That’s a no-brainer because most businesses in this country are classified as small,” said Jim Clingman, Cincinnati NAACP economic development committee chairman and critic of the SBE program. “When you start breaking it down to MBEs, African-American-owned businesses or WBEs, it doesn’t say too much about us.” -- Or, the MBE and SBE companies that completed contract biddings and requests were just not qualified. It's not a race issue, or a minority-exclusion issue, but an issue of qualifications. I would rather see a good building developed by a reliable and qualified builder than one by a company with no experience or expertise.
June 21, 200915 yr ^A lot of contractors or owners of small to mid-size companies put their business in their wife's name, so that it instantly becomes a female-owned business, and in some cases a minority-owned business. For example if a white guy marries a black woman, he can put the business in her name and start attracting grants and so on.
June 21, 200915 yr *sigh* “It’s not that we can’t get SBEs involved. That’s a no-brainer because most businesses in this country are classified as small,” said Jim Clingman, Cincinnati NAACP economic development committee chairman and critic of the SBE program. “When you start breaking it down to MBEs, African-American-owned businesses or WBEs, it doesn’t say too much about us.” -- Or, the MBE and SBE companies that completed contract biddings and requests were just not qualified. It's not a race issue, or a minority-exclusion issue, but an issue of qualifications. I would rather see a good building developed by a reliable and qualified builder than one by a company with no experience or expertise. Very true. I understand the need for minority inclusion, but to give contracts to people less qualified than the qualified bidder is a dangerous precedent. I'd personally prefer that a company get hired to build something because they are qualified to build it, rather than get hired because they are a MBE. Also, it's worth noting that The Dawson Company is a minority run development company. I'm sure the Dawson Company doesn't necessarily have it out for minorities, rather, they, along with Carter, just want to see the Banks project be realized fully, on time and safely.
June 21, 200915 yr ^ Too be fair, bidding on public works contracts are a much bigger deal and much more difficult than on private contracts, because, when there is public money involved, there is more regulation. I don't think we should assume altruism or exceptional competence on the part of contractors simply because they get government work. There are ways one can try and spread the wealth around without sacrificing quality. Additionally, it's not as if this type of stuff only happens with government work. A friend of mine told me that the church (+ grade school) he attends has five separate HVAC contracts- all parishioners, of course. That doesn't sound particularly efficient to me.
June 24, 200915 yr I was down in San Antonio this weekend and went to the Alamo Drafthouse. It seems like a good concept for a downtown movie theater (though the location I went to was suburban). Each row of seats has a table in front of it and you are served food while you watch the movie. It is less intrusive than normal moving around in the theater because the aisles have extra space to accommodate. From a management perspective you are losing some seats but gaining food and drink revenue. The place was doing good business when I was there (Friday and Sunday). I also noticed there were a lot of events for fan clubs and the community. While most locations are in Texas, they are beginning to franchise and have a Virginia location. Why not Cincinnati (the Banks, Tower Place, 5th and Race)? http://www.drafthouse.com/main/franchise/
June 24, 200915 yr ^How were the prices? Typical movie theater now charges $4 for a bottle of water. Can't imagine what they'd charge for a beer and non-movie theater food. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 24, 200915 yr http://www.drafthouse.com/westlakes/menu.pdf Kind of what you'd expect but not terrible
June 24, 200915 yr ^A lot of contractors or owners of small to mid-size companies put their business in their wife's name, so that it instantly becomes a female-owned business, and in some cases a minority-owned business. For example if a white guy marries a black woman, he can put the business in her name and start attracting grants and so on. Both companies I worked for were victims and also perpetrators of just this tactic, J. Human nature is so cuthtroat. We even lost a contract we thought we had in the bag becase a multinational engineering firm bought out a one-man shop in Florida just to say they were a local business, just for that one contract, then they annihilated every other bidder for the job.
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