Afternoon, all! I came across this article ( http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/08/07/ALUMDAMS.ART_ART_08-07-08_B4_QLAV7DU.html?sid=101) in today's Dispatch. Is anyone familiar with this project, or other attempts at urban water quality improvement projects? I am interested in how water quality concerns might be resolved the same or differently in urban vs. rural settings. Any thoughts?
We are currently making an effort to improve our RideSolutions program. We would like to incorporate new TDM options. Please let us know your thoughts and ideas. Currently, we promote carpooling, vanpooling, biking and walking. Information about Rideshare is currently available on our website and Ohio RideShare. Tell us how you hear about our RideSolutions program. We have done some radio promotions this summer, and due to the gas crisis, we've gotten some news coverage. Your thoughts and ideas are important to us as we look for some creative ways to promote and improve RideSolutions. Thank you. Susan Wyant Assistant Director, Transportation MORPC 111 Liberty Street, Suite 100 Columbus, OH 43215 614 233-4155 email obscured
Hello everyone. I am Leslie Strader, the Outreach Specialist for the Center for Energy & Environment at MORPC. I work to market the Center's programs and educate the community primarily about water quality, air quality, and energy efficiency. As part of my work I help to coordinate the Summit on Sustainability & the Environment-If you haven't attended or heard of the event, I have pasted an article below that will tell you about what the Summit offers and I hope you'll want to attend. Actions Today for a Better Tomorrow: Summit on Sustainability and the Environment, September 11 - 13 These days everyone is talking about "Green," but it is turning those words into action that will make tomorrow a better place. This September 11-13 the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) is hosting a Summit on Sustainability and the Environment to take a realistic look at how our communities can make "Green" a reality in Ohio. The second annual Summit will highlight tools for sustainability such as policy, innovation, education, planning, financing and individual behavior change. "Ohio has over 24 institutes of higher learning in central Ohio alone, with this amount of brain power within our state, we are extremely competitive when we put our collective knowledge and problem solving capabilities together for a solution to any given challenge. The Summit will help to bring these great minds together to strategically plan for the future of our state taking into account our natural environment and economic prosperity" said Chester Jourdan, MORPC Executive Director. The Summit is open to the public and all are welcome to attend the three day event which will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The event will feature keynote speaker, Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, who will speak during the summit's opening session. Other event attractions will include educational sessions, facilitated conversations to turn knowledge into a specific plan of action, an evening reception at the North Market, an exhibitor hall and field trips. The event itself will be green, as MORPC has adopted a set of strict guidelines for itself to make the Summit a net-zero waste event. "We are committed to making the Summit an event that will be good for the environment not just because of the discussions that will be happening between participants, but also because we have planned the event to be net-zero waste. We do everything from encouraging and incentivizing participants to carpool, bike, walk, or bus to the event, to composting food waste, and using real silverware and china opposed to one-use cups/plates whenever possible," said MORPC Outreach Specialist Leslie Strader, who is coordinating the event's logistics. Space is limited, so register early to participate in this landmark event that is expected to draw over 1,000 people from around the state. Tickets for the event range from $80 to $100 per person and includes meals, an evening reception at Columbus' North Market, your choice of one field trip and a variety of educational presentations. You can find more information and register for the event at www.greenregion.org. Green Expo space and other sponsorship opportunities are still available by contacting 614.233.4125. This event is made possible by the Center for Energy and Environment at MORPC, which is a newly formed public-private partnership between Ameresco, American Electric Power and EMH&T. Recognized as the Center's Founding Members, these well-known Ohio companies are playing a critical role in supporting and encouraging a sustainable future for our state. Leslie Strader Oureach Specialist Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission 111 Liberty Street, Suite 100 | Columbus, Ohio 43215 Tel: 614.233.4124| fax: 614.228.1904
The Greater Ohio Summit looks like a teriffic forum for engagement. I highly encourage everyone to try to attend. Congratulations to Greater Ohio for putting this event together. Sincerely, Todd Kleismit Ohio Historical Society Director of Government Relations 1982 Velma Ave. Columbus, OH 43211 (614) 297-2355 (office) (614) 774-5537 (cell) email obscured Be Changed. Visit Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs. Powerful images that have changed the way we think. Developed by the Newseum, the interactive museum of news, in association with Business of Entertainment, Inc. NYC, Cyma Rubin, curator, on exhibit at the Ohio Historical Center Museum in Columbus now through September 14, 2008. Visit www.ohiohistory.org/capture for details. Ohio's online encyclopedia: www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY Connect with the past. Create a better future.
