Here's a comment from an earlier post, and what I found out-
Ask him how the fire department is coming with the NEO. Heard that after 6mo. the NEO has fallen behind on all aspects of their job. What have these people been doing for the last 6 months? Who are doing the inspections and when are the inspection going to start? Who is doing the enviromentals because my neighborhood looks crappy. Then ask him if he is running for mayor.
Annonymous
6:02 PM, November 22, 2006
Anonymous said...
Don't foget to remind him that sending the Neo to the fire department was his idea!!!
I asked Alderman Lynn and Alderman Meyer some questions about this by email Wednesday night. I did forget to ask about running for mayor due to a another brain fart. Alderman Lynn said-
Inspections are being done. I have information on that and will provide it. We
may be somewhat behind schedule because of the change over that will be taken
care of. As for environmental inspections, I found the response much better
than previously. While some people may be critical of the fire department they
seemed to ignore the lack of response by the old department. I am finally
getting a property cleaned up that I filed a complaint on repeatedly over the
last three years. The old department not only did nothing, it defended its
doing nothing. Also the old department did not do complaint inspections in most
cases. We have done over 150 complaint inspections since July 1.
Alderman Meyer said he waiting to hear, but should get some answers at the next council meeting.
Also, if I read the council update correctly; along with the possibility of the Rythm City moving, it would also take more city money. It will be interesting to see where the investment and sustained commitment is going to come from to expand the tax base.
And how come when the city leaders go to check out riverfront projects they go to cities with a lot more people? It would make more sense to go where the population is close to our own. Wundram brought this up, but I tend to agree.
Earlier in the week I talked to a few people who live, work or both near Sugar's. They all said Sugar's has been a pretty quiet neighbor. One person who lives close said sometimes in the summer, if he leaves his windows open he can hear their music. Other than that they all felt since it had been there 20 years, leave it alone. And they all defended the owner of the building and felt the city was wrong for closing him by nuisance abatement. They also said they felt safe at night and didn't feel they had a crime problem in the area. I really didn't think this sentiment was there. While this is in no way a scientific survey, this group informed me that they did get the owner of a nearby duplex to evict some tennants because they were trouble.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Why would you say we can't learn anything from bigger cities?
Louisville redeveloped 85 acres with their riverfront project. We have over 200 in RiverVision. Just because cities do things on different scales doesn't mean they can't provide ideas, hints, or at least warnings of how not to do things.
Your unscientific neighborhood survey on Sugar's surprised me-not that a few people would say that it is a quiet business, but that you have been talking about crime statistics so much and then fail to look at the crime reports from Sugar's-not just the calls for service, but for the stabbings, shootings, and assualts that have occured in and out of the building for the last two years. It certainly is a cash intensive business and some of that may go to a few tenants of those neighbors, but the overall detriment to the City through increased law enforcement costs and suppressed ecomomic opportunities to the neighborhood would belie the comment of the few "neighbors" that spoke to you.
QCI, I didn't say we couldn't learn from a bigger city, I'm just saying there are cities closer that have done things that have worked here. Myself and several people I have talked to think a variation of Dubuque's Riverfront could work too. They took an abondoned warehouse, not unlike our Freight House, and made it a tourist destination. And all of us who have been there have, or will, return.
anon, the neighbors claim there isn't a crime problem and that they feel safe waling anywhere in the area at any time. I do not follow Sugar's to know if there is an excessive number of calls or not. I don't remember hearing much if there is. Besides that, it takes everyone's mind off the bigger picture. People don't feel safe during a parade downtown, they aren't going to RME because they are afraid, and the crime keeps happening. I just think there are bigger priorities than Sugar's. If you know Sugar's has a high crime rate I'd be willing to listen. I don't know anyone who frequents Sugar's, I have talked to people who claim they are afraid to go downtown; and that scares me. The improvements done downtown are worthless unless everyone feels safe enjoying them.
Post a Comment