WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CALL? MORPC

A friend of mine stumbled upon this MORPC program advertised on campus and thought I should pass this along. I think a lot of people do avoid participating in carpooling programs or riding public transportation because they do not want to be stranded if their situation changes. The MORPC program aleviates the stress and financial burdenn associated with these unforseen circumstances eliminating one more excuse for not to carpool or ride the bus.

Guaranteed Ride Home Program (GRH)

RideSolutions' GRH Program takes the worry out of being stranded at work in the case of an emergency or unexpected overtime for commuters who rideshare. This MORPC program is free to anyone who carpools, vanpools or rides public transportation and is registered with our program prior to an emergency. Registration with the GRH Program is free, and entitles commuters to a 90-percent cab fare reimbursement. GRH can be used up to four times a calendar year.

For more information, visit: http://osuvanpooling.morpc.org/GuaranteedRideHome.htm

EAGLE IN EXILE FLOWN THE COOP

Between the Sunset Lounge and the St. James on N. Fourth Avenue was a suprisingly fun gay bar called Eagle in Exile. Yes, the name is a little scary. Yes, you had to enter on the side. Yes, you had to park on neighboring gravel lot. Yes, the front windows were boarded up. Yes, a manequin in black leather was always in the window on the second floor.

So, not it was not a charming, quaint locale but the two times I went there the drinks were cheap, people were friendly and the sound system rockin'.

Any way, I drove past it this past week and they are actually renovating the 1940's structure and adding what appears to be a side patio. The windows are tinted but no longer covered and it looks like people will once again be invited through the front door. The Franklin County Auditor's website lists the property as being bought last month for a little less than $200K but not a bad deal since the redone retail/commercial/restaurant space should attract a lot of the new IV residents and they are getting apartments above.

I am assuming the Eagle is in a much better place now but this is just guess since the phone number is disconnected. I'll also post an old pic of the manequin- it always made me smile.

BIRDS PUT ON CARBS DIET

While I remember loving to feed the ducks at the lake as a kid, I also remember giant geese running after me until I dropped my entire bag of Wonder Bread for them. I tell you those birds can run.

Columbus City Council is about to make feeding wildlife on city property off limits. It may sound like they are killing a charming afternoon activity but there are multiple valid reasons to support its passage including the health of the animals, disease control, overpopulation, etc. Selfishly I just want people to stop feeding birds in parks so I do not have to weave in between flocks of pigeons or hose down a bench to sit on it.

If people are looking to feed something hungry they should look to the multiple homeless shelters and soup kitchens that could use your help. I promise they will let you hand out Wonder Bread treats too. And if you can't stop feeding birds, look into buying a bird feeders that can be filled with tasty seeds or nectar for your backyard.

Columbus Dispatch article below.

Columbus Council proposal
Feeding critters wouldn't fly in city parks
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 6:48 AM
By Robert Vitale
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Life has gotten a little too easy for ducks and geese in Columbus -- and a little too treacherous for people walking through city parks.

Legislation proposed to the City Council last night would make feeding wildlife illegal on city property, which officials hope might shorten the animals' stay in local parks as they're forced to search for their supper.

"We've created an environment where they're not living like they were," said Alan McKnight, director of Recreation and Parks. "The biggest challenge has been geese. They've become very aggressive."

And very messy. Along the Downtown riverfront and at Griggs and Hoover reservoirs, the end result of the birds' free meals -- their copious droppings -- has required more frequent cleaning and prompted worries about possible health hazards.

McKnight and Councilwoman Priscilla Tyson, who's sponsoring the legislation, said the proposed ban isn't designed to punish well-intentioned parkgoers. They promise that police won't be patrolling Columbus parks looking for children with bird feed or slices of bread.

It's a health issue for wildlife, too, Tyson said.

The California-based International Bird Rescue Research Center says on its Web site that people who feed bread and other processed foods to ducks and geese "are killing the birds with their kindness."

Bread and crackers offer no nutrition for the animals, the center says. It says human feeding also makes them dependent and less likely to seek their natural sources of food.

