First, re: Steve Carter's questioning of people debating the north-south block question amid a history of executive director controversy and community library question:
I think Steve's concerns are legitimate: governance and community library policy is critical, and it's good to keep those uppermost in our minds. However, there's some urgency to the north-south block question, since the city is about to make a $120 million decision that will affect us for (hopefully) 50 years. So I think it's bad tactics to dis those concerned with an immediate, credible question to promote other legitimate questions. If I were you, I'd be thrilled people are paying attention to library questions **at all** and use that attention as a teachable moment - building on it, not bludgeoning it. My 2 cents. As to the north-south issue itself: I'm an agnostic on this one. However, I find myself in the odd position of wondering with the preoccupation with an homage to history has gone too far - or maybe, the Gateway as we knew it too far gone. Whatever Gateway Park was, that area is no longer the gateway to the city. Redevelopment around the two-block library area has obscured any gateway factor. These days, the true gateway to Minneapolis is probably off 35W coming north (hey, the Drake Hotel right there is vacant - let's make a park!) or 94 east around the Dome, or the 394 TAD ramps. As for a "Gateway-block" park, there will be a pretty neat one just a block east of the old Nicollet Hotel block where Marquette Plaza (the old Fed) now sits. I'm all for more green space Downtown, but there should be a pretty nice chunk of it just across Nicollet from the library site. Let's figure out a way to build the new library in such a way to work with this new half-block green jewel, while building a more usable library on one block and more tax-producing housing on the other. (Note: and let's figure out a way to build a park on what's left of the Hennepin Center for the Arts block, where the Shubert now sits.) I'm all for restoring the Milwaukee Road depot (sadly marred by the Marriott logo on the tower) or the city hall chambers that retain a sense of history. Maybe I lack vision, but I just can't see a Gateway feel being revived in the gateway area. If there are other reasons to build on one block or the other, I'm open. David Brauer King Field - Ward 10 > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Chris > Steller > Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 12:03 PM > To: Mpls Issues > Subject: Re: [Mpls] Library Site Selection > > It is hard to put into words the feeling in the civic gut that we should > build our new central library on the north block. It's as intangible as > river vapor and yet as tangible as the main roads that coverge there. > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
