Taking Aim at the East Main Street Armory
Today's Democrat and Chronicle contains an intriguing story about the revitalization of the East Main Street Armory and what that may mean for the surrounding neighborhood. The Armory is truly one of Rochester's most architecturally-stunning structures, towering over East Main Street between Alexander Street and the railroad tracks. Its neighbors include other notable buildings such as the Auditorium Theater, Corpus Christi Church, and the Eastman Dental Dispensary. These three civically-important blocks of East Main Street have been allowed to deteriorate over time, but alas, this area may finally be on the upswing.
The Rochester Broadway Theater League recently invested millions in the Auditorium, which will probably save the structure from the wrecking ball when Renaissance Square usurps most of its business in 2010. Nearby, investment continues at the Rochester Public Market, with the latest project being Costanza Enterprises' warehouse conversion on Railroad Street. Efforts are underway to improve the intersection of East Main and North Goodman, where the railroad bridge serves as an intimidating barrier between neighborhoods. Finally, it is my hope that ArtSpace Projects, Inc. will emerge as the Eastman Dental Dispensary's savior by renovating the structure for artist live-work space.
What does the Armory have to do with this? A local entrepreneur is spending a significant chunk of change to turn the Armory into a large concert hall (capacity 6,500) and, as Brian Sharp reports, "Plans show the space also being used for paintball, a shooting gallery, restaurant, coffee shop, office space, Internet lounge and art gallery." I guess that's what you could call a mixed-use monstrosity. The article details neighbors' frustrations with the parking situation in the area. Imagine a night when Motley Crue is rockin' the Armory and Les Miserables is selling out the Aud. That would mean somewhere near 10,000 people invading the neighborhood looking for parking for their Escalades and Tahoes. I can sympathize, that would be a nightmare.
But this blog/rant is not about parking, this is about the Armory itself. These proposed uses are, IMHO, not appropriate for the facility. The building is too imposing for a passerby to consider stopping in for a cup of coffee, the paintball and music hall will just compete with existing venues, and a shooting gallery has no place in the city (let alone next to an art gallery). While I applaud the effort, I can't see this project succeeding. But what would work at this location?
My idea: the New York Museum of Transportation should relocate from its inaccessible location in Rush to this prominent spot in the heart of the city. This would allow the Museum to host more events and be open all week. With its location adjacent to the railroad, it is possible that the Museum could run a historic trolley between there and High Falls, providing a living history lesson while serving a transportation purpose as well. I doubt most residents of Monroe County even know such a museum exists. Move it to the Armory and not only will it become a recognizable part of our cultural landscape, it will be a key piece of the East Main Street revitalization puzzle.
Duffy Not a Risk-Taker? Think Again...
I've had the pleasure of reading some op-ed pieces by suburban Messenger-Post columnists Benjamin Wachs and Curt Smith this past week. Both of these gentlemen asserted that, by his decision to stop the ferry service, Mayor Duffy has already proven himself to be scared of taking risks. While the merits of the ferry service and Duffy's decision can be debated ad-nauseum with little resolution, I do take exception with their characterization of Duffy as a "risk-avoider".
How quickly people forget the risks to public safety that then-Chief Duffy took in order to consolidate the Rochester Police Department into two precincts. Closing neighborhood police stations and cutting foot patrols -- talk about risky business! But the risk worked out for him (he received quite a promotion thanks to the voters of the City of Rochester) and for the City budget (Monroe County now foots the bill for Downtown police patrols). With the City's crime rate up (54 homicides in 2005, not too shabby!), the only losers in Duffy's past experiment with risk-taking are we the citizens of Rochester, where many of us can now take risks of our own walking our streets at night.
Go Figure, it Gets Hot in the Desert!
Let's think about this, what are the two most important ingredients in human life? Did you say alcohol and cigarettes? Maybe for some, but the obvious answer for most of us is air and water. We simply could not exist without abundant clean air and fresh water. So why is it that the fastest growing area in our great nation is a place that has neither, the vast wasteland known as the Desert Southwest? Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think people are supposed to live in the desert. That's why it's called a "desert" -- it is meant to be "deserted". If it were a "dessert", I'd live there too. But it isn't. Maybe that is where Americans go wrong, vocabulary is not exactly our forte, ain't that right Mr. President?
I came across an article recently published in
Las Vegas City Life that discusses a plan by the Nevada State Public Utilities Commission to raise the minimum allowable temperature at which the power company can shut off your electricity (for failure to pay your bill) from 105 degrees to 110 degrees. Says Carol Marin, Nevada Power's executive of customer care, "Our concern is that there are so many days in the summer in Las Vegas when the temperature falls between 105 and 110 degrees. Customers do get pretty big bills in the summer compared to other months, and they have a harder time making their payments. If they don't make any payments during those summer months, we don't really have the opportunity to help remind them that they need to make payments by cutting off their power."
