New Ideas
1) SCHUSSING ON THE SCHWUNNELS
My inside moles have done it again! They found an advanced copy of the new and improved Gridlock Sam Report.
In the Report, Gridlock Sam is to suggest strongly that on top of each of his Schwunnels, or short tunnels, along the DRIC road the City build a small ski hill similar to the one at the toboggan hill in Optimist/Memorial Park!
If we can have Huron Church becoming the Champs Elysee of Canada, then the 9 or 10 new ski hills can make Windsor the Switzerland Alps of Canada, especially during the winter, Schwartz will say.
Windsor can now ask Kwame to sponsor our "What's the Matterhorn" Winterfest, a remarkable switch in roles after Super Bowl, Wrestlemania and the Grand Prix
The plan was actually the brainwave of Mayor Eddie Francis. As Gord Henderson reported
- "Ward 3 councillors Fulvio Valentinis and Al Halberstadt (and by the way, they're on speaking terms again) were taken totally by surprise, as was the mayor, when furious calls started coming in after work crews descended on the park like locusts on the Friday of Labour Day weekend and carted away a hill that had been a place of fun and fond memories for more than four decades...
Valentinis told me that in 12 years on council he's dealt with a lot of contentious issues and taken many furious calls, but he's never come across one that generated such an outpouring of passion as this
"I was amazed by the level of emotional involvement. This was near and dear," said Valentinis. He was inundated by "really heartfelt" calls and e-mails from residents devastated by the loss of the hill and determined to see it restored.
This hit all generations, said Valentinis. Kids were angry. Parents were seething. And grandparents were disconsolate that a setting of fond family memories could be destroyed in hours, without explanation."
Eddie's political genius, the Eminence Greasie immediately jumped on the bandwagon and told Eddie and Schwartz that the idea was a winner and should be added to whatever it was that Schwartz had rewritten so many times already. As Henderson wrote
- "The children's hilltop crusade, in a remarkable demonstration of collective kiddie power, has brought the City of Windsor's parks and recreation department to its knees.
You can't beat city hall? Tell that to the articulate, placard-carrying youngsters who stoked the South Walkerville community's outrage over the cavalier destruction of a beloved toboggan hill in Optimist/Memorial Park and in a mere two weeks forced the parks department into a humiliating retreat and a commitment to build a new and better hill."
Eddie now knows how he can pressure the Senior Levels, and in particular Sandra and Dwight before the election, into accepting his border solution.
2) DEVELOPMENT WITH A VU
Those Gazelle Feeders must have an expensive thirst and a deep pocketbook.
I hear they took over part of the VU at the Casino the other night to entertain an overseas group, potential investors I hope. May as well try and impress the visitors eh.
I sure hope that we get the investment to cover the costs. I wonder if the Commission only uses that room or whether they share their expense account funds amongst other local establishments.
Hmmm I wonder what it costs for such an event!
3) ANOTHER NON-APOLOGETIC APOLOGY
It must be a new type of apology sweeping the country. The New York Times reported on it recently:
- "Belichick Apologizes, but Does Not Explain
Patriots Coach Bill Belichick would not say Wednesday what exactly he was apologizing for
FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Sept. 12 — New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, embroiled in a controversy over whether he had a staff member break N.F.L. rules by videotaping opposing coaches’ signals, took a page from the Jason Giambi handbook of damage control Wednesday.
Belichick's Statement
"Earlier this week, I spoke with Commissioner Goodell about a videotaping procedure during last Sunday's game and my interpretation of the rules. At this point, we have not been notified of the league's ruling. Although it remains a league matter, I want to apologize to everyone who has been affected, most of all ownership, staff and players. Following the league's decision, I will have further comment."
4) MORE ON PUBLIC AUTHORITIES AND BRIDGE MAINTENANCE
Her's another story out of Gridlock Sam's hometown. Sounds almost like the WUC story doesn't it:
- Manhattan Bridge fix almost in
BY PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, September 13th 2007
The lower deck of the Manhattan Bridge will reopen Oct. 1 after $829 million rehab on span that cost $31 million to build.
It took eight years to build and then 25 years to repair. But the seemingly endless roadwork is nearly over.
Come Oct. 1, the Manhattan Bridge's lower deck will reopen, increasing the number of traffic lanes by 50%...
The current repairs on the bridge date to 1982...
The Manhattan Bridge opened in 1909, but less than 50 years later city officials were considering demolishing it. The design was significantly flawed, experts said.
The decision to run the subway tracks along the outer edges of the span resulted in incredible strain on the steel and cable structure. The trains caused the bridge to shift and turn, creating cracks and other faults. Decades of neglect resulted in extensive corrosion.
"Frankly, we were frightened," said Sam Schwartz, the DOT's chief engineer and first deputy commissioner from 1986 to 1990.
