Hanging on the Telephone
“I generally don’t have occasion to think about parlor games,” says Judy McGovern. Already we can tell that we’re going to have trouble relating; we can hardly go a day without envisioning a good game of charades or snap-dragon. But McGovern has recently been preoccupied with the game of telephone as a metaphor for the greenway discussion. It seems that the game started out with someone saying, “I want a huge park going through downtown,” and somehow it got garbled into, “I want a huge park going through downtown and it’s going to cost the city money.” Of all the ridiculous miscommunications. Especially when, as McGovern points out, the Greenway Conservancy already has $1000 to pay for their project.
I love the sprawlogic. *Preclude* downtown development by making land in the center of the city parks but *replace* that potential development by opening up *other* land available for development. Any guess where that newly-buildable land will be? Surely not at the sprawling edge of the city…
posted by Dale on January 8th, 2006 at 8:10 pmWow! $1000! Now they’ll be able to afford to hire an architect/planner/developer to do a sketch on the back of a cocktail napkin.
posted by LauraF on January 8th, 2006 at 8:11 pmNow, see. I think it would be a good idea to have more greenspace downtown. But I also have no problems with 10 story buidings and increased development downtown.
It’s like I don’t fit into either camp. Aren’t there more people like me?
posted by Young OWSider on January 8th, 2006 at 9:05 pm“However, O’Neal and friends are on the job. They’ve formed a corporation. They’ve got bylaws. They’ve got a board of directors. They’re applying for nonprofit, 501C3 tax status.”
This frightens me. I’m not sure why, exactly, but it does.
posted by Anonymous on January 9th, 2006 at 1:19 am“Sure, O’Neal was speaking in broad strokes as he and other enthusiasts - roused by the prospect of a new city parking deck at First and William streets - worked toward a solid plan. ”
It appears that the major alteration came from O’Neal & Co. when they translated “Don’t build a parking garage” into “Ann Arbor really needs a Central Park”.
Or perhaps it was the reverse. “Ann Arbor needs more parks” has been code for stopping all sort of development projects; a library, a parking structure, highway onramp, the three site plan.
Also, if their is someone to blame for coopting O’Neal’s message, it is the Friends of the Ann Arbor Greenway who passed around a petition stating:
“We, the undersigned, ask Ann Arbor City Council to designate the three existing City properties adjoining the Greenway route to become parks in their entirety. ”
Unfortunately they left out the bit about Joe paying for it.
At least 2,500 people signed the petition, in effect contributing to this terrible blasphemy.
Perhaps those who relate to the Young OWsider can lead A2 down the middle path. How about a single site, 10 story park? It would have the added benefit of looking like a much bigger park from the OWS.
posted by Scott TenBrink on January 9th, 2006 at 2:35 amScott:
YES. That damned petition. They had people hitting up the farmer’s market over the summer or early fall. They almost got my friend, whom I had to drag away across Catherine to give details to, because the lady was so damned persistant and syrupy sweet.
To be fair, people are idiots. But from the one instance I saw, that petition was presented in an overly optimistic and naive way. I remember something along the lines of “it’s just an idea to take to City Council - are you against nature?”. Hyperbole a bit, yeah, but nothing about money was mentioned, of course. Just some property that would be thrown away anyhow, we might as well give it back for the good of the city…
posted by Jen on January 9th, 2006 at 3:33 am“How about a single site, 10 story park? It would have the added benefit of looking like a much bigger park from the OWS.”
Heh.
posted by Anna on January 9th, 2006 at 5:55 amSo I’ve been hearing the rumors again about the block that has the Fleetwood being converted to a parking garage. It was still second- and third-hand, but my source seemed certain it was a done deal.
posted by Dave on January 9th, 2006 at 10:36 amMy understanding is that the Fleetwood is going down, along with half the houses on that end of Ashley, for a large building done by the Nalli family. That would be above the parking garage, if there is one. This is rumor-level status only for me.
posted by Michael McC. on January 9th, 2006 at 10:52 amFuck, are you people cripples? Whenever that rumor surfaces, what I do is a I call the owners of the Fleetwood and ask them. While there have been attempts to buy the property, the Fleetwood is staying where it is for the forseeable future.
posted by js on January 9th, 2006 at 11:20 amjs, well that’s good news then. And no, I’m not a cripple. I just neither know who the owners are nor have their telephone numbers available to me. I do recall an article some time ago in the Ann Arbor News that reported the Fleetwood (though not the whole block) was being sold, so I didn’t see these rumors as totally beyond the realm of possibility. Anyway, I’ll take your investigative journalist word for it and say: Cool.
posted by Dave on January 9th, 2006 at 12:28 pmAnd, oh yeah, re: the actual topic of this post — I still think a park/greenway is pointless and dumb. What we really need is another fancy salon or a block full of Starbuckses.
posted by Dave on January 9th, 2006 at 12:29 pmDave— It goes like this: Call the Fleetwood, and ask to speak with the owner. If not, a manager will usually do.
posted by js on January 9th, 2006 at 1:24 pmAlternately, look up the tax parcel info to find out who owns the property. Look up their phone number. Call them.
Just in case I’m not around next time
Greenway = asinine.
posted by Anonymous on January 9th, 2006 at 2:40 pmquote of the day:
“To be fair, people are idiots.”
posted by Scott TenBrink on January 10th, 2006 at 1:17 amI just want to know from the greenway proponents why they think a park that straddles an in-use railroad is a good idea. Maybe it’s a great idea; I just want to know why.
posted by Mike on January 11th, 2006 at 5:56 pm