[Mpls] Target: Property Values and Property Taxes
701 West Broadway Market Value: $3,638,000 (up from $3,025,000) Property Tax: $148,408 (4.1%) 313,487 square feet of land 1000 Nicollet Mall Market Value: $54,500,000 (down from $62 million) Property Tax: $2,244,464 (4.1%) 71,508 square feet of land 600 1st Avenue North (Target Center) Market Value: $43,960,000 Property Tax: $0.00 127,999 square feet of land Interesting that the market value on West Broadway has increased while the market value on the Nicollet Mall has decreased. When Target disposes of this property, I hope the buyer is told that property taxes are expected double over the next 5-8 years. The falling value of the Nicollet Mall site should be a major concern to Minneapolis taxpayers. When asset values fall, the corresponding debts don't fall with them. Minneapolis taxpayers guaranteed payment of the debts. In return for NO property tax payments, every taxpayer in Minneapolis should get free Timberwolves tickets, not just politicians. (Ditto for Guthrie Tickets.) Vicky Heller, North Oaks TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS
It is always interesting to see how parents perceive changes in the school district regarding learning styles and quote the SLC curriculum. Do you all know Barton School and its reputation today. Barton is classified as an open school and a merger between Lake Harriet Open School (Fulton Open) and Harrison Open. When Lake Harriet Open School first started, the turnover was extremely high. Why, because the parents did not understand the concept or have the patience to see what would happen to their child as the school began to identify itself. It needed time to develop its own personality and learn how to became the school it is. Just like a human who does not have an indentifiable personality when born. Now look at Barton, one of the top schools in the city. I believe that we have to give SLC a chance to develop itself and see how the students achieve in later life. Why do so many people jump the gun and judge after only 1 or 2 yrs. It takes time for any program to develop and grow. Compare this to your own children. Open school kids sometimes do poorly in the early grades. Why, because they are learning concepts and understanding and thinking skills. It has been shown that these kids once they get into the higher grades really start to excell and can jump several grade levels in their abiltiy to perform. Many teachers in high school have remarked at how flexible and adaptable these kids are. This is part of what MPS teaches. It is the parents who prejudge the school. Do you talk to your kids about the school and what they like or dislike about it. Have you really given the school a fair chance or do you make a judgement call after only 1 year. MPS does look for new ways to improve themselves in spite of the budget cuts accountability to others and the citizens of MPS and the state legislature. Please do not prejudge any program or MPS because you may not have all the facts about the situation. Statistics can be geared to show anything. Talk with the kids about their experiences. Those that send their kids to non public schools, that is their choice. Do these schools produce the statistics by which you judge MPS. Are you 100% happy with these schools. Maybe you should be considering they may cost a lot of money and you would not want to feel that you are throwing these thousands of dollars away. The next several years will be crucial for MPS concerning the big teacher and administrative cuts. We need to help them to educate our kids to become good citizens and our future leaders. eli kaplan Linden Hills TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS
Subject: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS It is always interesting to see how parents perceive changes in the school district regarding learning styles and quote the SLC curriculum. Do you all know Barton School and its reputation today. Barton is classified as an open school and a merger between Lake Harriet Open School (Fulton Open) and Harrison Open. When Lake Harriet Open School first started, the turnover was extremely high. (CM) Quit selling parents short. They looked they disliked and they moved on. Why, because the parents did not understand the concept or have the patience to see what would happen to their child as the school began to identify itself. It needed time to develop its own personality and learn how to became the school it is. Just like a human who does not have an indentifiable personality when born. Now look at Barton, one of the top schools in the city. I believe that we have to give SLC a chance to develop itself and see how the students achieve in later life. (CM) Is it just me just getting a headache reading this? Why do so many people jump the gun and judge after only 1 or 2 yrs. (CM) By the logic established in this post, jumping around every two years shouldn't hurt the child. The curriculum changes every two years. The name of the schools change every two years. The program structures change every two years. The time schedules change every two years. The Principals change every two years. The bus schedules change every two years. The mad scientists who get the New idea of the biennium change every two years. Where I have my eldest now is going to change very little between now and when my youngest starts school. The school my eldest goes to, is very similar to the one I attended. Not physically, but classroom and curriculum wise. It is the parents who prejudge the school. Do you talk to your kids about the school and what they