February 10, 201312 yr Nothing boosts a city's economy in the 21st century like a bunch of angry, aging white men. <<SARCASM>> "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 10, 201312 yr Is Mark Miller losing it? Did he create this 'female' twitter name? Victoria?Safarian @victoriasafarig Another day, another 16 firefighters browned out to subsidize Cincinnati's streetcar boondoggle going nowhere fast. Your safety comes last. It looks like a bot.
February 10, 201312 yr This article states it was 60 bids. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2013/01/dozens-of-construction-companies-weigh.html Did firms withdrawal their bids or it's an ongoing process?
February 10, 201312 yr ^That article says that over 60 companies downloaded the bid specifications. This doesn't mean that they all submitted bids for the project.
February 11, 201312 yr ^On a related note, I was told today that the newest anti-streetcar tweeter, PlumStPlayPen, is in fact not Mark Miller but is a guy named Dave who works for Sittenfeld. Anyone else know any more info about this?
February 11, 201312 yr John Cranley on during Scott Sloan's 9 o'clock hour with this "breaking news": "The streetcar bids were due on Friday and they were advertised to be read and publically available on Friday. And the city arbitrarily decided to keep those bids secret, after they were released on Friday. Which, you know, I smell a rat. I bet you, that we will, well we gotta see what they say. You would have to believe that there is a good chance that the bids are coming in far, far higher and more expensive than what they been trying to sell to the public on." "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 11, 201312 yr FWIW, I was reading somewhere that concrete prices are projected to rise in 2013, so there could easily be a rise in cost from what was estimated a couple years ago. Nobody's fault but I am sure people will wail & wag their fingers at CITY CLOWNSEL!
February 11, 201312 yr ^which means that the prices of all if the road & bridge projects will rise too. But we'll never hear Sloan, Cranley or COAST tsk tsk the road widening projects on I75 or the Brent Spence Bridge replacement boondoggle.
February 11, 201312 yr John Cranley on during Scott Sloan's 9 o'clock hour with this "breaking news": "The streetcar bids were due on Friday and they were advertised to be read and publically available on Friday. And the city arbitrarily decided to keep those bids secret, after they were released on Friday. Which, you know, I smell a rat. I bet you, that we will, well we gotta see what they say. You would have to believe that there is a good chance that the bids are coming in far, far higher and more expensive than what they been trying to sell to the public on." I'm sure you do smell a rat, Cranley. That's your stink and that of Sloan and the WLW studios.
February 11, 201312 yr John Cranley on during Scott Sloan's 9 o'clock hour with this "breaking news": "The streetcar bids were due on Friday and they were advertised to be read and publically available on Friday. And the city arbitrarily decided to keep those bids secret, after they were released on Friday. Which, you know, I smell a rat. I bet you, that we will, well we gotta see what they say. You would have to believe that there is a good chance that the bids are coming in far, far higher and more expensive than what they been trying to sell to the public on." I'm sure you do smell a rat, Cranley. That's your stink and that of Sloan and the WLW studios. Seelbach called out Cunningham/Cranley/members of city council for lying about his toilet cost. Cunningham responded with "I'm going to go with the original headline" Anyways, I imagine if what Cranley is saying is even half true, we are about to see an onslaught of negative publicity from the Enquirer, 700wlw, 55krc, Fox19, WLWT, WCPO, and WKRC.
February 11, 201312 yr Author ^On a related note, I was told today that the newest anti-streetcar tweeter, PlumStPlayPen, is in fact not Mark Miller but is a guy named Dave who works for Sittenfeld. Anyone else know any more info about this? I have no idea, but PG did have the campaign commercial where he had the little kids playing in the sandbox representing council.
February 11, 201312 yr Anyways, I imagine if what Cranley is saying is even half true, we are about to see an onslaught of negative publicity from the Enquirer, 700wlw, 55krc, Fox19, WLWT, WCPO, and WKRC. Followed by tons of car commercials.
February 11, 201312 yr Duke "Requests for Rate Increases have NOTHING to do with Streetcar, Opponents say its a 'Hidden tax'" http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/Duke-Requests-for-rate-increases-not-linked-to-streetcar When will our local media stop taking COAST seriously?