The city launched a major overhaul in 1982. It grew dramatically in scope and price to the current $829 million tab. The bridge's original cost 98 years ago was $31 million. "
Here is another interesting fact in NYC:
- "in 1997, there were 40 bridges under DOT's responsibility rated in "poor" condition. Today that number is down to three, and those will be brought into better condition over the next few years."
Yes, investing toll money in infrastructure as a private owner does seems to make some sense.
5) MASSE IS BEHIND, AGAIN
Geeez, Brain should start listening to others so he can build a bigger border bureaucracy in the Windsor/Detroit area. If a Border Authority on each side of the river for the new crossing was not enough, Brian wants a Super-authority over all of the crossings in the area. But of course, when there are major problems, we will need a new official as the Mayor of Sarnia wants. With the new person in charge, we can call the structure, since so many politicans and bureaucrats will be involved, the "Politbureau."
- Bradley says 'border czar' needed to combat delays
Sun, September 2, 2007, By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA
The Blue Water Bridge needs a "border czar" with broad powers to break the growing logjam at the Canada-U.S. border crossing, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley says.
Border tieups have grown much worse in the last month, with most of the trouble concentrated on the Michigan side of the bridge, Bradley said.
The problem is so bad, he said, that local officials approached Ontario's Transportation Ministry to put portable washrooms on approaches to the bridge to help out waiting motorists...
Bradley said Canadians suffer from "bureaucratic gridlock" on their border, with overlapping civic, provincial and federal jurisdictions.
"What we need is a border czar in every border city with the authority to make decisions and make things happen," said Bradley.
He said the "border czar" would be under federal jurisdiction and control border crossings and nearby areas."
6) AIR QUALITY
Two Star stories are very interesting:
- Truck fumes part of bridge EA
"If the Ambassador Bridge is to receive federal approval for its twin span proposal, it must first successfully tackle environmental assessment guidelines that emphasize air quality impacts on Windsor's residents...
The most stringent review under the guidelines calls on the bridge company to provide data revolving around air quality - past, present and projected - impacted daily by thousands of diesel-burning trucks at North America's busiest border crossing...
It is difficult to estimate how long it may take the bridge company to complete the environmental assessment process, but "projects of similar scope" take about two years, Butler said.
"It could be quicker," he said. "The ball is in their court. They know what needs to be addressed."
It appears that time has passed quickly and the results are out. Since the Enhancement Project merely replaces one bridge for another, logically there should be no difference and in fact an improvement if trucks are moving faster. However, the new DRIC air quality results should help the Bridge Co. considerably since presumably it has to be based on overly optimistic DRIC traffic volumes:
- Tunnel won't stop smog: Study
Gov't consultant finds little difference in emissions from any border option
Whether a tunnel is constructed in Windsor or not, there will be no change in the border truck diesel pollution impact once you get beyond 100 metres from the Huron Church corridor, says a government air quality consultant.
"The reality is beyond a distance of 50 to 100 metres our predictions indicate there is not really any difference between any of the proposed alternatives...
A tunnel option does show improved air quality in the zone within close proximity, but beyond 100 metres "it's no different," Chambers said.
There is also no indication there will be "any measurable change" in air quality as result of air pollution control devices or scrubbers being utilized on a tunnel, he said."
Is this another phony issue and nothing more than a stall tactic since
"It is difficult to estimate how long it may take the bridge company to complete the environmental assessment process, but "projects of similar scope" take about two years, Butler [of Transport Canada] said."
7) WHERE IN THE WINDSOR STAR WORLD IS....
a) Dave Battagello's BLOG
Go on, try and find it on the Star BLOGGER website
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/features/blogs/index.html
His first one was a good one "A dysfunctional city council" with terms used like
- "Dysfunction... Today, it applies to Windsor's city council"
- debacle
- "The political theatrics among councillors and administration ranged from hilarious to pitiful"
- ridiculous
- mess
- "seemingly unending stream of half-truths and innuendos"
Hmmmm I wonder why he is not writing BLOGs any more.
b) Monica Wolfson's investigative journalism
Nice hard-hitting story she wrote in the Saturday Star online about the Sandwich Towne parade. I wonder what she was investigating there instead of digging for more information about WUC and Enwin. Perhaps it was the secret ingredients of the famous brownies from the Sandwich bakery!
Looks like she is on the health and University beats now. Maybe she can find some good stuff in the University like did Eddie threaten them if they do not move downtown for instance or where will the new complex go and after whom will it be named.
c) Roseann Danese's BLOG
She used to write a good one too. But then she got promoted to Managing Editor of the Online Star or some such title like that and her BLOGs stopped.
They used to be tough on the Mayor and Council as well. If you want to read them again them, go to http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/features/blogs/danese.html
posted by JoeBlog at 6:45 a.m.
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