like or dislike about it. Have you really given the school a fair chance or do you make a judgement call after only 1 year. MPS does look for new ways to improve themselves in spite of the budget cuts accountability to others and the citizens of MPS and the state legislature. (CM) At 13,000 per year. This is a joke. BTW that 13k per year really isn't a true number, it has to be much higher. The 13 k is based on the begaining of the year. With the astoundingly high drop out rate, it must be up around 17-21,000 per senior. Please do not prejudge any program or MPS because you may not have all the facts about the situation. Statistics can be geared to show anything. Talk with the kids about their experiences. (CM) Try this novel concept. Tell your kids where they are going to school, tell them to get good grades, help and make them do their homework. Take away their bikes, video, icecream and time with friends if they don't cut it. Works wonders in three generations of both my families. Craig Miller So very happy to not have my kids in the mad experiment that is known as MPS Rogers, MN [EMAIL PROTECTED] eli kaplan Linden Hills TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Education;Tax
Eli: Do you actually have problems with non-achieving children? Craig seems to be convinced you do. The other question I have is, do the graduates of Rogers schools win a lot of Merit Scholarships and such? I mean, all the focus is on the failing students in Minneapolis AS IF students elsewhere never fail at all. Nor do the many high-achieving students get any recognition. And I know they are there in the city schools. By the way, I was in honor society, and my parents never did any of the things Craig offers as solutions. What my parents did was live the lives of literate, educated parents. They showed in the way they lived their own lives that education mattered. I picked up on that myself without a lot of heavy-handed input. My father played operas for his enjoyment, and from that I learned that serious music was entertainment. Do all our consumption-crazy parents today set the bar high for their children? I wonder. It does no good at all to crab at the school administration if you entertain yourself at home with Bachelor and WWF. Kids will pick on the genuine message every time. --- Who is the actual owner of Target Center. If we are, then the fact that we don't pay taxes to ourselves only makes sense. And getting a ticket for our trouble doesn't. = Jim Mork Cooper-Longfellow-Minneapolis (L'Etoile du Nord) --- Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power. Benito Mussolini ... __ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
RE: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS
Eli Kaplan wrote: Please do not prejudge any program or MPS because you may not have all the facts about the situation. Statistics can be geared to show anything. Talk with the kids about their experiences. Bad statistics can be geared to show anything, valid statistical techniques cannot. Although liars can use statistics, you don't need statistics to lie. I'm astounded that the defenders of the MPS take such an anti-intellectual/anti-scientific track, it's something that I would expect more from right wing Christian fundamentalists. If the science of psychology has taught us anything it's that individual judgment is subject to any number of irrational biases; among them unconscious influences, the spuriousness of human memory, social conformity, submission to authority, etc. If science has been successful in many fields, such as Physics, Astronomy, Biology, and Medicine then it has been because of the study of statistics. So is that what they teach in the MPS, that statistics can be geared to show anything so don't bother leaning how to use them? How are students going to be able to evaluate accurate from inaccurate arguments, rely on faith and individual experience? I see the same difficulty with Mr. Brauer's rule that he will, ...only listen to those with kids IN the school system. How do you know that your children are getting a quality education if you are not familiar with what can be achieved in other educational systems? As to the argument that there are merit scholars from the MPS system. I would agree that there are students who are bright, self-motivated, and well supported who will excel in any educational system, but we should be concerned about the typical student, not the exceptions. Secondly, if you look at MPS as a whole you will see that there are radical differences by geographical location and race. I would be more likely to accept Mr. Brauer's argument if he were willing to have his child placed randomly within the Minneapolis Public Schools. I looked carefully at my choices in Southeast and do not believe that schools rate as acceptable, let alone excellent. I believe that the world's most powerful country can have an excellent public education system (and it's not the money it's the structure). I have to admit that what I expect for my children may not be close to the norm expected by most parents. There are many American families who are not interested in rigorous academics or a challenging intellectual environment, but there are other school systems that meet a variety of expectations, the MPS do not. David Brauer wrote: So ... I'd still like to hear from parents with kids in Minneapolis Public Schools' Small Learning Communities. So would I. In addition, I would like to know why the MPS implemented SLCs system wide rather than testing them on a smaller scale first (it seems like an approach that is scaleable). I would also like to know the preliminary statistics. Have SLCs had any impact on dropout rates, truancy, student behavioral problems or student achievement? If the MPS does not have the systems to collect this information they're in a world of hurt and in need of new management. Michael Atherton Prospect Park TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] School Achievement