Greetings all, Thank you to everyone for doing such a great job initiating and participating in discussions the past few weeks. It has been very enjoyable to read all of your thoughts, and I look forward to seeing this type of discourse continue. To help facilitate the continued growth of the forum, we would like to enhance the visual appeal of the forum's homepage by adding a picture to the main website (http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/corif/). As managers of this online community we would like to have your help selecting an image to display that best represents the forum and the Central Ohio region. Instead of us merely selecting an image that we like, we think that it will be better if the picture is something that comes from you. With this in mind, we request that you please submit pictures or images that you believe would work well as a visual representation of the forum. Please feel free to be creative, and if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at email obscured. Once again we appreciate your help with this endeavor and look forward to seeing your ideas. Your forum co-managers, Josh and Liz
Engaged leaders of Ohio, First of all I would like to introduce Greater Ohio. We are Ohio's Smart Growth Organization. We are non-partisan, non-profit and foundation funded. Our missions statement as well as more information about our current initiative is on our website at www.greaterohio.org As mentioned in an earlier posting related to Economic Development, Greater Ohio in partnership with the Brookings Institution, is leading a non-partisan research, policy development, and organizing initiative focused on revitalizing the state's core communities and reinvigorating its economic competitiveness. We are working closely with state officials as well as corporate, civic and academic leaders in order to to provide state leaders with concrete proposals for reform that are carefully tailored to the core communities' unique assets and challenges. On Wednesday, September 10, 2008, the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program and the Greater Ohio Policy Center will host the Summit on Restoring Prosperity to Ohio at the Convention Center in Columbus. This Summit is the center piece of a multi-year research, policy development, and networking effort to revitalize Ohio’s core communities, create new opportunities for the people of Ohio, and invigorate the state’s economy. At this Summit, plenary presentations and breakout sessions will engage participants in the review, evaluation, and refinement of recommendations leading to real and tangible practices for moving Ohio forward in areas such as economic development, transportation investments, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization. Speakers include Governor Ted Strickland (invited), Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, and Bruce Katz, Vice President and Director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, as well as mayors, legislative leaders, major business CEO’s, and university presidents. The Summit will be a valuable opportunity to elevate this important discussion to center stage in Ohio and strengthen our collective efforts to promote reforms. There is no fee to attend this Summit, although registration is required which can be done at www.regonline.com/restoreprosperity, where there is a frequently updated agenda. I encourage everyone who is interested in advancing Ohio's economy to come to this Summit as it touches on all of the topics previously discussed in this group and will offer a valuable opportunity to discuss innovative solutions. Let me know if you have any questions.
Related to these ideas is the upcoming "Restoring our Prosperity Policy
Summit", initiated by Greater Ohio. Directly from the web description of the
summit:
"Our goals for the event include:
to develop a plan for State Action that revitalizes Ohio’s older
industrial communities
to engage a constituency to support this change"
Here's the link to those interested in regional economic renewal/development!
http://www.greaterohio.org/restoring_prosperity/policy_summit.htm
Good Evening, All! Once again, I want to let you know that I am excited and pleased to see the forum continue to grow (we are now up to 113 members since the post last week!!) I just want to remind you all that full disclosure of your identity is one of the rules that makes this forum uniquely open and maintains a safe space for people to exchange their ideas! So, the bottom line of this reminder is that pseudonyms are not permitted on the forum! If you put your full real name in your profile, any messages that you post will be automatically signed with that name. We appreciate your responsiveness to this reminder, and hope that you will contact myself or Josh if you have any questions about this or any of the e-democracy.org rules! Thanks Everyone! Best, Liz CORIF Co-Manager
Picking up on the earlier discussion about attracting new businesses, take a look at this Dispatch article (thanks to Paul at RetroMetro for linking to it) New business declines in Ohio http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/07/05/entrepreneurs.ART_ART_07-05-08_C8_K4AL9BF.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101 "In Ohio, 190 out of every 100,000 people created a new business each month in 2007. This gave the Buckeye State an entrepreneurial rating of 0.19 percent, down from 0.22 percent in 2006, according to the annual Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. Arizona, Idaho and Washington, D.C., are tied at the top with a 0.46 percent rating. Ohio is ahead of only Pennsylvania, Delaware, Alabama and West Virginia." Are statistics like this meaningful? If so, what do they indicate? Does the fact that Columbus/Central Ohio remains a "bright spot"--gaining almost as many jobs as the state as whole lost--evidence that we're doing something right, or only that we're relatively insulated from the forces affecting the rest of the state?
