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> North end could be "choice area", Andrews North End Plan discussion
Roger Kaputnik
post May 23 2008, 11:55 AM
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Here is a picture of how the 2-way/open Franklin St. crowd is picturing the traffic: Four lanes of Studebakers, shiny Ford Country Estate Wagons, full of gaunt Americans with household incomes of $4,200, selecting jeans in either color--blue or green, not one guy with a crew cut looking for a metric anything in South Side Hardware's bins...

Back to reality, people, puh-lease!


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Michelle
post May 23 2008, 03:20 PM
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QUOTE(Roger Kaputnik @ May 22 2008, 03:14 PM) *

I say (and said, on WIMS this AM) that is makes more sense to open Pine and Washington become 2-way, and an East-West corridor be developed (say, 6th St.).


Pine was the one that confused me when I first moved into town. It seemd like it should be two-way. Having two parallel streets that are one-way north makes no sense at all.

Franklin is fine one-way IMO (I like all the parking), but I won't object if it changes. As long as the delivery trucks stop parking in the middle of the road.
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Marram
post May 23 2008, 03:44 PM
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QUOTE(Michelle @ May 23 2008, 04:20 PM) *

Pine was the one that confused me when I first moved into town. It seemd like it should be two-way. Having two parallel streets that are one-way north makes no sense at all.

Franklin is fine one-way IMO (I like all the parking), but I won't object if it changes. As long as the delivery trucks stop parking in the middle of the road.


Opening up Franklin Street straight to Lake Michigan appeals to me in some primitive way, but as a logical being I can not find a good reason for investing the money.

If it opened up a view of the Lake, then I think the aesthetics itself would be worth it; but you can't really even see the lakeshore from the back of City Hall. Also, a business at, let's say, 5th Street is not a comfortable walk from the Lake. The most promising area for development that is tied directly to the attraction of Washington Park would be the Swingbelly's/Galveston/Matey's area. If you wanted to move the Library, City Hall, and the Police Station in order to free up that area for similar development, and, in doing so, leave an alley to the Lake, that makes sense. I do not, however, think that it will necessarily stimulate much business south of 5th Street.

Now I've just about convinced myself that opening it up might be worth it. Still, I think the longterm revitalization of the north side hinges on something even more basic: a concentration of year-long residents. Maybe it comes down to those condos that no one likes. You need to have people with money nearby who can serve as the foundation of a customer base for businesses that will also attract seasonal tourists and gamblers. That's why the south end of town is growing: because the middle and upper-middle class people in the area have moved out into the south suburbs (Coolspring).


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Ang
post May 24 2008, 07:14 AM
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Michelle, as an employee of the library, what are your thoughts on relocation? We all have our own opinions, but you are there every day. What type of an impact would it have if the City decided the library needed to be on Pine St between 5th and 6th streets?


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Ang
post Jun 6 2008, 09:24 AM
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This could potentially end up being a good thing for Wash. Park. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a fiasco like so many other projects the parks department has started.

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...&TM=40466.5

New Park Plans Making A Splash
Proposed concept will be at Washington Park.

Amanda Haverstick
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The Michigan City Park Department is moving forward with plans to add a splash park to Washington Park.

The Park Board on Thursday approved bid specifications so they can start to advertise for bids.

Gerald Fedorchak of G.M. Fedorchak and Associates presented a proposal of what the splash park will look like to the board Thursday night.

"We've been working with several different vendors

for a water park," Fedorchak said. "It's really a high end, high quality park."

Michigan City Parks Superintendent Darrell Garbacik said the splash park will provide an attraction for toddlers and grade school-aged children.

"It's like the sprinklers in your backyard, but on steroids for kids," Garbacik said. "The water squirts out - there's no drowning potential."

Garbacik said the splash park will take the place of the tennis courts. An estimated cost for the project has not yet been determined.

Fedorchak said the Park Department will do the demolition of the tennis courts and the excavation of a large berm near the courts.

"Right now we have a walled-in tennis court area," Fedorchak said. "As you recall, there's a large berm ... that would be a nice are for families to watch kids as they play."

The goal is to have the splash park ready in time for the Labor Dayz festival.

"That's what we're hoping for a best-case scenario," Garbacik said.

The board plans to advertise on June 12 and 19 and open bids in early July. Garbacik said delivery of the equipment, once ordered, may take six to eight weeks.