February 11, 201312 yr Say it loud and proud..... Duke: Requests for rate increases not linked to streetcar By: Kevin Osborne, WCPO Digital Feb. 11, 2013 CINCINNATI - Duke Energy’s request to increase local electric and gas rates has nothing to do with Cincinnati’s streetcar project, company officials insist. Despite recent statements from anti-streetcar groups, Duke officials said the rate hikes they want are to help recoup improvements made to the system in recent years. “The streetcar is really a non-factor in these rate increases,” said Blair Schroeder, a Duke spokesman. READ MORE AT: http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/Duke-Requests-for-rate-increases-not-linked-to-streetcar#ixzz2KctttgVW "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 12, 201312 yr Biased Barry and his hair hat are back on the Streetcar Beat: ENQUIRER EXCLUSIVE: Bids to build streetcar vary widely http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130211/NEWS01/302120015?fb_comment_id=fbc_144959008996743_300333_144961495663161 "hree companies that hope to build the Cincinnati streetcar route have submitted widely varying bids ranging from about $71 million to more than $87 million, city documents released Monday to The Enquirer show. While City Hall has just started its review of the construction bid numbers, the new figures conceivably could push the streetcar project’s total price tag to between $128 million and $144 million. Mayor Mark Mallory and City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. recently said that the city already has committed $42 million to the streetcar through other contracts, roughly half of that to buy five sleek, European-styled vehicles from the subsidiary of a Spanish firm. Design costs also are included in that figure. Another potential addition to City Hall’s total streetcar budget is the estimated $15 million cost of relocating Duke Energy utilities to make way for tracks and stations. With both sides arguing the other should pay, City Hall and Duke have decided to allow a court to decide which side is responsible for that expense."
February 12, 201312 yr Steve Dieters and his red sweater are still there, but way less chatter on The Enquirer's comments sections these days thanks to the paywall and all the annoying pop-ups. Meanwhile, wcpo.com has hired Lucy May and Dan Monk away from the Business Courier and Kevin Osbourne from CityBeat. Wcpo.com is free and with those reporters I predict will attract most web readers away from Cincinnati.com.
February 12, 201312 yr Kevin Osbourne seems to be a reasonable journalist. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 12, 201312 yr Steve Dieters and his red sweater are still there, but way less chatter on The Enquirer's comments sections these days thanks to the paywall and all the annoying pop-ups. Meanwhile, wcpo.com has hired Lucy May and Dan Monk away from the Business Courier and Kevin Osbourne from CityBeat. Wcpo.com is free and with those reporters I predict will attract most web readers away from Cincinnati.com. Didn't Osbourne get fired from CityBeat in May 2012? Glad to see what WCPO has picked him up.
February 12, 201312 yr Osbourne's articles for CityBeat always did a good job covering the streetcar and other local issues. I hope he's able to keep that up at WCPO.
February 12, 201312 yr Kevin Osbourne seems to be a reasonable journalist. Frankly, I think he's one of the best in town. He was laid off from City Bleat after a takeover by a Nashville company. I expected the new owners would completely ignore local political crap, but they have not. It's not as good/in depth as what Osborne did, but essentially, it's an entertainment paper so..... His new corporate masters would do well to give him a lot of room.
February 12, 201312 yr Steve Dieters and his red sweater are still there, but way less chatter on The Enquirer's comments sections these days thanks to the paywall and all the annoying pop-ups. Meanwhile, wcpo.com has hired Lucy May and Dan Monk away from the Business Courier and Kevin Osbourne from CityBeat. Wcpo.com is free and with those reporters I predict will attract most web readers away from Cincinnati.com. I know quite a few employees at WCPO and they are steadily advancing their online content. They are miles ahead of Fox19, Enquirer, WLWT and WKRC and are investing more money/time into that field. I believe that will position them well for the future of local online journalism then the others The Enquirer is basically a Neanderthal and WCPO are homosapiens. It's only a matter of time
February 12, 201312 yr Osborne has been the onlyllocal journalist to call out COAST, Finney and crew. He is the only local journalist to dare to tell the truth about those scoundrels.
February 12, 201312 yr Here's a group, coming out of the woodwork, I've never heard of railing against the Streetcar. More far right tea party fringe COASTers http://ourtp.org/blogs/blog/our-turning-point/civic-engagement/2013/02/12/cincinnati-streetcar-duke https://twitter.com/RichardAInman "#FreedomNinja, persistent, God loving, Constitutional conservative"
February 12, 201312 yr England had the right idea by shipping their crackpots off to the colonies in the 1700's. Unfortunately, we're left to deal with their descendants.
February 13, 201312 yr the person hitting the street car on twitter by the name of @plumstplaypen is David Laing who is PG Sittenfeld's Director of Policy. According to Laing's Linkedin page, he worked for one john cranley: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-laing/4/183/589
February 13, 201312 yr How do we know it's him? Also, I think COAST should sue PG for his aides possibly using city resources and time for personal/campaign activities!
February 13, 201312 yr ^^ Thanks. You don't post much, but when you do you reliably bring some quality info. ;-)
February 13, 201312 yr the person hitting the street car on twitter by the name of @plumstplaypen is David Laing who is PG Sittenfeld's Director of Policy. According to Laing's Linkedin page, he worked for one john cranley: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-laing/4/183/589 I will second the question, how do you know it is him? It is pretty unfair that you are calling this guy out without a shred of evidence.