Thank you Andrew and Nick for giving your insight into COTA and the park and ride system. I'm glad to hear that ridership is increasing, and I hope that the system is able to accommodate the growing number of riders in order to ensure that expansion can continue. We all seem to agree that the region benefits from a strong public transportation network, and it's nice to know that people are utilizing the system we currently have in place. Out of curiosity, does anyone have information about the number of people who commute into Columbus for work from more than 20 miles away? I'm trying to figure out the size of the long distance commuting population in the area. I'm curious if these people benefit much from the park and rides, or if the park and rides are used more by the people living closest to the sites. Either way it's great that people are taking advantage of this opportunity, and I would love to be able to learn more about who has become the primary users of the park and rides in central Ohio. Thanks, Josh Wiener
I agree-creating light rail in Central Ohio would be lovely! Also as the Experience Columbus! Efforts push to increase Columbus as a national destination for conferences and things-a rail from the airport to downtown is desperately needed.
My experience with COTA is that the buses are within 5-8 minutes of their scheduled times. I live on the west side near broad street so I walk up to the corner to catch the bus, but their is the park and ride about a half mile West (away from downtown). I have noticed that more people are parking their and taking the bus (yippee!) than a year ago. However, I can drive to work in about 10 minutes (I work a block from the statehouse), but it takes me about 25-30 minutes on the bus. I grew up in Cleveland, and have driven in rush hours of Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dayton, Indianapolis and other places and Columbus does not have bad traffic near downtown. (around 270 is a different story-but still not that bad). I think people will start to use the public transportation system more if 1. It saves both time and money (or an extreme of one or the other). 2. The stress of driving becomes to much. If parking lots begin to disappear downtown and people have to fight for parking I think that would help. 3. Park and Ride locations have to be close. I do not think people will drive 10 minutes to park and then another 20-30 on the bus. (plus 5 minutes of waiting and then a longer walk once downtown). I love the bus because I recognize that the fewer cars on the roads the better, and I hope others recognize the gift of public transportation!
All, In a conversation I had with Bill Lhota a couple of weeks ago, he told me that their park and ride lots are full or nearing capacity. Ridership on the Express routes into downtown have seen a most dramatic increase in ridership and he is getting calls everyday for increased service. The good news is that ridership is up, the bad news is that ridership is up. With the rising cost of diesel fuel, more of their budget is going toward fueling their buses than ever before. Transit agencies are not immune to the rising costs of fuel and a declining tax base. Ideas for improvement would be to turn COTA into a true Central Ohio Transit Authority by extending service along fixed, grade separated guide ways. Buses are wonderful, but they are limited in moving in mixed traffic, stop lights, frequent stops, etc. Light rail and added capacity to existing freight lines for commuter/heavy rail would form the basis for connectivity into counties and communities outside of Franklin County. Andrew Bremer On Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 1:57 AM, Joshua Wiener <email obscured> wrote: > Building from the discussion earlier this week about regional transportation, I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts about COTA's park and ride system in Columbus. Given that COTA is the primary provider of public transportation in the area at the present time, the park and ride system seems like a good method to bring people from outside of Columbus into the city for work, pleasure, etc... > > Is the system effective? Since I live within the city limits I have not yet had the opportunity to try the park and ride network, but I'm very curious to hear your opinions about it and to learn more about its success in Central Ohio. I've moved to Seattle for the summer for a job, and I've been extremely impressed with the bus network and the park and ride system here. The buses are prompt and reliable, and by offering express buses to downtown from the nearby park and ride my commute on the bus takes no longer than if I were to drive to work in my personal vehicle (plus there are the additional benefits of not having to pay for parking and gas). > > What sort of experiences have you had or heard about with the park and ride system in the Columbus area? Do people take advantage of the system in Central Ohio? Any ideas for ways that it can be improved? > > Thanks! > > Best, > Josh Wiener > > > Joshua Wiener > Columbus > Info about Joshua Wiener: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/7RLT8BjR8IDYMobo479RI > > This topic's messages may be viewed at: http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/5qPQZxBIg4lC6P4psDWt7C