Some wildlife advocates, though, say feeding bans have little impact on bird populations and that the idea of health hazards from bird droppings isn't supported by research.

Dublin passed a law in 2003 that bans people from feeding ducks and geese. The Columbus legislation, which extends to all forms of wildlife, likely will go before the City Council next week.

NO CURE FOR BARKING DOGS

I enjoy advertising in the city landscape. Advertising often offsets administration/operating costs for public amenities such as bus systems and provides passerbys with public service announcements or something interesting to look at and evokes a "city" aesthetic and feel.


However, I have noticed that Columbus has a problem with bench signs. The benches I am talking about are not the ones that are in parks or at bus stops that are routinely used by pedestrians. These benches are those placed along roads with high volumes of vehicular traffic and are placed specifically to advertise products not to create gathering spaces or comfortable waiting areas. These benches are actually just small billboards in disguise allowed to exist because they are in a bench format.

I find that these benches detract from the neighborhoods by their half-hazard placement and allow companies to take advantage of loopholes in existing sign code ordinances. I called the City of Columbus Development Dept because I had some difficulty navigating their Graphics ordinance and am waiting a call. I'll post the result.

I plan on starting a list of locations of where I feel back bench advertisements are inappropriately located.

Speaking of benches, I hope the Columbus Public Arts Commission encourages bench designs similar to these.

YANKEE GOES BOUTIQUE?

I love Yankee Trader but the building that it is located in has been neglected for a long time and as neighboring buildings are being renovated, the structure's condition becomes more obvious.

Turning the site into a boutique hotel is a great idea. People's lodging preferences have evolved from finding comfort in chain hotels and are looking to complement their visit to another city with a unique overnight accommodation. Currently the Lofts are the only boutique hotel in Columbus but the expanding hotel and airport market suggest there is a greater demand for the niche lodging style. The location alone directly across from the Convention Center and adjacent to the Arena, SN, IV, and VV districts will help make this property conversion a success.

As for the criticism that a boutique hotel would dilute City plans for a large service hotel, I doubt that. Boutique and chain hotels attract different clienteles who are able/willing to pay more for a more customized overnight stay. While some distance between the properties is admittedly more ideal I do not think one would hurt the other especially since the Convention Center is trying to attract larger conventions which would in turn demand more rooms.

On another side note, you can see that the building's asking price -$5.1M reflects the growing popularity of the downtown and neighboring districts.

Boutique hotel suggested
Talk of 155-room inn near convention center riles backers who want a full-service property
Saturday, January 12, 2008 6:48 AM
By Mike Pramik and Marla Matzer Rose
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A funky novelty store predating the Greater Columbus Convention Center and today's trendy Short North may play a key part in the future of both.

The owners of Yankee Trader have enlisted a real-estate broker to seek a buyer who will convert their aging brick building at 463 N. High St. into an upscale hotel.

The downside: The potential development could hurt plans for a larger, convention-style hotel being considered a block away on property controlled by the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, local officials said this week.

Yankee Trader co-owner Lynette Howard said she's not planning to close the quirky store, known for Halloween costumes, rubber eyeballs and plastic rats. But she says she might move.

"I would never sell the business," she said. "If the price were right, I might sell the building."

Broker CB Richard Ellis said the Yankee Trader building, directly across from the convention center, would be ideal for a "boutique" hotel -- an intimate, upscale property not affiliated with a name brand.

The price being asked for the building is $5.1 million, according to the CB Richard Ellis report. That's quite a change from 1966, when it was assessed at $20,630.

Continued at....http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/01/12/Downtown_hotels.ART_ART_01-12-08_C10_3G91L81.html?sid=101

DONDE ESTAS?

Broken Camera+Holidays+School Restarting+Sick+Bad Eggroll= No Blog Posts.

Sorry for not posting anything lately but I will be back in the game soon. If you are curious about anything let me know and I will look into it.

Sincerely,

Your resident Nancy Drew

MIXED SIGNALS?

Anyone notice that this signage at 5th Avenue and 4th Street changed to "New Retail Space Coming Soon"? Sounds promising. This is a prime location since all the new residential projects are a few blocks south on 4th and 5th is a major traffic corridor and a gateway into the City.