WTF? Did she just say with a straight face that they need to cut people's power when it's 109 degrees as a "reminder" that they need to pay their bills? Look, I'm not sure what the limit is in New York State, but I doubt that they're cold-hearted enough to turn off someone's heat if it's below freezing here. I hope I'm right about that. Nevertheless the point is, what the hell are people doing moving to places like Las Vegas, Tucson, and Phoenix? It is a crime against humanity every time these locales approve the construction of thousands of new homes and their associated Wal-Marts and Bed Bath & Beyonds, when they cannot promise their new residents even the most basic of human necessities.
Take a look at aerial imagery of the sprawling Las Vegas suburbs. Only the wealthiest residents have grassy lawns and only the wealthiest of municipalities have grassy parkland. Regular working-class families are deliberately flocking to a place where their children have no choice but to play in dirt, rock, or sand. Of course, that only matters on days when the air is actually clean enough for them to be outside. This is America for God's sake, not Sub-Saharan Africa! What's next for them? Malaria? Ebola?? Sally Struthers???
I can only assume that if this development continues unabated, desertification will spread throughout the West and over the Rockies into the eastern half of the continent. Is the comfortability of the fools that chose to live in the desert fair-trade for destroying America's heartland and crippling our agricultural output? Is their comfortability worth building enormous pipelines to divert our fresh Great Lakes water to them, thereby harming ages-old ecosystems and shoreline communities? Absolutely not. It is time for the Federal Government to take a stand and demand a stop to development in the desert until technology allows for such development to be sustainable. If a guy from Syracuse can invent air conditioning, surely someone from Vegas can figure out how to make water out of sand.
Ford Layoffs in Georgia: Karma?
Yesterday's annoucement that Ford will lay off more than 25,000 workers and idle numerous plants across North America is certainly another tell-tale sign of our current President/Congress' inability to actually stimulate the economy. They point to job growth numbers, but are those jobs being created actually improving the lives of the people that are filling them? That is doubtful, what with Wal-Mart likely responsible for most of them. But that is not the point of this rant. This rant has to do with the reaction of the poor folks in Georgia who have to deal with their Ford plant closing. From AP: Alan Hallman, mayor of Hapeville, Ga., where the Atlanta Assembly Plant is located, called the latest news "a setback for the state." The plant, which makes the Taurus, has about 2,000 employees. Hallman said it accounts for 9 percent of the small city's budget. "We've got hundreds of man-hours and thousands of dollars invested on various plans to keep them here. The fact that they've elected to idle the plant is very disappointing," he said. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said: "Anytime someone loses a job we're concerned about it, we're concerned about the community." However, McClellan said overall the economy "is going strong."My feeling: they've had it coming for years. It's called karma and it is wonderful. These assholes down south have been stealing Northern manufacturing jobs for decades and with those jobs, many of the workers. The relocation of those workers led to the attraction of many of their friends and family to the South, lured by the promise of low taxes and abundant quality jobs. The result, the absolute collapse of many of America's once-great industrial cities. Places like Buffalo, Detroit, Toledo, and yes, Rochester, are in many ways skeletons of their former selves. The North gave America industrial innovation, the labor movement, civil rights, etc. What did the South give us in return? Wal-Mart? Waffle House? NASCAR?Call me a spiteful SOB, but they're the assholes who voted for Bush and the Republican majority. They're the ones that so purposely and ruthlessly gutted the Northern economy. They're the ones that sit in their trailers watching Rusty Wallace and eating waffles while their wives are driving their pick-up to Wal-Mart to get another 30-pack of Bud and a fresh pair of Wranglers. So it's their own fault that they're finally dealing with layoffs like the rest of us. Welcome to the real world, jerks! As for the layoffs at Ford facilities in the North, Ford should be ashamed of itself, but unlike the South, we Northerners are used to it. We'll pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again. Can Southerners do the same? I hope not.
PaeTec Park: Yea or Nay?
I just came across the latest photos of the construction progress at PaeTec Park, the future home of our beloved Rochester Raging Rhinos (aka, The Green & Gold) currently of the USL First Division, but soon to be part of Major League Soccer. The stadium is due to open this Spring for the Rhinos' 2006 season. It is finishing up "Phase One" of a two (or more) phase project to construct a stadium worthy of MLS and other professional leagues.There has been much made of the amount of public funds going to help construct this stadium and there has been some resistance to allocating additional funds for future phases. Some argue that Frank DuRoss, owner, lied to the people of New York State when he said that the Rhinos would cover all additional costs of the stadium, prior to revealing that he would seek state funds to help cover the costs of "Phase Two". My selective memory does not see it this way. As far as I remember, or choose to remember, the Rhinos agreed to a lesser amount of state funds in 2004 in order to have a soccer-specific stadium built in time for the 2006 season. They never said that they would not seek additional funds to construct needed extras such as luxury boxes, jumbotrons, and additional seating. Also, I don't believe that the Rhinos forced the City to reconstruct Broad Street in the vicinity of the stadium, yet the media is adding that cost to what the public sector has spent on the project. Seems unfair to me.