February 13, 201312 yr Just saw the announcement by the City today of the 3 bids they received to actually construct the streetcar. They range from $71M to $87M, quite a spread. The original estimate for this section of the streetcar was $95M. Then it was bumped to $110M. These construction bids, on the low end bring the current cost to $128M, not including the contested Duke utility relocation cost of $15M. If the court decides the City is liable for this we are up to $143M. And actual construction has not even begun. How many construction projects do you know where cost overruns due to unforseen circumstances does not increase the cost? I seems to me that OTR, including the areas near Music Hall and the reconstructed Washington Park have been doing just fine. The justification for the streetcar has been to spur economic development. It seems to me that by the time the damn thing gets built the economic development will be over and done with. So just what is the City going to receive for this ever increasing cost?
February 13, 201312 yr I asked PG directly on Twitter whether his staff member David Laing is responsible for the @plumstplaypen account. PG's response: "@taestell no, definitely not him. Glad you asked, and also appreciate u wanting to actually have proof of the conclusions u reach" "@taestell the account's taken a jab or two at me; good news is, w 15 followers, who cares? Lets save our breath + fire for the big fights!"
February 13, 201312 yr I rather doubt that Sittenfeld would publicly admit to it being his aide even if it was him.
February 13, 201312 yr WCPO is Scripps (i.e. the Cincinnati Post). Wouldn't the great irony of the 21st century be that just as Gannet destroys whats left of the Enquirer, Scripps swoops in to place the final nail in the coffin by making 'CPO a truly multimedia newsource for the city. I'm switching my bookmarks.
February 13, 201312 yr I rather doubt that Sittenfeld would publicly admit to it being his aide even if it was him. But it would be stupid of him to lie about it. I would expect him to ignore the question if he didn't want to admit it.
February 13, 201312 yr Seelbach called out Cunningham/Cranley/members of city council for lying about his toilet cost. Cunningham responded with "I'm going to go with the original headline" Anyways, I imagine if what Cranley is saying is even half true, we are about to see an onslaught of negative publicity from the Enquirer, 700wlw, 55krc, Fox19, WLWT, WCPO, and WKRC. Seelbach's been a pleasant surprise in his willingness to publicly call out people for being lying sacks of crap, albeit in a politic way.
February 13, 201312 yr >WCPO is Scripps Ah yes Dave you're right, the ghost of the Post might leave Cincinnati.com as a minor outpost of The Enquirer, which will be reduced to something akin to the defunct Metro Mix. Meanwhile I have to wonder aloud if those Business Courier reporters didn't jump ship because they know what's just around the corner.
February 13, 201312 yr I seems to me that OTR, including the areas near Music Hall and the reconstructed Washington Park have been doing just fine. The justification for the streetcar has been to spur economic development. It seems to me that by the time the damn thing gets built the economic development will be over and done with. So just what is the City going to receive for this ever increasing cost? Why don't you wait and see what the final approved bid is? And what the court says? Why get all twisted in a knot about something that does not have the final number? And you never get a final number until a bid is accepted and approved. As for economic development being "done with"? Really?? When is economic development ever done with? Are you related to Charles Duell, by chance? In case that name doesn't ring a bell, he was the commissioner of the U.S. patent office in 1899 who allegedly urged that the patent office be closed because "Everything that can be invented has been invented." I suspect things will continue to be built and expanded and renovated and modernized in all areas of OTR for months, years, centuries and probably millennia -- considering the known lifespan of cities. In fact, it would be one of the most startling incidences of urban stagnation in the recorded history of cities if it did not. So stick around for at least another decade or so. What will occur in OTR after the streetcar starts running will amaze you and all those who are having a difficult time understanding why such a strange contraption is being sought. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 13, 201312 yr I seems to me that OTR, including the areas near Music Hall and the reconstructed Washington Park have been doing just fine. The justification for the streetcar has been to spur economic development. It seems to me that by the time the damn thing gets built the economic development will be over and done with. So just what is the City going to receive for this ever increasing cost? Why don't you wait and see what the final approved bid is? And what the court says? Why get all twisted in a knot about something that does not have the final number? And you never get a final number until a bid is accepted and approved. As for economic development being "done with"? Really?? When is economic development ever done with? Are you related to Charles Duell, by chance? In case that name doesn't ring a bell, he was the commissioner of the U.S. patent office in 1899 who allegedly urged that the patent office be closed because "Everything that can be invented has been invented." I suspect things will continue to be built and expanded and renovated and modernized in all areas of OTR for months, years, centuries and probably millennia -- considering the known lifespan of cities. In fact, it would be one of the most startling incidences of urban stagnation in the recorded history of cities if it did not. So stick around for at least another decade or so. What will occur in OTR after the streetcar starts running will amaze you and all those who are having a difficult time understanding why such a strange contraption is being sought. Thanks for posting that, I didn't have the energy to feed the troll respond. But I would add that its no coincidence that development in OTR has occurred directly along the streetcar route and has accelerated since that route was announced.