Of course, the little corner bbq place would need to relocate. I hear the ribs are good but the blue tarp on the leaky roof makes me a little nervous.

MARY, MARY, HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

Back in DC I hoed my little heart out in a community garden plot for almost four years. The experience was great with the exception of when my plot neighbor cut down my sunflowers one day because she felt they shaded her squash too much. I digress. Not only was I able to grow my own fresh vegetables and flowers but gardening was a great stress outlet for me and allowed me meet my fellow neighbors. From spring till fall, we would hold monthly on site bbq's, volunteer projects, etc. so it was a very close knit group.




After moving here a year ago I wanted to replicate the experience but had a hard time finding a location or person to contact so after a while I gave up. However, I just recently moved to the Italian Village and stumbled upon what appears to be a rundown community garden on Punta Street between Hamlet and Fourth Avenue. Obviously the winter season is party responsible for the garden's condition but I have feeling it is not as well loved as ones back in DC where most people do not have backyards. Anyone know about this site? I thought I would reach out to the online community before I contact the Growing to Green organization.

On a related note, as of 2006 the Franklin Park Conservatory became home of the American Community Garden Association. This is a pretty big deal and I wish Columbus would do more to publicize this organization and how it chose to relocate here.

X MARKS THE SPOT

I fell in love with diagonal crosswalks in Pasadena earlier this year and think that they would work well in areas in Columbus with heavier pedestrian traffic such as Lane and High and in downtown. For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, at a certain time in the lighting cycle all four directions of traffic gets a red light allowing pedestrians to cross the intersection in any direction. It allows pedestrians to save time by reducing the wait time for crossing multiple approaches and provides benefits to drivers to because drivers turning right or left are not hindered by pedestrian traffic.

GHOULISH DOGPARK

Last month the Columbus Dispatch did a nice feature on the Old Franklinton Cemetary and its adoptive caretaker Gary Royer. I have always found historic cemetaries with their weathered markers enchanting and fun to walk around. Not only are may of the markers beautifully crafted but they represent a community's past. Unfortunately these old burial grounds become neglected as family members of the buried move or pass away and maintance funds are redirected elsewhere.

Victorian era cemetaries were designed to be pleasure grounds where families regularly gathered and enjoyed the landscaped grounds. As public parks and private backyards became commonplace cemetaries became just where Aunt Mildred went after she expired. How people began to perceive cemetaries became unnesarily completely different. While I doubt that I'll propose a game of touch football at Old Franklinton any time soon, I believe cemetaries can be better integrated into the still-living community.

One of the biggest gripes urban Columbusites talk about it is the lack of dog parks in the city so how about dog walking community adopt the Old Franklinton Cemetary as a designated site? I imagine several people just made horrified faces at this suggestion. Before you judge hear me out.

The Congressional Cemetary in DC,the final resting place of J. Edgar Hoover and John Philip Sousa, was until the 1990's a neglected, vandalized cemetary despite its historical significance. Dog walkers saved the park from going to hell. Residents formed a neighborhood association and began using the cemetary for their dogs to exercise. The increased number of people in the park discouraged illegal activity and allowed the community to meet one another. The focus of the group then turned to restoring the cemetary and funded its activities through a dog walking membership program. People pay $200 a year and $50 for each dog to use the grounds.

Check out their dog walking site at http://www.cemeterydogs.org/getcat.php?cid=9
and the cemetary at http://www.congressionalcemetery.org/

Hollywood looked to its past to save its historic cemetary. Every summer beginning in May the Hollywood Forever Cemetary hosts a movie series that features many of the stars buried on the grounds. Old movies are shown outdoors on the side of a masoleum and movie goers can bring refreshments. For one evening a week the cemetary comes alive and becomes a fun gathering space for the community.

The website is at http://www.cinespia.org/

I think people's mindsets need to be changed about cemetaries. Sure, cemetaries need to be respected but they do not need to become off limit areas. Deceased people are not disrespected by people enjoying the cemetary grounds with their pets and loved ones. The deceased are disrespected when we forget about them completely.