Just out of curiosity, I went looking and found the following article on who this year's National Merit Scholarship winners were: http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/3907044.html Scanning through the list, I see TWO winners from South High, the place where Philips teenagers get their schooling. Over in St Paul, I see one from Central High. Most of the rest come from Greater Minnesota. Most Twin Cities suburbs don't have any at all. Must we conclude that parents in suburbs are not as eager as south Minneapolis parents to get their kids to achieve? Meanwhile, I checked with my niece who is a South High grad, class of '91. She said back in her era, South had as many as 19 National Merit scholars in one year. Explanation: It was an academic magnet school. I guess the bright students who had the choice chose South. I wonder how much the overall count for Minnesota has dropped, if South has gone from 19 to 2. -- By the way, you critics of MPS, check this: http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/news/we_are_proud.shtml And you defenders, check it too. All is not bad in the kingdom of MPS (Personal note: The son of an old friend of my wife's, a family that stuck loyally with the Mpls public system, was elected president of the Minnesota Association of Honor Societies. Shows you what can happen with dedicated PARENTS. Their ELDER son is a student at U of Chicago and sometimes posts messages here.) I'm afraid Mr. Atherton failed to get the gist of my message. I wasn't talking about self-motivated students. I clearly talked about how high the parents set the bar. But I was talking about students whose parents SHOW the value they put on education. Mine both had Masters degrees, my father getting his before he even began a serious career. And as I said, they did very little watching of TV or other entertainment like that. My father was a bowler and a bridge player. My mother mostly just work-work-worked. She was the school teacher, so her dedication was very direct. No one had to be Einstein to get that she considered school important. So, we didn't get chased around to work on studies. But I do fault TV. My study habits were ingrained before entertainment became Job 1 in America. We had some, but it wasn't the focal point of life. Nowadays it is. And America is worse as a result. = Jim Mork Cooper-Longfellow-Minneapolis (L'Etoile du Nord) --- Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power. Benito Mussolini ... __ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS
Craig, you're missing the irony. Eli is describing Barton. Parents now say, If only we could get Junior into Barton... in the same tone of helpless yearning that others say, If only we could afford to send Junior to Breck. But I'm not really sure if you can compare SLC with open schools or evaluate open schools in general by looking at Barton. Some friends had their two kids at Barton through the late eighties and early nineties (both did extremely well in high school and college, by the way). I was their family's roommate for a while, and so was closer to the children's education than a friend of the family would normally be. My friends did a lot of volunteering at the school because they enjoyed the time they spent there. The kids generally looked forward to weekday mornings instead of dreading them. The teachers, from everything I heard, enjoyed their jobs. I wasn't sure if Barton's success was because of its open format or because it managed to keep each group of stakeholders happy. My impression was that the open school format contributed to stakeholder's happiness by providing more room for fun. Kids like fun quite a lot. Even notoriously grouchy subsets of humanity like parents and teachers can appreciate fun under the right circumstances. But it's certainly possible to imagine a school where everybody has fun but the kids didn't learn anything or an open school that is so badly run that parents, students, and teachers are all miserable. Rosalind Nelson Bancroft neighborhood Craig Miller wrote: Subject: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS It is always interesting to see how parents perceive changes in the school district regarding learning styles and quote the SLC curriculum. Do you all know Barton School and its reputation today. Barton is classified as an open school and a merger between Lake Harriet Open School (Fulton Open) and Harrison Open. When Lake Harriet Open School first started, the turnover was extremely high. (CM) Quit selling parents short. They looked they disliked and they moved on. Why, because the parents did not understand the concept or have the patience to see what would happen to their child as the school began to identify itself. It needed time to develop its own personality and learn how to became the school it is. Just like a human who does not have an indentifiable personality when born. Now look at Barton, one of the top schools in the city. I believe that we have to give SLC a chance to develop itself and see how the students achieve in later life. (CM) Is it just me just getting a headache reading this? TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Why Barton became one of the districts best schools.