February 13, 201312 yr That is a pretty common argument against the project by People who aren't nearly as opposed as coast or Cranley, but still have major reservations and don't believe it to be necessary. The Reality is that about 3 to 4 blocks of OTR have truly been developed by 3CDC. There are still several hundred vacant buildings in over the Rhine including entireblocks north of liberty. Additionally downtown along Main Street From around fourth to court street is almost entirely underutilized. Additionally fourth street from main towards Vine has incredibly underutilized or empty class Coffice space.
February 13, 201312 yr I seems to me that OTR, including the areas near Music Hall and the reconstructed Washington Park have been doing just fine. The justification for the streetcar has been to spur economic development. It seems to me that by the time the damn thing gets built the economic development will be over and done with. So just what is the City going to receive for this ever increasing cost? Take a look at this map: Yes, there have been a lot of development in OTR in recent years (many of which was accelerated due to the promise of the streetcar). But most of those grey blocks along the line contain vacant buildings, underutilized buildings, or empty lots that will suddenly become prime real estate when the streetcar is operating.
February 13, 201312 yr ^ Thinking it should turn east off northbound Vine onto Hollister to Auburn to Euclid and Corryville beyond. Might want to use the Vine/Euclid pair rather than the Jefferson/Vine pair. We'll also need a cross-Clifton line from Hughes Corner to DeDales Corner and beyond.
February 13, 201312 yr All this talk of future lines is moot unless the elections produce Qualls and a majority streetcar supporting council. Council is now serving 4 year terms. Also, the governors election in 2014 is huge as well
February 13, 201312 yr Forty-five pages of light reading: Cincinnati-Streetcar-Bid-Tabulation.pdf "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 14, 201312 yr Great map, taestell! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 14, 201312 yr Waiting with bated breath... From @BarryHorstman's Twitter feed: High construction bids create another rocky patch for Cincinnati streetcar project. Coming in Thursday's Cincy Enquirer. @CinciEnquirer "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 14, 201312 yr Just saw the announcement by the City today of the 3 bids they received to actually construct the streetcar. They range from $71M to $87M, quite a spread. The original estimate for this section of the streetcar was $95M. Then it was bumped to $110M. These construction bids, on the low end bring the current cost to $128M, not including the contested Duke utility relocation cost of $15M. If the court decides the City is liable for this we are up to $143M. And actual construction has not even begun. How many construction projects do you know where cost overruns due to unforseen circumstances does not increase the cost? I seems to me that OTR, including the areas near Music Hall and the reconstructed Washington Park have been doing just fine. The justification for the streetcar has been to spur economic development. It seems to me that by the time the damn thing gets built the economic development will be over and done with. So just what is the City going to receive for this ever increasing cost? A postcard photo-op of a streetcar in front of Findlay Market. :) Forty-five pages of light reading: Cincinnati-Streetcar-Bid-Tabulation.pdf This is good stuff. Thanks for posting.
February 14, 201312 yr Like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, Biased Barry Horstman writes another Streetcar hit job. There's no Finney quote this time, but there is a completely gratuitous Cranley quote: EXCLUSIVE: Streetcar track bids exceed city estimates http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130213/NEWS/302140057/EXCLUSIVE-Streetcar-track-bids-exceed-city-estimates
February 14, 201312 yr Like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, Biased Barry Horstman writes another Streetcar hit job. There's no Finney quote this time, but there is a completely gratuitous Cranley quote: EXCLUSIVE: Streetcar track bids exceed city estimates http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130213/NEWS/302140057/EXCLUSIVE-Streetcar-track-bids-exceed-city-estimates I didn't find this article biased in any real sense. Not compared to other Horstman pieces, anyway, where it's pretty clear what his angle is (e.g. downplaying any good news--"City, Duke head to court over streetcar" instead of "City, Duke reach operating agreement" springs to mind). He's reporting potentially very bad news for the streetcar project. He's not making good (or neutral) news bad. The bids were way high.
February 14, 201312 yr I was taking advantage of some free time last night and perused the bids.... would the city be able to split up different components of the construction process? Because for some things Messer/Prus was significantly cheaper than the others, and for other things one of the other bids was cheaper. Or would the city use this information in the negotiation process with the companies to get lower bids? OR... is it a take it or leave it thing?
February 14, 201312 yr Get ready. A full out onslaught of negative publicity is coming from 700wlw, fox19, wlwt,wcpo, wkrc, and the Enquirer
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