Thanks for all of the comments. Right now there is an issue that has been bothering me and it got me to think about one fo the comments (think Russ). I am going to put some time into this and not blog every day and I am going to roll out my own "investigative" piece . Bottom line you can expect a good once, at least I think it is, after Labor Day. In the meantime, if anyone has ideas for my next piece, send it in.
In the meantime, yes Dave I saw Bob Nemeth article, Telegram link. Nobody reads him anymore, not one comment?? When Bob writes about National issue, I think he does a good job. Anytime he writes about the airport, what the hell is he talking about!
Instead of taking MassPort to task for pretty much doing nothing the first year of ownership, he compliments them for using the terminal for trade shows and social events? Not sure how the private tax paying businesses that try to attract trade shows and social events feel about this? I expected huge returns when MassPort took over ORH one year ago. To date, it has been extremely disappointing and there is no other way to look at it. Let's hope this changes and maybe a group like the Chamber of Commerce starting a Travel bank can give ORH a kick start.
Next blog, my investigative piece, after Labor Day. Enjoy the summer!
Same Time Next Year
-
It’s been nearly a year since I wrote about the problems that come from
having 11 bosses who are not on the same page about anything, as well as
suggestion...
5 months ago
16 comments:
Welcome back Bill ! Hope you enjoy your well deserved sabbatical the next 4 weeks or so.
As for an idea, how about focusing on the middle class folks (like my wife & I) that have or are in the process of returning to the city from the suburbs.
Nice positive start to the next phase of your blog!
how about on the ones already here waiting for more working class aka middle class to arrive:)
this scares the hell out of anon et al...........
your sabbatical was as short as brett favres retirement
Definitely come back Bill. Just don't oversimplify things when you come back. You can't fault massport for not having increased air traffic in Worcester, but you need to have a better basis for faulting them. You can't simply say that nothing has changed, therefore it's their fault. There are likely some underlying reasons why nothing has been done, and those probably relate to the fact that airlines are not attracted to ORH nor do they feel like it would be profitable. Massport can only do so much.
mercy me......a Anon that makes some sense....of course it is because Woo is unprofitable and most in Woo like it just this way......
The inability of Massport to move this airport forward after all the hoopla surrounding their takeover in July, 2010 is prima facia evidence of either Massports terrible management or their indifference to Worc.
What also bothers me is the city councils apparent indifference to what is not happening at the Airport. All I see of late is the councils attention to traffic cameras, sorority houses, and worrying about summer heat. I mean Come on!
And BTW,
a. additional traffic,
b. unbecoming of the neighborhood, and
c. 12 occupants
are not reasons to turn down a Special permit request and the ZBA knows this. This could be won on appeal, but may not get appealed b/c politics will rule the day and they will find another site ...maybe adjacent to a frat house. Note WPI objects to it as well. I mean they aint even ++++ing abutters and wouldnt surprise me if Jonathan aint no abutter either.
Also WPI has no problem grabbing 1,000 ft of West St back in the mid 1980's w/o re; to the fallout for the immedaite neighborhood.
Speaking of streeet grabs, I read that Dwoning St will under go a temporary closure on a test basis. Come Mike Obrien and others!!!!!!!! Everyone knows where this is headed. Why tease the residents any longer? This like killing an animal by slow torture. I mean let's just close it now and be Dumme with it. The decison was made last October and then slowly implemented w/o to complaints. Mike Obrien s/b ashamed of the subterfuge on this issue.
And also for those of you who thot MAssport was going to be the aiport savior and that City Sq will save DT Worcester.......sorry but re-think it.
If that old Bacroft Motors site has ANY LOW INCOME HOUSING IN IT, City Sq is FFFFFFFFFF'ed. FAct is may be screwed even if its market rate housing in there/
Bancroft Motors site will be ALL market rate housing as the Mayo Group continues their transformation of the Franklin, Portland, Salem Street neighborhood. In fact, rumor has it that several retail establishments will be announced soon for the Mayo property.
And the sum of all of these projects including CitySquare and the WBDC involvment in the new DT theater district will indeed save DT.
David, I do hope you're right. How many units of housing will go in at that site? Just think of all the 400lb pajama people that structure could hold, given that it was a parking garage centuries ago with a floor load capacity of 1ton per sq. ft. :)
Here's to hoping The Hand It Over Theatre finally gets their restaurant off the ground. We need a decent restaurant if we're going to have a theatre district.
Here's to also hoping the restaurant gets NO subsidies of any kind. When I hear WBDC, I start wondering about subsidies...esp for folks who probably have zero experience in that line of work precluding their teen years at Put's washing dishes and busing tables.
Jahn,
The WBDC is the Worcester Business Development Corporation. Everything they have touched under the leadership of David Forsberg has been successful. Worcester BioTech Park, CenTec Park in Gratfton, Gateway Park, etc.
Here are additional details from a T&G article in April.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20110428/NEWS/110429675
Just by their involvement with a proven track record gives this huge credibility.
This is good.
The ANT
AND THE
GRASSHOPPER
This one is a little different ....
Two Different Versions ...
Two Different Morals
OL D VERSION
The ant works
hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper
thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the ant is warm
and well fed.
The grasshopper has
no food or shelter, so he
dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE OLD STORY:
Be responsible for yourself!
MODERN
VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be
allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not EasyBeing Green...'
ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant's
house where the news stations film the SEIU group singing, We shall overcome.
Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray for thegrasshopper's sake,
David, I do not know if WBDC gets gubmint money, but if they do ( and I suspect yes), please remember it is soooooooo easy to be successful with gubmint money.
I am tired of my tax dollars being used to make others appear succesful or unsuccesful (MLK Emp. Cntr). How about we move Beckers computer game programming venture into MLK building? FWIW, I disagree with the premise that Beckers gaming Institute s/b getting Beacon Hill dineros, but hey at least would close the door on SMOC on Dewey St.
Jahn
The City of Worcester has already applied for $2 million dollars of brownfield clean-up fund from HUD with New garden Park, a WBDC affiliate.
Bill
Don't woorry there will be more grant applications and loan guarantees the city will sign off on.
Howe deer yew call moi Jahn.
As I have said here b4, all the BS will end when the money runs out and dare I say, I think we're there. Arent some of WBDCs projects in the District Improvment Financing (DIFs) district which = even more gubmint $$$$.....which DIF as you have pointed out is oddly enough a non contigous "district" consisting of downtown and Boitech Park areas. Think of it as DIF gerrymandering
I kinda, sorta knew that when a bust out pol is in charge of dev'ment like the Biotech park and it is apparently very succesful that gubmint $$ had to be involved b/c most pols couldnt run a neighborhood yard sale.
Post a Comment