Continuation of discussion from the thread Re: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS I would like to hear more about the history of Barton and the other open schools. I was a Marcy Open school parent in the late 1980's. At that point the open schools still had a spotty reputation. Barton is now one of the top schools because its program is based on sound principles and it has been resistant to reforms which the distinct administration has imposed on most of the other schools. The most pernicious of those reforms is the reintroduction of curriculum differentiation in the early elementary grades via part-time tracking and ability-grouping. Open schools were a new thing back in the late 1960's and early 1970's, and I am sure that it took most of the teachers a while a figure out how to teach effectively with an approach they were unfamiliar with. The open schools are really based on an old model of teaching and are in some respects a throwback to the public schools of the late 19th century. The more successful open school programs are similar to the Montessori schools. The Montessori schools have multiage, multi-ability classrooms which were typical of public schools in their formative years -- the 1870s and 80s. Montessori teachers do not group students in any way, although the students work in groups: They group themselves, and generally not according to ability. Compared to most public school programs, learning activities in a Montessori classroom are more student-centered and the curriculum is more individualized. The teachers are less engaged in tutorial activities and more engaged in active observation and individualized educational planning. -Doug Mann, King Field Educationright.tripod.com In a message dated 6/15/2003 11:25:39 AM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It is always interesting to see how parents perceive changes in the school district regarding learning styles and quote the SLC curriculum. Do you all know Barton School and its reputation today. Barton is classified as an open school and a merger between Lake Harriet Open School (Fulton Open) and Harrison Open. When Lake Harriet Open School first started, the turnover was extremely high. Why, because the parents did not understand the concept or have the patience to see what would happen to their child as the school began to identify itself. It needed time to develop its own personality and learn how to became the school it is. Just like a human who does not have an indentifiable personality when born. Now look at Barton, one of the top schools in the city. I believe that we have to give SLC a chance to develop itself and see how the students achieve in later life. TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS
David Brauer wrote: Based on what I know of SLCs, Jim Grathwol is right. A kid chooses a medical magnet at Roosevelt - yes, a lot of the learning is applied through a medical metaphor. But the kid is no more locked into a medical career than anyone else. It just means they learn concepts better through science. Mark Anderson responds: I think this gets to the heart of what the Mpls School System intends with their choices in so many narrow areas: they intend to put each student into small like-minded groups. This is supposed to help each kid learn to the best of his/her abilities (as David says, applying the medical metaphor). But I have a strong suspicion that kids don't learn well in such narrow groups. Back when I was in school, I was mostly in the math/science track -- my math/science classmates were the math/science nerds that were likely to major in such fields. The teachers taught us hard-core math and science. At least a couple of times I stupidly ended up in science classes that were designed for liberal arts kids who needed science class credits (I specifically remember one of these in high school and one in college). There was very little science taught in these classes. I hate to think that there are lots of otherwise well educated people out there whose entire exposure to science consisted of such classes. And I suppose I similarly missed some hard-core education in the liberal arts area because I focused more on the science track. I did end up majoring in Accounting in college, so I didn't stay in math/science. But when I took the math classes required to get my business degree, I stayed far away from those math classes that were designed just for business majors. I didn't want to waste my time in dumbed-down classes. I wonder if Michelle's daughter is stuck in the literature track now. If all her cohorts are literature types like her, I can just imagine the kind of math and science classes her group takes. I think the idea of small learning groups is a great idea -- our schools are too large, and they need to be broken down into smaller groups. They are also doing this to some extent in the Middle School where my son is, and I'm all for it. But eighth grade is too young to narrow down how kids are going to learn. I want my son to take hard-core math, science, history, and literature classes. I don't think this will happen if all his cohorts have the same interests as him. As I stated in my earlier comments near the beginning of this thread, from what I've heard through the grapevine, these special interest groups are mostly a mirage. The students in each interest group in a school can take any classes they want. That's good. But if so, what is the point of signing up for all these different groups? I had previously asked for input from people who've been through this, but from the thread I've read it sounds like SLG is only a couple years old. So there will be little experience out there. I guess I'm not real concerned as long as students retain the opportunity to take any class in their school. But the application process does seem a bit over complicated. Mark V Anderson Bancroft TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] Career Pathways for 8th Graders in MPS