"The beauty of it, we now will have an alternate water feature down here on those days when the red flags are flying," Garbacik said. "This is going to be a standalone attraction."


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Southsider2k12
post Jun 6 2008, 09:52 AM
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Interesting. Hopefully it will be a little better utilized than the Tennis Courts.
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Ang
post Jun 6 2008, 09:59 AM
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I think that's a good plan to put it where the tennis courts are. when I first started reading the story my initial thought was, "Now where in the heck are they going to put THAT?" As I read on I thought, "Ooohhh!! That's a PERFECT spot for that! Especially with it being across from the zoo, the two can play off each other to attract more people.


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Roger Kaputnik
post Jun 6 2008, 12:32 PM
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This water park was part of the master plan that was discussed last year and the restaurant in the park was shot down.


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edgeywood
post Jun 10 2008, 11:47 AM
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QUOTE(southsider2k7 @ Jun 6 2008, 10:52 AM) *

Interesting. Hopefully it will be a little better utilized than the Tennis Courts.


Hopefully it will be better maintained than the Tennis Courts.
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Southsider2k12
post Jun 10 2008, 12:38 PM
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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=52756.48

QUOTE
Commission Considers Franklin Options
Recommendation made to experiment with two-way for street starting after roadwork.
MICHIGAN CITY - North Franklin Street is scheduled to be repaved in the next two months, leading some to think it might be the time to test two-way traffic on the street.

"I recommend we paint the lines differently on the new surface and try it on a trial basis," Michigan City Plan Director John Pugh said Monday. His comments came at the meeting of the Redevelopment Commission.

Commissioners agreed Monday to hold an executive session before its next monthly meeting. At that time, they will walk the area being primed for two-way traffic and make a decision on Pugh's recommendation.

The meeting is likely to be held at the Franklin Street offices of Haas & Associates, the design firm which Monday presented its recommended options for redefined parking along a two-way Franklin Street.

Among those options are five which recommend changing parking to either diagonal or parallel, and one which recommends adding a center lane or median to the street.

One option would create reverse diagonal parking on the west side, meaning northbound vehicles would back into spots. Option two would include conventional diagonal parking and option three would include conventional diagonal on the east with parallel parking on the west.

Option four would create parallel parking on both sides and option five would create parallel on both sides with a parking median.

Haas said the fifth option - the one with an extra parking lane - would be his first choice because it would allow trucks currently causing issues by delivering products on the street, a way to do so without blocking traffic.

"They won't use the alleys now," owner Tim Haas said of many delivery trucks. "That's the option I would choose, but I don't think that's the one the city will choose."

Haas also recommended the city turn Franklin Street into two-way only between the Michigan City Public Library and 8th Street on a trial basis, leaving the block between 8th and 9th streets one-way until judging how people will react to two-way traffic.

Haas said the intersection at 8th and 9th is too narrow for two-way traffic and much costly work would need to be done to widen that intersection. He recommended waiting until after the trial period to decide to spend the money.

Commission President Ken Behrendt, however, said he'd rather do the work at once and avoid a one-block break where drivers would be forced to drive a block west to Washington Street, up a block, then back over to Franklin.

"If you're experimenting, I'd think you'd want to try it from 11th to the library," he said. "I think that's the way to do it."

Contact Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.
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Roger Kaputnik
post Jun 10 2008, 01:09 PM
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Oh, brother--as you know, I have employed much enk on this issue; the two-way canard is a waste of time and money. The only good to come out of this is that it will finally be laid to rest.

Oh, brother--as you know, I have employed much enk on this issue; the two-way canard is a waste of time and money. The only good to come out of this is that it will finally be laid to rest.


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Ang
post Jun 10 2008, 07:31 PM
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So, what happens if they decide they don't like the two-way traffic and go back to one-way? I'm sorry, but trial-schmial! If they're going to change it, then change it. Imagine the chaos it would cause...


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lovethiscity
post Jun 10 2008, 08:49 PM
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QUOTE(Roger Kaputnik @ Jun 6 2008, 01:32 PM) *

This water park was part of the master plan that was discussed last year and the restaurant in the park was shot down.

The restaurant still is in their Master Plan, as is the Hotel
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lovethiscity
post Jun 10 2008, 08:51 PM
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QUOTE(Ang @ Jun 10 2008, 08:31 PM) *

So, what happens if they decide they don't like the two-way traffic and go back to one-way? I'm sorry, but trial-schmial! If they're going to change it, then change it. Imagine the chaos it would cause...

