the urban news for the week ending Sunday, May 11, 2008
Is the plight of the Columbus Symphony and its budget shortfalls and troubled musician contract negotiations an indicator of a greater problem for the traditional and established arts & cultural institutions we have in Columbus? Is the symphony just the tip of the iceberg with regards to arts organizations having more and more difficult times trying to stay afloat without heavy subsidization? I went to the symphony for the first time this past Saturday, something my girlfriend and I had been planning to do for a few months now even prior to the budget woes going public, and the experience was a bit gray for me because I knew what storm clouds were hanging overhead for the whole organization. Without question I enjoyed both the experience and being able to take in the music and the talent. I'd like to be able to do it again. But will I be able to? That question is a hefty one and for me, it goes beyond just the currently undetermined fate of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. What might this potential loss mean for downtown?
Paul Bonneville  
 Citing a lack of funds, the Columbus Symphony plans to shut down June 1 and will not perform its Picnic with the Pops and Popcorn Pops summer series, the board said today.
The $14.5 million Audubon center will sit on 5 acres in the 84-acre Scioto Audubon Metro Park, which is under construction on the Downtown peninsula. Project director Heather Starck said the National Audubon Society plans to select a general contractor for the building within weeks. An opening date is expected in about a year.
The City Council will vote Monday on the request to set aside money for the renovation as part of a $1.1 billion capital budget Coleman's administration submitted three weeks ago.
For this to accomplish what we want, (Scitech) is going to have to be a more dense, urban environment, Foegler said, noting many university parks have hundreds if not a few thousand acres to market. "If you create a critical mass of activity, the prospects for innovation can grow."...
The Ohio Department of Transportation has scheduled the bridge's deck for rehab in 2011, said Nancy Burton, a department spokeswoman.
Postcard Caption: The Ohio National Bank, Columbus, Ohio
1st Ohio Statehouse Light Artillery, Battery A Civil War re-enactors will offer living history lessons during an 1860s-era encampment of Union Army Troops on the West lawn of the Ohio Statehouse; Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
William J. Schottenstein got his signed contract today to buy Cooper Stadium for $3.3 million, but only after some last-minute changes to calm a case of seller's nervesââ¬Â¦
Grandview Heights City Council last week approved a revision of the community plan related to the Grandview Commerce District.
COLUMBUS LANDMARKS FOUNDATION'S RESPONSE TO IMMINENT DEMOLITION OF 1266 E. BROAD ST.
Efforts to save the city's Firestone Mansion from demolition have failed. Workmen have completed salvaging pieces from the 3-story home built by Columbus carriage maker Joseph Firestone.
The ones with short commutes are faring better than places with long drives into the city. Some analysts see a pause in what has long been inexorable âââ‰â¬ï¿½ urban sprawlââ¬Â¦
As office vacancy rates rise in major cities across the country, Columbus seems to be holding steady amid a restless economy and unemployment rate that's higher than the national average, according to first quarter data compiled by three of the city's largest brokerage houses.
Deeds-in-lieu-of-foreclosure are becoming a more popular way for strapped homeowners to get out of properties they no longer can afford. In short, the homeowners hand over deeds to their houses, rather than contest foreclosure actions through drawn-out, expensive court proceedings.
Some of the last, best housing markets - the ones that continued to climb even as the rest of the country cratered - have turned south lately.
A new National Association of Realtors study shows existing-home sales remained soft in March, but the organization is forecasting sales will begin to improve over the summer.
ââ¬Â¦Although I've never heard the mayor say "I read this on a blog," Brown said, he himself reads Columbus Underground and arguably the second-most popular online news aggregate, Columbus RetroMetro, every day. Other popular local blogs, including columbusING and Xing Columbus, a transportation blog, are "hit or miss," he saidââ¬Â¦
Sometimes my brain starts swimming in all the facts and opinions that are out there about the various initiatives and issues that Columbus faces on a daily basis. It is too easy to get caught up in the details of all the individual issues and never stop to zoom out to a 10,000 foot view of all the issues, how they play together and what it all means. I see that as a problem, personally.
The House has approved sending states $15 billion to buy and fix up foreclosed properties. The vote Thursday was 239-188 to approve the bill, which most Republicans opposed. It would provide loans and grants to areas hit hardest by the housing crisis.
Because of tight finances, the Ohio Department of Transportation is re-evaluating and prioritizing future projects. But the flat revenue and rising construction costs are eating away this year at the funds that counties have for the roads and bridges they maintain.
...A proposal that sounds noble and caring in soundbyte form, will not only result in relatively small relief at the pump, but most importantly, it will cut off funding to the Highway Trust Fund and infrastructure funding for 15 weeks, at a loss of roughly $9 billion, according to estimatesââ¬Â¦
Republican lawmakers from the Tri-State suburbs are trying to derail Cincinnati's request for state dollars to build a downtown streetcar system.
This memo is to follow up on the Streetcar Public Hearing hosted by City Council on April 28, to provide further background and answer some of the questions posed by members and residents.
A $2 million appropriation for design and engineering work on the proposed downtown streetcar line is still on the table, but it might be harder to find in the $1.1 billion capital improvement budget approved by Columbus City Council Monday night.
In a public-works budget approved last night by Columbus City Council, streetcars are now known only as "miscellaneous economic development."
Since 2000, four states have enacted gas tax holidays: Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Indiana. In general, retailers did not pass on all of the intended savings.
In 2001, I moved from Houston to Columbus to attend Ohio State University. During that time, Houston was in the process of breaking ground on a light-rail project that was met with heavy criticism. As a homeowner in the University District, I can't help but feel that Columbus would be remiss if it didn't at least give the streetcar a chance.
City council members unanimously voted to pass a $1.1 billion Capital Improvements Budget Monday night, but the five-year financial plan does not include funds for Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman's proposed streetcar line.
No planes, trains, or automobiles - streetcars are the transportation proposal of choice in front of a Seattle City Council committee Tuesday.
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland launched a statewide task force Wednesday to look at Ohio's transportation future.
Trains could carry more passengers and freight. Rivers aren't used to their potential as conduits of goods. Even bikes ought to be seen as a means to commute rather than simply as recreation.
Gahanna is celebrating the rebirth of its original downtown with the formal opening of the city's multimillion-dollar Creekside project.
The report, funded by CEOs for Cities, a pro-urban Chicago-based nonprofit, advances an argument gaining steam in national urban planning circles: Rising gas prices have made it less attractive to live in suburban neighborhoods that require driving to work, shop and fun.
The company redeveloping the Columbus Coated Fabrics site into apartments and condominiums plans to build unsubsidized housing along E. 11th Avenue to create a gateway to the old industrial site.
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