Thinking Out Loud

A simple message from a Gentle Soul.

At daycare they used to call son David a "gentle soul." Larry Horstdaniel, the Madison Street barber and sage, is a much older version of the same personality type. He's been at his present location for 48 years, and at another downtown location for 16 years before that.

Larry's wife, Barbara, passed away recently after several months of decline following a stroke. Larry's simple message on the shop door let his customers know.

I can't imagine how heavy his heart was as he wrote those few words to let his clients know why the barber pole was not rotating that day.

Godspeed, Larry.

 

 

 

Conference Center Remarks @ Council Mtg Tonight

It's good the Jefferson City Council is soliciting public input on the conference center issue. I decided to share a few thoughts tonight.

1.  The Council should be patient. If it was easy it would have been done long ago.

2.  They are not starting from scratch. There has been quite a bit of work done already.

    a.  Land purchased and buildings demolished at the downtown site.

    b.  Committments by the State to make the old State Health Lab site available.

    c.  The 2010 lodging tax vote (specifying the downtown site) passed by a margin of 12%.

3.  Recent market studies confirm the downtown site is preferred 2 to 1 by meeting planners.

4.  The parking structure and land acquisition are city responsibilities and not the developer's.

    a.  But there is $$$ in the parking fund for this purpose.

    b.   And the state wants to be a partner.

5.  Don't build something that is not a lot bigger than what we have now. 

6.  It's ok to wait until the right sized project can be located in the right place.

7.  Don't do something easy and quick at the mall site just to get it done.

A LOT TO SAY IN THREE MINUTES !!!!

To Shuttle or Not to Shuttle? THAT is the question.

Jefferson City does not come to the conference center issue blind.  We spent lots of taxpayer dollars to learn about this complicated idea. We should keep in mind several important principals and not start all over as if we have not learned anything.

Experts have confirmed several basic principals that we all know instinctively.

We have one thing that no other cities in Missouri has: a Capitol and all the energy and politicking that goes with it. All objective data shows that our target guests are the hundreds of state wide associations and public employee groups that now cannot meet in Jefferson City because we have no facility big enough to accomodate them. Any successful conference center must access this base. The graduations, boat shows and music concerts will fill in the rest of the schedule.

In addition, we know that any site that must shuttle guests to the Capitol, the Truman Building, the Supreme Court and other vibrant state hot spots will not succeed, and it will not leverage our only advantage over competing convention cities in the state. 

Furthermore, any site that does not have ancillary hotel rooms within walking distance will not be competitive. In order for a conference center to be successul it must have convention quality hotel rooms attached, or within a very short distance from the center. Tell a meeting planner that most of their guests will have to go back and forth from the main hotel by shuttle, and the planner is going to look elsewhere.

Finally, we all know that when we go to a conference and spend eight hours in meetings and seminars we want to get out and do something in the city where we've landed. These evening activies unusualy center around dining, adult beverages and entertainment. Guests do not want to drive or take a shuttle back and forth to these venues. They want to walk.

City leaders should understand that one way for the Jefferson City project to fall on its face is to locate it where meeting planners are told that important state offices, hotel rooms and other amenities will be available only by .  .  .  

. . . . shuttle.

The city council should not just look at the econmics of putting a box on a lot and declaring victory. The council should look at a site that will leverage our advantage as the Capital City, and a site that will accomplish multiple planning objectives over time. 

Any proposal that depends on shuttles should be rejected outright.

Bloody Mary Bagel debut @ Chez Monet

As part of the inaugural festivities this week, Joan Fairfax will offer Missouri state elected officials . . .

a complimentary . . .  Bloody Mary Bagel.

Others may enjoy this latest addition to the Chez Monet Menu for a modest charge. Brainchild of a bored former mayor, this healthy and substantial snack combines the decadence of a toasted bagel and cream cheeze with more responsible components: thin tomato slices, a prominent celery stick and large olive.

It's a dang Bloody Mary on a plate!

Downtown JCMO: Something Old, Something New

Lots of energy downtown. Here are two recent examples: 205 East High facade removal, and Arris Pizza will expand to the East. 

Sprawl 4 - Players Behind the Scenes

Now that I have offended a few people in City and County governments with prior posts on this subject, let's see who else might be involved -- in the shadows. Here is the question:

In the past, what overall urban planning analysis has been a part of decisions about where to locate major public facilities? 

Answer:  NOT MUCH.

Public entities live in "silos," concerned only about the immediate needs of the entity itself, or the segments of the population they serve. Little thought, and no real analysis, is undertaken to study how the location of a major public facility will affect long term growth and possibly contribute to sprawl.

Having been a little snarly in past posts about sprawl, let me point out a story with a happy ending - a decision that will have long term benefits for the community. 

A success story:

Several year ago there were "forces" who pushed very hard to locate the Cole County Jail & Law Enforcement Center in the suburbs -- somewhere out on Route B to be precise. Cole County Presiding Commissioner Marc Ellinger and I (and others) joined forces to keep this major facility close to downtown. Did the city have to donate land and give up parking? Yes. Were construction costs increased due to terrain? Yes. But the long term interests of the community were served by locating this facility (which is architecturally very nice) in the central business district. 

Marc Ellinger knew, and the lesson from this story is, that public officials should think of urban planning when large facilities are being considered. I used to argue with a former school superintendent when he'd say that "schools should be built where the growth is occurring." Without much success I tried to point out that growth occurs where schools are located.