This is one of the rare occasions where I agree with everything in a post that Michael Atherton wrote. I think that the following 2 points should be emphasized: In a message dated 6/15/2003 5:05:21 PM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Eli Kaplan wrote: Please do not prejudge any program or MPS because you may not have all the facts about the situation. Statistics can be geared to show anything. Talk with the kids about their experiences. Bad statistics can be geared to show anything, valid statistical techniques cannot. Although liars can use statistics, you don't need statistics to lie. I'm astounded that the defenders of the MPS take such an anti-intellectual/anti-scientific tack, it's something that I would expect more from right wing Christian fundamentalists [...] If science has been successful in many fields, such as Physics, Astronomy, Biology, and Medicine then it has been because of the study of statistics. So is that what they teach in the MPS, that statistics can be geared to show anything so don't bother learning how to use them? How are students going to be able to evaluate accurate from inaccurate arguments, rely on faith and individual experience? [snip] David Brauer wrote: So ... I'd still like to hear from parents with kids in Minneapolis Public Schools' Small Learning Communities. So would I. In addition, I would like to know why the MPS implemented SLCs system wide rather than testing them on a smaller scale first (it seems like an approach that is scaleable). I would also like to know the preliminary statistics. Have SLCs had any impact on dropout rates, truancy, student behavioral problems or student achievement? If the MPS does not have the systems to collect this information they're in a world of hurt and in need of new management. Michael Atherton Prospect Park -Doug Mann, King Field Educationright.tripod.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] BRT/ Trojan horse for redevelopment of Lowry Avenue/ Wrong Avenue for BRT
The Big Muddy still crosses West Bro. at the Broadway bridge. I often wonder: What if our civic leaders could divert that water away from the Northside's greatest Avenue? If they could send it through, somewhere else, by-passing Our Avenue With the Most Potential West Broadway; how quick would they do it? They are diverting some progress that is coming down the pike, again. Hwy 81 (West Broadway), has a huge County/Federal/Suburban Municipal(s) redevelopment/reconfiguaration program from Rogers, to our City limits. But at our City Limits, planning, and implementation, dead ends. Is there a wall at Wirth Parkway; maybe some buried land mines, to explain the aversion to cooperative planning with our stretch of West Broadway? Can Mpls' West Broadway have it's rightful place in the plan? Eastbound at Wirth Parkway--Warning: Do not enter, inner-city West Bro. ahead, stagnancy maintenance zone, no passage. West Bound at Wirth Parkway--Warning: Do not exit the hood, Suburban Opportunity Zone ahead, stay out. Met Council Chief Peter Bell told people that development standards shall be utilized for Met Council projects. Metro transit, including BRT, is the responsibility of the Met Council; but not a peep from Peter Bell. Is it fair to expect that Federally fueled, and financed, projects in our Northwest Quadrant will adhere to obvious, and reasonable standards? Guess again. BRT is comin'. Plain English: Fast Buses. Light rail; without the rail. Rubber wheels below; and a steerin' wheel inside. What a great advancement that is; and it carries more then people! Yep; it carries most of the Hwy 81 (beyond Mpls.) Redevelopment design money, and implementation money, as a bonus cargo. BRT is doing some heavy schlepping of Federal cash for road redevelopment. But BRT, the Fast Bus , has been hijacked, and diverted! The hijackers are wearing no masks, carrying no bombs, and they are not packing heat. Sport jacket and tie is the uniform of choice, or ladies's power dresses. The pen is more mighty then the sword. And Civic Leaders did the switcheroo. Consider: Lowry is an Avenue in North Mpls. that is being redesigned with, mostly, one traffic lane in each direction; and no parking lanes. Yet, Civic Leaders are touting it for Bus RAPID Transit (BRT) routing. And what booty is garnered by elected officials intercepting a Fast Bus at Wirth Parkway? Who gains, and who loses by diverting it off major West Broadway? Who gains, and who loses, by detouring BRT onto more minor Lowry Avenue north? Who is sending long distance BRT commuters along little Lowry to get from DT, and North Mpls, out to Rogers, and back?? The booty in this hijacking is tens of millions of Federal dollars! Money that should go to the more appropriate major transit corridor, West Broadway. It may go to Little Lowry instead. Who/what/where/why/how? Who: Those who have more interest in minor Lowry Avenue north then major, and unique, West Broadway Ave. What: Diverting Federal Transit, BRT, Money to redevelop Lowry Avenue. BRT belongs solely on West Broadway. Regular MCTO transit to BRT nodes at West Broadway/Penn, and West Broadway/Lyndale, from all over North Mpls., is appropriate. Ask Peter Bell, Met Council Chief, about standards. He just won't stand up for West Broadway; he is willing to dismiss his standards and yield to the political will of others. Where: First, where not: Not Lowry Avenue, a neighborhood corridor. NOW where: West Broadway the Northwest Quadrant's main commercial, and main commuter, Corridor. Why: Cynical and shortsighted Civic leaders' desire to renew minor Lowry Avenue, at the expense, and with the neglect, of more appropriate West Broadway Ave. How: Further clogging a narrow neighborhood corridor with additional BRT busses, and calling it a multi modal commuter corridor, and other gobbledeegoof, while hijacking tens of millions of Federal dollars for the wrong County Road, Little Lowry Avenue. So...does the river still run under the Broadway Bridge? So far, yes. Should West Broadway be the sole route for BRT in North Mpls, of course. Should it be diverted, diluted, and slowed down for Trojan Horse funding of Lowry Avenue renewal: No. Lowry BRT is a bad choice that must be halted; the federal dollars must go to West Broadway Avenue. Keith Reitman Property owner on both Lowry West BroadwayNearNorth TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