As you can tell, I support the stadium and think that it needs to be the best stadium that it can be. If we can build it up-to-snuff, I would venture to guess that we could convince our hometown boy Malcolm Glazer to bring his Manchester United to town for a couple friendlies. That would be an event of international significance and would probably generate enough tax receipts to justify the additional funds needed. Also, if it has enough seating, the Buffalo Bills might be willing to play an intra-squad scrimmage, if not a full-fledged preseason game there.
If I had to criticize the stadium, at least its current "Phase One" design, I would question why the concession/restroom facilities are located in separate buildings along the periphery of the stadium itself. Going to get an ice-cold refreshing Genny Light during the game could mean a 20-minute jaunt from your seat. That's enough to make me stay in my seat and pay the extra money for a beer from the roving vendors. Ahhh...so that's why they designed it like that.
Photos are from the Rochester Raging Rhinos web site (www.rhinossoccer.com) and are courtesy of Stratus Imaging.
Yes, I am Still Obsessin' About Secession
My vision for how to split up this state.
Skyline of the Future Capital of the State of Ontario? I Damn Sure Hope So!
New York State Screws Rochester, AGAIN! Let's Screw New York State Back!
Why am I surprised that Governor Pataki's budget gives Rochester the shaft? This state has profited for years off of Rochester's homegrown ingenuity without giving much of anything in return. It's a shame that our fair city is being punished for managing its finances at a level superior to any other muncipality in the state. For the first time in its storied history, the Greater Rochester Area is enduring a prolonged economic decline. Population estimates show that Monroe County is hemorraging residents to Florida, Georgia, Texas, and other sunnier economic climes. Now is the time for New York State to step up and give Rochester its fair share of state funds so that we can turn ourselves around.So what does Pataki do? He continues to fund Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany at much higher levels than Rochester -- proposing an 11% increase in funds for all cities. How fair is that? But wait, there's more! Pataki proposes fund increases for every urban school district in the state except one. Can you guess which one? That's right! The Rochester City School District! The same district that is facing a potential $20M shortfall next year. Unbelieveable! The solution is simple: SECESSION. The only way the Rochester/Genesee/Finger Lakes Region is going to survive is to separate ourselves from New York State. You see, the Governor will always come from Downstate and the Assembly will always be controlled by Downstate, thus Upstate will never be able to secure its own future. Downstate politicians could care less if Upstate becomes the new West Virginia. I propose we create the state of Ontario and make Rochester the capital. If the Buffalo, Syracuse, Elmira, Jamestown, Utica, Binghamton, etc. areas want in, so be it.Why can't Upstate thrive in the current NYC-dominated political environment? Because we are philosophically, emotionally, politically, and economically different. New York City is the capital of the world. They can afford to have the highest taxes in the nation because the people who live there want to live there and nowhere else. Upstate, despite its obvious charms, must compete with every other region of the nation. Realistically, why should any company choose Rochester over Austin, Texas? Both are nice mid-sized cities with high qualities of life. Both are known as centers of education and innovation. But the tax burden in Austin is significantly lower and let's not bring up the weather factor.So, in closing, as much as I love the Empire State, I love Rochester more.
My Raison-d'Etre
When I'm not ranting, I'll be posting pics from in and around our fair city. Typically, these pics will be of places worthy of my praise - not places that ignite my disdain for the world. What I hope to do with this blog is heighten appreciation for what Rochester is - a densely-populated historic inner city filled with the most diverse mix of peoples anywhere in upstate New York but surrounded by some of the most foul forms of suburban disposable sprawl architecture and development found anywhere in the world. Much of my wrath will be directed towards the worst perpetrator of this waste: the Town of Henrietta. Is there anywhere else in the world that so purposely destroys its own landscape in order to generate a few extra tax dollars? How could any town allow so much new strip mall big-box asphalt-dominated crap development when so much of that very same thing already exists but lay vacant and slowly but surely deteriorating? Why doesn't Henrietta zone some land in the Jefferson/West Henrietta/East Henrietta roads corridor for low-income housing suitable for workers who often have to take an hour-long bus ride from the city to reach their thankless jobs in that thankless atmosphere? Because they're cold-hearted selfish scumbags, that's why.Apparently that was my first rant. That felt good. Stay tuned, there's more to come.
Inaugural Post
Welcome to the inaugural edition of my Roch-a-Cha Rant. Every now and again, I'll post rants about things around this great city of Rochester, NY that really piss me off. Occasionally, I may be positive about something, but don't expect it.I come at things from the perspective of a kid raised in the supposedly-desirable eastside suburbs who went out of town for college and has returned as a twentysomething living in downtown Rochester. I consider myself someone with a keen eye on urban design and community livability. I am an avid traveler who has seen many places across this continent and across the pond. I am the Local Know-it-All.
