I have not read the article yet that Tim is referring to however, but from my surgical sick bed I will respond (while most of the rest of you are enjoying the Gay Pride parade, I presume). While yes we built some new maintenance repair facilities we forgot to build the female employees a restroom and a place for their personal belongings. The repair facility is small and hardly fixes much more than a weed whacker.
However, the real story is that we are going to save everyone lots of money with our new Headquarters that will last us all this next century at least. It will replace our current Grain Exchange building "digs" downtown and therefore when you come to a public hearing or meeting, or want to pick up a permit and such you will have FREE parking in our lot that overlooks the beautiful Mississippi River. This will be an amenity not only for the City but for the northside and is part of a bigger picture some of us have for getting equity in the city with lots of great things on the northside too that are Park, River and citizen related. Not all great things happen on the Lakes. Besides our offices of key staff, Superintendent's , etc the City and even the Mayor has suggested we think of some combined city services where people have to come pick up things be out at the new building in order to address the parking and complexity of getting around downtown issues. It is located at Broadway and the River - next to Broadway Pizza and just on the new road that will be going past the new digs at the former Riverview Supper Club and the new road. It will be across from the Northeast artist's quarters and newly remodeled Grain Belt Brewery. And if that all isn't enough for you it is all at a cost almost exactly equal to what we pay now for downtown and the maintenance facility. Now ever though Vivian is upset about this expenditure I want to bet you that anger is based on some other issues not really related to us getting new headquarters. The rest of us all love the idea and are excited about the possibilities. The building is big enough to meet many services. Is this a great deal for the Park system as a whole for the next 100 years - that is the real question? And if I still haven't convinced you -take a ride or walk up there and sit on the banks in front of the new "proposed" site and check out the gorgeous views of downtown Minneapolis and the River. And to top it off - it is in Ward 5 - so Natalie J-L will have something new to brag about. From your missing Park Commissioner (who spent lots of time at Fairview-Riverside hospsital the past month)... Annie Young citywide Park Commissioner who has been waiting for our own "independent" headquarters for at least 12 years - not attached to that red building downtown. At 11:42 AM 6/27/02 -0700, timothy connolly wrote: >Steve Brandt reports in todays Metro section of the >Strib that MPRB "has struck a nearly $3 million deal >to buy a riverfront building for a headquarters and >maintenance base." > >In the second to the last paragraph he reports that >Commissioner Vivian Mason strongly opposes purchasing >the property and states her reasons. > >I recall first hearing of this proposal and wondering >why buy on the riverfront which seems to me to be >fairly fancy digs for a maintenance base if nothing >else. > >I assume this is more than a place to fix lawn mowers >and weed whackers. Maybe I am mistaken in which case I >am certain I will be corrected. > >It wasn't so long ago the City of Minneapolis built a >new maintenance facility on Currie and a radio shop on >Royalston. Certainly someone must have been able to >foresee the needs of MPRB and could have consolidated >operations. > >By no means am I suggesting MPRB lose its independent >status in the total picture of our city's governance. >But governance is one thing and good sense operations >is quite another. > >Of course this is backward looking and we all know the >saying about hindsight. > >The fact is though that we have not been served well >by departmental bureaucracies which have tenaciously >clung to their power bases. > >So what is to be done? > >I would suggest that MPRB take a couple steps back and >a few deep breaths before finalizing this deal if at >all possible and consider other more radical ideas for >solving their space requirements if they have not done >so already. > >They might also examine their motives to see if they >are not guided in some degree by what I call "corner >office syndrome". > >Tim Connolly >Back with a vengeance and still alive in Downtown >West. > > > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup >http://fifaworldcup.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 _______________________________________ 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
