RE: [Mpls] Lake Street Access Project
Tim Bonham: I don't know anything about this Lake St/Hwy 35W project, or the people involved (or even why anyone thinks we need to spend any tax money on changing it after all these years), but I did check out 1 item on this -- is Tom Johnson a lobbyist: From Minnesota Campaign Finance Board List of registered lobbyists: http://www.cfboard.state.mn.us/lobby/lobbyist.html#J Johnson, Thomas, L 3400 City Center, 33 S 6th St Minneapolis, MN 55402 (612)340-5432 #9462 Registered Pre-1996 This is Tom Johnson, an attorney at the Gray Plant Mooty law firm (and former Hennepin County Attorney) NOT Tom Johnson of Access Project fame. I know them both. Although, come to think of it, I've never seen them in the same room David Brauer King Field ___ 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
Re: [Mpls] Lake Street Access Project
Tim Bonham wrote: I don't know anything about this Lake St/Hwy 35W project, or the people involved (or even why anyone thinks we need to spend any tax money on changing it after all these years) This is the I35W mitigation deal, as I understand it. From its inception, many people in South Minneapolis have believed that in building I35 we got shafted by the engineers. (1) I 35 goes under the streets from all the way out in the burbs until it hits Lake Street, then it's above ground suddenly. Even though they dug a trench from downtown to Hwy. 62 to put 35 in originally, at Lake St. they declined to trench. (2) At Lake St. one cannot get on 35 to go North or get off if travelling South bound. This has contributed a hefty amount of constraint which resulted (as part of red-lining) in the decline of Lake Street and parts of Nicollet Av. as commercial corridors. The taxes go away and the city disinvests in street cleaning, plowing, etc., etc. too. Then the economic engine falls apart. (3) The Northbound entrance to the freeways at Franklin and Fifth is too crazy for words--going North on 35 or trying to get onto 94 two blocks North of the entrance. MnDOT wants to correct that flaw, as do we who use that entrance. (4) As well as some bad engineering, poor design, and cheap materials that stretch of freeway also suffers from neglect by MnDOT, its owner. The sound baffles and bridge architecture must have been done by the guy who graduated at the bottom of his class or the guy who had no sense of style whatsoever. It is controversial in that, like everything else, it takes a lot more money to correct mistakes than it does to do it right from the first and maintain it religiously. Of course, when talking freeways, you're already talking big bucks just to think about how to correct your mistakes. Add to that that both MnDOT and Metro Transit want a bus station on the freeway bridge with elevators up to it from Lake St. Wells Fargo, Abbott Hospital, St. Mary's and some others would like, though are not determined to have, a flyover to 28th. St. for employees, suppliers, and customers. Also, we who live next to the freeway or around it, are really tired of looking at this shabby way we were treated and believe that the state should correct the mistakes, add the innovations, make it nice looking, and keep it that way until we run out of fossil fuels. Then we'll remodel to be filled with water and get boats if we haven't either blown ourselves up or poisoned ourselves extinct. WizardMarks, Central ___ 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
Re: [Mpls] Lake Street Access Project
I don't know anything about this Lake St/Hwy 35W project, or the people involved (or even why anyone thinks we need to spend any tax money on changing it after all these years), but I did check out 1 item on this -- is Tom Johnson a lobbyist: From Minnesota Campaign Finance Board List of registered lobbyists: http://www.cfboard.state.mn.us/lobby/lobbyist.html#J Johnson, Thomas, L 3400 City Center, 33 S 6th St Minneapolis, MN 55402 (612)340-5432 #9462 Registered Pre-1996 I don't know if this is the same guy or not (pretty common name), but there is certainly 1 Tom Johnson that IS a lobbyist. Tim Bonham, Ward 12, Standish-Ericsson Further - Tom Johnson is a lobbyist, I don't think he denies it, so it's interesting that Wizard does. .. Johnson says he is not a lobbyist and you're the only person with an interest in calling him a liar on that point. ___ 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
Re: [Mpls] Lake Street Access Project
Dave Piehl wrote: Indeed, when the freeway was originally built there were the same grand promises of mitigation, though it wasn't called that at the time; the promise was for a beautiful, landscaped and terraced parkway. I don't think that describes what we got. We cannot deal with a dream from 1962. Today, we have a freeway that does not serve the needs of a huge chunk of the Southside. When the Indians owned the land, it was probably about deer, elk, moose, and fish. Let's deal with what's out there, give a boolean interpretation, just for the whoop-de-doo of it. 1982 is gone and it's not coming back. Well, I'd say the information I found qualifies as a secret, even a manipulation - since the public was told the EXACT opposite just days ago! Put up or shut up. Further - Tom Johnson is a lobbyist, I don't think he denies it, so it's interesting that Wizard does. David, You have spent a goodly amount of time for the last eight years or so trashing this man for personal reasons that have nothing to do with neighborhoods, the road, the city, the county, the state, or the universe. It's time to drop it or go knock on Johnson's door and tell him, face to face and leave us out of it.. Johnson says he is not a lobbyist and you're the only person with an interest in calling him a liar on that point. I do know that this is a discussion about a road. It isn't about David Piehl or the Healy block.. It's about the Southside, commerce, jobs, economic viability, and all that jazz. WizardMarks, Central ___ 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