The plan simply sucks, making Franklin two way between 4th and 8th then one way 8th - 9th makes no sense. Unless you are the Michigan City planner
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JHeath
post Jun 11 2008, 11:58 AM
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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=50306.89

QUOTE
6/11/2008 11:00:00 AM
Library, City Hall Block Progress
Several months ago I sent a letter to Anvil Chorus regarding the Franklin Street bridge. I shared my feelings about the poorly thought out plans that created obstructions to the lake, that being the library and city hall. Since then many citizens have written to Anvil Chorus, sharing the same feelings as I.

We are the taxpayers, and should have some input as to what we feel is best for our city.d City planners, this is not your city, it is our city. The library and city hall could be placed along Franklin Street in any of the many beautiful buildings.

With the ugly library and unattractive city hall (which was not even built with a marina theme), act as barriers to our beautiful bridge and lake. This caused the demise of the city. Wake up!. We have a beautiful town that is just going by the way side as we build huge, ugly buildings on the south side. We should be inviting quaint shops, gifts shops, restaurants, coffee shops (as Starbucks to put in a store at the North End), plus nautical shops and high-end merchandise shops that would attract our surrounding areas to come to the downtown along our two-way street called Franklin Street.

If you are concerned about Michigan City's appearance and attracting people to the Blue Chip Casino and Lighthouse Place, you should be looking at Michigan Boulevard. Such urban blight! If it called a boulevard, make it a boulevard. Take up those ugly median strips and put in threes and grass. The 1950s in Michigan City shoul dbe revisited and see how this city was warm and inviting. If you want to know what to do, go to New Buffalo. That could be our city.

Love the beach and Michigan City,

Beth (Boyer) Tonsoni

Michigan City
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Southsider2k12
post Jun 11 2008, 12:35 PM
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I wouldn't call the library "ugly", but I agree with the sentiment of the letter. I am all about taking our town back!
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Michelle
post Jun 11 2008, 12:46 PM
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QUOTE(Ang @ May 24 2008, 08:14 AM) *

Michelle, as an employee of the library, what are your thoughts on relocation? We all have our own opinions, but you are there every day. What type of an impact would it have if the City decided the library needed to be on Pine St between 5th and 6th streets?


Sorry, Ang, I missed your post until now. I can't really speak for the library. I can say that personally, the location of the library played a small role in my decision to come here. It's a good sign when a library is in a centralized location, since it shows the community values and uses it. It's architecturally unique as well, so I think that should be preserved. It's also important that the library is a main stop for the bus lines.

Beyond that, I think it would be more expensive to relocate the library and city hall than many are anticipating. As a taxpayer (albeit a minor one), I'm not really interested in footing the bill for that when the current facilities are fine. It doesn't seem like it would add much, since you can't see the lake well from the site of City Hall either. Unless we're talking about going through Washington Park as well, which would use some pretty park land.

That's the extent of my objections. I don't think the relative benefits of opening the street to the lake outweigh the costs involved, but I'm keeping my ears open to be persuaded. smile.gif
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Roger Kaputnik
post Jun 11 2008, 02:17 PM
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As I have noted elsewhere, much enk have been spilled over this. Tonsoni is late to the party, frankly, and if she thinks NB is the model to follow, I hope her computer breaks down!


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Dave
post Jun 11 2008, 06:51 PM
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QUOTE(Roger Kaputnik @ Jun 11 2008, 03:17 PM) *

As I have noted elsewhere, much enk have been spilled over this. Tonsoni is late to the party, frankly, and if she thinks NB is the model to follow, I hope her computer breaks down!


Roger, You've been saying a lot about the 'enk' you've spilled on this subject, and how proposed plans for the North end are "canards," so I just want to ask -- if we put you in charge, what exactly would you do to encourage north end redevelopment? I'm curious. You may have set forth something in an earlier post, but refresh my recollection if that's the case. The status quo isn't working, and hasn't been working for nigh on 30 years.

I agree that I don't want MC to end up looking like NB, but I'd prefer NB to the status quo. Things as they are right now suck.
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Ang
post Jun 11 2008, 08:17 PM
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QUOTE(Dave @ Jun 11 2008, 06:51 PM) *

I agree that I don't want MC to end up looking like NB, but I'd prefer NB to the status quo. Things as they are right now suck.


I pretty much agree with you Dave, and that is why I am not living in Michigan City right now.


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