"MONEY FOR NOTHING" dire straits

Nowhere will so much be spent
To accomplish so little
For so few

I attended the city streetscape meeting Wednesday night at the Senior Center.

City Architecture was present along with someone from the Baker Group.

Now before I go any further I want to tell you that I have all the respect as well as to shop at as many merchant's in our downtown.  They are fighting an uphill battle.
Only after viewing the presentation this evening, I don't see how this face lift  will bring new businesses or even customers to the downtown area.

The project will start in May of 2013 and except for planting be completed by October 2013.
Then we will all be able to see what close to $900,000.00 buys you.
Close to $600,000 in grant money? Will we get grant money for State, St. Clair, Washington, and Richmond St's.Lets hope and pray.
I could go into details like red concrete crosswalk's, parallel parking and my favorite the " Mall bridge" coming out of the New Market Mall ,well that bridge improvements are not in the budget.
Expanding the sidewalks for all the pedestrian traffic. While we're at it when and who gave Your Vine or Mine permission to fence the sidewalk in front of their business? Can't wait for others to do the same. Wait I believe La Mexicana tried that a few years ago and the city limited the amount of exposure the business could be on the  city sidewalk. [I'm starting to understand the need for more sidewalk space, what's next pedicure's given out on the sidewalk in front of Belle Donna's] Did this request on Main St. go in front of the Zoning or Planning Commission? Did council review the request? Who gave the O.K.?
With these plans snow removal by the city may become a spectator sport.

Want to bring business back to our downtown? Have the property owners lower there rent. Have the city give businesses rebates on utility bills. Face lift? Paint the rear of your buildings what are some of you trying to copy a few tenement buildings on the Southside of Chicago?

One good thing did come out of all this. At Monday nights council meeting. Council agreed to invest again in the Downtown Painesville Organization.  $22,000 a year for five years? This at a time when every city department is asked to cut costs $110,000 will be missing from the general fund over the next five years. What's the upside? A certain Council President always makes the comment when someone want's something to be paid out of the General Fund. "Well you know if we do that we might have to layoff a policeman or firefighter". Well Joe after Monday nights meeting that dog doesn't hunt anymore does it?

It has always amazed me what our city leaders have spent on our four blocks of Heaven downtown over the past decades. If I owned a business outside these blocks I would be wondering what about the rest of us?

Some a going away present.