This is just not about history. We will soon be faced with two major planning issues:

1.    A new high school.

Continuing the school theme, the present board is considering the location of a new high school. There are ongoing discussions about whether to repurpose the exising campus or purchase hundreds of acres in the suburbs.  

Let one thing be clear. In making this decision, the School Board is not just building a school. They are directing how, and where, growth will occur in our community for the next century. If their decision is based purely on how nice a new facility in the suburbs will look and feel, they should be replaced at the next election. They have a responsibility to adddress urban planning in their decision, something their predecessors have ignored. (My next post on the subject will provide some historial details.) They have a responsiblity to ignore real estate investors and developers who are salivating to build sprawl subdivisions outside the city. 

2.    A recreational facility.

Second, we need multipurpose gym space in our Parks system. Everyone knows it, and there are funds available to at least start the process. The Parks Commission should think about more than their own silo. They should think about how this $8 to 10 million asset paid by taxpayers will enhance the future of the community as a whole. Will Parks, like the YMCA, succumb to the lure of suburbia and mall neighborhoods, or will they think about long term growth and sprawl issues?

Public officials and non-profit boards will not think outside their silos until taxpayers and contributors demand it. 

3.    Let's Start Now.

Aircraft carriers and policy makers take a long time to change direction. Let's start by demanding that the location of all public facilities serve the long term planning goals of the community instead of short term expediency and glitz. 

Trollies @JCMO: It feels good just saying the word.

Some words are fun just to say. Lollypop. Grand Slam. Picnic.

"Trolley" is one of those.

Trollies are alive and well @JCMO. Decades after the disappearance of the rails and cables, Michael and Donna Deetz have revived the amenity with rubber tired versions and their new company. Mega Fun. 

Here's the old version at the corner of High and Monroe.

And the current version. 

Sprawl Part 2 - JC Gov Policies That Promote Sprawl

In the last segment we talked about Sprawl in general - what it is, and its presence in Cole County and Jefferson City. Today we will point out several ways, among many, that Jefferson City has succumbed to the lure of suburbia and actually promoted sprawl.

Some observers point out that Jefferson City seems to drive development outside its borders. Recent policies have moderated this trend, but several old habits and attitudes have historically caused growth to occur outside the older parts of town. And to a great extent, the damage is done.

First, after taking over the bankrupt Gray's Creek Sewer System decades ago, Jefferson City proceeded to provide a major urban amenity, sanitary sewers, to whoever wanted to hook up.This resulted in St. Martin's residents being provided favorable sewer rates while their alderman gleefully annexed down Business 50, almost surrounding Jefferson City's largest park at Binder. This self-defeating generostiy has been halted, most notably with Toas on the East, and wise challenges to further St. Martin's annexations on the West. But the damage of 50 years of encouraging growth outside the city limits by providing cheap sewer rates has taken its toll. 

Second, Jefferson City has in the past treated developers like in-laws showing up unexpectedly for a long visit. Sometimes the city council has succumbed to a few people showing up at a council meeting and denied reasonable multi-family or mixed use redevelopment proposals in older parts of town. Entrepreneurs are often met with reasons why they "can't" instead of how they "can." Those investors, and the growth they represent, go elsewhere -- usually in the suburbs where there are fewer regulations, and more complacent politicians and bureaucrats.

Redevelopment of existing neighborhoods is hard. It takes new ordinances and common sense application of general rules. It takes elected officials who understand that if we do not preserve our urban core we will very soon look like a little St. Louis City. 

On the positive side, our downtown is looking ok, and the South Side is showing signs of life. But what's really lacking is any substantial regentrification. New owner-occupied residential is still rare in the urban core. MSP Redevelopmemt may some day spur some good trends, but . . . . that subject is for another blog post. 

Next: Another Culprit - Cole County

Should we care about what happens after 5:30 in JCMO?

This quote from an article by Hampton Stevens in November's The Atlantic sums up the motive behind the $326 million Kauffman Center recently constructed in Kansas City: 

"It used to be that people would move to a city just for the sake of a job.   But now people also want to know what there is to do after work."

This is the same challenge presented to Jefferson City by John Roberts at the start of the Chamber's Transformation process -- and it is the foundation for many components of the sales tax proposal that will appear on the ballot next February. 

It takes some mental reallignment for a Capital City to worry about what happens after five o'clock. We have been complacent with our state jobs, surrounded by bedroom communities. But our population is growing older and our infrastructure is getting shaky.The state budget has been cut to the bone. Our urban center shows some signs of life, but we still do not know much about redevelopment, or how to re-create neighborhoods or a downtown residential community.

The Transformation proposals are creating much needed optimism about our future. The concern is always that public funds be spent wisely. But community partners like Lincoln University, the MSP Redevelopment Commission, the Office of Administration, and St. Mary's Health Center can be trusted to create projects that achieve the announced goals.

Our efforts are less ambitious than Kansas City's Kauffman Center, but both cities are realizing what will will happen if they do nothing to retain and attract young people with good jobs and, yes, things to enjoy after 5:30.

These Streetcars are (really) named "Desire."

An article in Kansas City Blog Prime Buzz seems to indicate Jefferson City is not alone in having trollies on its wish list.