The cost goes up by $2.9 million.
You know, there is a lot of sarcasm on this list and very little
appreciation for the good that does get done in our City/County/Region.
I am the first to say that we all have to hold our Representatives
accountable at all points. Clearly in this case, there were MANY
TERRIBLE MISTAKES made and this certainly angers me as both a
neighborhood organization director and an active resident of Minneapolis
(10th Ward). I also know that City Council Members are taking these
mistakes very seriously and will work to make sure that they don't
happen again- especially if we all insist on it and support the work
needed to make these good intentions mean something.
Please know that I am NOT defending any agency involved in this issue. I
do however want to say that the more I learn about this issue the more
complicated the storyline about who's to blame and who's not to blame
becomes. I am tired of seeing off the cuff assumptions posted on this
list without background information. It is easier to be a mpls issues
ranter than to really learn about what is going on.
What is NOT complicated is that a WALL taller than both the Berlin Wall
and The Great Wall of China cannot be constructed at Lake and Hiawatha.
I am very happy to see public entities partnering to assume
responsibility for the chain of mistakes that lead up to the idea of the
WALL even being entertained. This is good.
Yes, we are all aware of the Sabo money and most of us would prefer to
see the funds for solving this situation come from sources other than
City MSA funds which is where 1/2 of the money for fixing the mistake
will probably come from.
But, it doesn't look like that can happen for many reasons. This is the
reality because at this point time is running out.
Hopefully everyone involved in this issue will take measures to assure
that this never happens again but the reality is that the communities
immediately impacted by this issue need to know that the Wall will not
happen. I am very pleased and very THANKFUL for the work that is being
done by community members AND elected/Appointed officials to fix this
absurd situation.
I also want to raise a point that I have not heard yet-
The question of whether or not the Community was able to "weigh in" on
this issue before the HPO decide to allow the change from a pier
structure to a WALL is not the question to ask.
The question is why would stewards of the projects , the engineers etc,
have to ask the community if it did or didn't want to see a 1000 ft
wide and 30 foot tall wall placed in between its neighborhoods? Come on!
To constantly say that "they should have asked us" takes away the
responsibility that these people have to make good decisions. When a
project is funded by public funds the first evaluation of a decision
must be: "first do no harm."
This is what is hardest to understand about this situation. How people
could have sat in a room and decided that building this WALL that would
in effect ruin any possibility of connection and redevelopment in the
Hiawatha and Lake area and would actual have created a canyon primed
for crime and litter etc JUST TO SAVE $800,000? This is the question we
should really be asking.
My bottom line and the bottom line of the communities most immediately
affected is that the WALL concept has to go and I appreciate the work
that is being done to make sure this happens.
So, Thanks MET Council : Ted Mondale, Carol Kummer, Matthew Ramadan,
Frank Hornstein, and all the other reps. Thanks CM Thurber, Thanks CM
Niland, Thanks CM Campbell,Thanks Mr. Sonnenberg and especially thanks
to all of the community members in Longfellow, Corcoran,Seward, East
Phillips and members of the Midtown Green way Coalition for your
countless hours of work on behalf of Minneapolis.
Sheila Delaney
Bruce Gaarder wrote:
>
> Such a generous action on the part of the met council.
>
> One wonders what a detailed accounting of the $60 million extra that Uncle
> Sabo brought in will reveal. I seem to remember that it was supposed to
> be used to restore cuts that were made to meet the earlier budget.
>
> I guess that not only did they forget to tell the public about the bridge
> change, but they forgot to put it on their list on things cut that it
> would be nice to restore.
>
> And the city gets off for only $1.45 million on this first revelation
> about what those with the desire called streetcar have done.
>
> So, does the official cost of the project go up by $1.45 million (the
> city's share with the other half coming out of contingency pools), or does
> it go up by $2.9 million. It sure can't stay the same without lots of
> fancy rationalizing going on.
>
> Bruce Gaarder
> Highland Park Saint Paul
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Frank Hornstein wrote:
> > On Wednesday afternoon the Metropolitan Council voted unanimously to allocate
> > 1.45 million dollars to redesign the 28th Street LRT station to better
> > conform with the wishes of the communities around this station. This action
> > provides half of the costs associated with station redesign. On Friday, the
> > Minneapolis City Council will vote on whether to appropriate the remaining
> > monies.
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