Building from the discussion earlier this week about regional transportation, I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts about COTA's park and ride system in Columbus. Given that COTA is the primary provider of public transportation in the area at the present time, the park and ride system seems like a good method to bring people from outside of Columbus into the city for work, pleasure, etc... Is the system effective? Since I live within the city limits I have not yet had the opportunity to try the park and ride network, but I'm very curious to hear your opinions about it and to learn more about its success in Central Ohio. I've moved to Seattle for the summer for a job, and I've been extremely impressed with the bus network and the park and ride system here. The buses are prompt and reliable, and by offering express buses to downtown from the nearby park and ride my commute on the bus takes no longer than if I were to drive to work in my personal vehicle (plus there are the additional benefits of not having to pay for parking and gas). What sort of experiences have you had or heard about with the park and ride system in the Columbus area? Do people take advantage of the system in Central Ohio? Any ideas for ways that it can be improved? Thanks! Best, Josh Wiener
On Open Line, Maryellen O explained the length and direction of the streetcar route by referring to the 70/71 rebuild and the fact that the downtown bridges weren't designed to support the weight of streetcars. But if the High Street line really is only a first step, why not include plans for tackling these obstacles? For instance: why not lay out ideas for beefed-up bus service going West into Franklinton and south through the Brewery District/German Village, designed to connect with the streetcar? That would start to sketch in the picture of an integrated transit system, rather than hanging the argument on a one-line project. (A single line is, by definition, not a system). By "beefed up," I mean something that is visually distinct from the current COTA fleet, more tied into the look of the streetcar. These would lay down markers for future construction and get people used to thinking about connectivity. Kathleen, I think you and I have had this discussion before, but today's program really reinforced my sense that the *systematic potential* of the streetcar needs to be made more explicit.
To my mind, the high point of the OpenLine conversation was Chester Jourdan's insistence that we keep our eyes on the big picture: think in terms of region, and at least 10 -20 years out. What do we want Central Ohio to look like? If we can raise the discussion to that level, we'll have options. If not, we'll be stuck squabbling over pennies. Andrew's right that what's needed here is leadership to hold the vision. I don't think it's a matter of getting individuals to take the bus or bike to work (Mike Coleman is no Mayor Daley) so much as it is to get the right perspective and framework for the discussion. The issue is not next week or next year, but how to make a long-term commitment. That said, I wonder whether anyone has thoughts about what sort of regional governance it would take to make such a commitment. I wonder whether our current system doesn't overvalue consensus and prevent the emergence of leaders with vision. Rick Livingston
Streetcars help parking because they deliver people to destinations without their cars. So downtown development and OSU development can proceed without the need to build expensive parking garages. Adding bedroom communities is trhe next step. But that is really where light rail comes in. Light rail is commuter rail --it goes faster than streetcars and makes fewer stops so people are delivered to destinations faster than their cars could ever take them. Streetcars work best as short circulators -- for short trips and there High Street route is perfect because there are 50,000 students at one end and 100,000 workers at the other.
While I find it admirable that Mayor Daly rides his bicycle to work each day and supports mass transit in Chicago, I am struggling to find the parallels between Chicago and Columbus. Maybe someone can help me here. They appear to be two very different cities. On another topic, I am under the impression that Mayor Coleman is only looking at street cars from downtown to the OSU campus. With the parking problems in both places I am wondering what that will help(or hurt). Wouldn't it make more sense to try to connect bedroom communities to the downtown? Brett Gerke
FYI--See the file linked below. Best, Liz