MnDOT’s Sod Planting Project: More rocket science at the Megaversity
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According to a report by the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota titled Keeping roadsides green with salt-tolerant turfgrass, the s Continue Reading
OPINION | “Community” buzzzzzzz
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Whose bright idea was it replace the Free Speech Zone with Community Voices? What’s the reason for the replacement? Continue Reading
FREE SPEECH ZONE | roadkill on the shoehorned line
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Anh Trinh has operated a beauty shop at 397 University Avenue for more than 20 years. She lives above the shop. During the Central Corridor construction project, as bulldozing and jackhammering took place in front of her home and business, a drain pipe in Ms. Trinh’s basement sprang a leak. According to Anh, before the construction, her drainpipe was straight. After the construction, her basement wall sunk and bent the pipe. When she complained, she was told that her sewer leak was not caused by the construction.Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. The opinions expressed in the Free Speech Zone and Neighborhood Notes, as well as the opinions of bloggers, are their own and not necessarily the opinion of the TC Daily Planet.Before the construction, there was room between her building and the street to pile snow. Now, when there’s a heavy snow, it gets plowed onto the sidewalk in front of her home and business. Due to the construction, Anh has lost a lot of business. The customer parking in front of her shop is gone, and her shop is located in the middle of the block, so parking on nearby side streets, if available, is not a convenient option.Anh’s an optimist, a wishful thinker, a true believer. She’s gone to the Met Council Central Corridor Project hearings in the past, and she showed up once again on January 10, 2013, hoping maybe someone will finally listen. As Jack McCann, president of the University Avenue Business Association accurately states, the Central Corridor Project “can be summed up as dishonest and pathetic. An honest organization (which is not the Met Council) would have openly evaluated the real effects of shoehorning a project this size onto this avenue.” Continue Reading
Hooyah! The Brainpower State
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Each day crashes wait to happen as kamikaze commuters pour out of University Parking facilities and attempt to reach southbound 35W. The new bridge – an ugly 10-lane monstrosity – may have co Continue Reading
FREE SPEECH ZONE | The Urban Visionaries’ University Avenue Bicycle Plan
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Now that the “urban visionaries,” or whatever you’d like to call the vested interests that pumped the Central Corridor road construction project, have finished the University Avenue rebuild in St. Paul west of Fairview Avenue, other than by means of a kamikaze suicide mission in the middle of a lane of very heavy traffic, including buses, semis and private passenger vehicles, how is a bicyclist supposed to travel on University Avenue? How, for example, would a bike rider get from University and Raymond to University and Prior? Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. The opinions expressed in the Free Speech Zone and Neighborhood Notes, as well as the opinions of bloggers, are their own and not necessarily the opinion of the TC Daily Planet. Continue Reading
FREE SPEECH ZONE | Finance in a Nutshell
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Republican State Senator Julianne Ortman explains:””we had Minnesota’s bond counsel and financial advisory firms” recommending that the State borrow $700 million and pay it back with tobacco settlement money.Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. The opinions expressed in the Free Speech Zone and Neighborhood Notes, as well as the opinions of bloggers, are their own and not necessarily the opinion of the TC Daily Planet. Continue Reading
FREE SPEECH ZONE | Why does the train leave the avenue?
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Why is the planned Central Corridor LRT route, from 29th Avenue to the TCF Bank Stadium , on the existing transit right-of-way, while the route east of 29th Avenue, heading toward St. Paul, is in the middle of University Avenue?Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. http://www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/ccorridor/CCimages/Maps/CurrentCCLRTRouteMap.pdf It appears to involve some kind of deal between the University of Minnesota and MNDOT/Met Council, the agency responsible for acquiring the right-of-way for the planned Central Corridor project. According to Bob Baker, the U’s parking czar, http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_3287/aa20c9226d7f3b7c5f3c10bc5a5b5007/aa20c9226d7f3b7c5f3c10bc5a5b5007.jpg the entire transitway, from the football stadium to the fairgrounds, was purchased from the railroad for $20 million. What is the University getting for the few blocks between 29th Avenue and the TCF Bank Stadium? Some new roads to feed the U’s big Parking business?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ckTRCTOGpY Continue Reading
FREE SPEECH ZONE | Supplemental EA fans the flames of Central Corridor lawsuit
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The court-ordered supplemental environmental assessment (EA) of the “Construction-Related Potential Impacts (of the Central Corridor project) on Business Revenues” cites studies of “Twelve highway construction projects in Wyoming in towns ranging in size from 807 to 53,011 people.” Additional studies cited include: “Highway reconstruction near Dubois, Wyoming on the way to Jack Continue Reading
FREE SPEECH ZONE | Stops for Us wins award for transit justice work in St. Paul – Are they joking?
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A billion public transit dollars for a 100 million dollar road construction project. No sidewalk and a suicidal pedestrian crossing. Reduced local and express bus service. Small, local, independent businesses dropping like flies while the big box, fast food, suburban-style, industrial office park, parking lot franchises remain unscathed. Environment justice award? Continue Reading
FREE SPEECH ZONE | Cast Your Vote for Met Council
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Here on the planet earth, it’s a lot safer, a lot more efficient, and a lot less costly to move masses of people to and from school, work and other major destinations on mass transit than it is to move masses of motor vehicles into and out of overbuilt and misplaced parking facilities.Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWIktemnocghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDlVeoCPwekCast your vote to end the misappropriation of public transit funding. Tell Governor-elect Dayton to appoint me to represent District 14 – St. Paul west of 35E – on the Metropolitan Council.http://daytontransition.org/share-your-ideas/Sheldon GitisDistrict 14 candidate for Met Council54 years old, lifelong Twin Cities residentAvailable full-time to study, report on and participate in Met Council activitiesFor questions or concerns, contact me @651-645-5941sgitis@yahoo.com Continue Reading