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Archive: ‘Opinion’...
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
When I started this web site a little over a year ago I made a personal commitment to make sure I gave something back to Rochester. So I identified some of the things I value (education, community, family, etc.) and I did a little research to find local charities and organizations that matched up with those values. It wasn’t very hard really and didn’t even take that much time. Once I picked out a few good groups, the actual act of “giving” turned out to be the easy part!
So it’s the holidays and the curtain is drawing closed on 2009… maybe you didn’t give as much as you would have liked to in 2009. And now you’ve just sucked down a quart of eggnog so you’re suddenly feeling generous? Or maybe you’re looking for some volunteer ideas for next year. First, I’ll tell you about 4 things that RochesterSubway.com (that’s me) did in 2009 to give back. Then I’ll list 20 additional Rochester based charities and organizations that need your help…
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Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Tags: charities, charity, donate, holidays, JA, Junior Achievement, new year, New York, NY, R.E.F., Rochester, Rochester charities, Rochester Education Foundation, Rochester NY, Rochester Regional Community Design Center, RRCDC, volunteer, WXXI, YMCA, YWCA
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News | No Comments »
Friday, December 18th, 2009
I recently invited my readers to attend a public meeting held by the City of Rochester and to make their voices heard. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the public about the Broad Street Tunnel Improvement Project which is slated to begin this Spring. The meeting was tonight and turnout was fair—not great, but I did get to meet a few RochesterSubway.com followers which was very encouraging!
Anyway, I wanted to share one opinion we got from a subscriber, Tim L., in response to our meeting announcement in which I pissed and moaned that the city failed to consider rail transit options for Broad Street. I don’t disagree with all of what Tim has to say, but I do want to hear more of your opinions on this, which is why I’m posting it here…
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Friday, December 18th, 2009
Tags: Broad Street, Broad Street Tunnel Improvement Project, canal project, City of Rochester, Erie Canal, New York, rail transit, Rochester, Rochester NY, San Antonio Riverwalk
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 12 Comments »
Monday, November 16th, 2009
If you’re a New York motorist you’ve probably heard about Albany’s latest attempt to use your wallet to fix their budget gap. Beginning in May 2010 you may be required to buy a new set of plates  for your ride (starting at $25). I say “may” because this is not a done-deal and lawmakers just might buckle under the pressure from protesters and decide against the whole idea. But if Patterson has his way, your car may soon be adorned with lovely new blue and gold plates… GAG!
Perhaps being a graphic designer disqualifies me from passing judgement, but based solely on the proposed design, I say this is a bad idea. But let’s take an informal poll…
Leave a comment and let us know what do you think.
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Tags: Albany, automobile, Governor Patterson, graphic design, license plates, new plates, New York, New York state, NY, NY state
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 11 Comments »
Sunday, July 5th, 2009
 In a recent post I implored our readers to send Maggie Brooks an email and request that she listen to Mayor Duffy’s concerns about the Renaissance Square project. It took a while but I actually did receive a response from Ms. Brooks. There no big surprises in it. As expected she defends the project citing the federal dollars, potential new jobs, and the 11 years it’s taken the project to get off the ground (11 years and still counting). But there are a few points that seem rather curious to me—one of which is a “full return on investment [for taxpayers] within seven years. Sure sounds dreamy. Here’s Maggies full response…
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Sunday, July 5th, 2009
Tags: Center City, city planning, downtown Rochester, economic development, high speed rail, highspeed rail, infrastructure, Maggie Brooks, Main Street, mass transit, Mayor Duffy, Monroe County, New York, NY, public transportation, Renaissance Square, Rochester, transportation center, urban revitalization
Posted in Interviews, Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
 With the latest wave of federal stimulus , suddenly a storm of ideas and proposals are pouring down on downtown. In one corner, Governor David Paterson and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter are reigniting a movement in support of a new high-speed rail line from Niagara Falls to New York City. Slaughter wants to see Renaissance Square funds reallocated toward building a new train/bus station built where the old Amtrak station is now on Central Avenue . In the opposite corner, County Exec Maggie Brooks and Senator Charles Schumer are pushing ahead with demolition plans in preparation for Ren Square. Poor Mayor Duffy doesn’t know whether to take sides or run for cover.*
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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Tags: Amtrak, bus, Central Avenue, Clinton Avenue, County Executive Maggie Brooks, downtown Rochester, federal stimulus money, Governor Paterson, Greyhound, high speed rail, intermodal, Main Street, Mayor Patrick Duffy, New York, NY, Renaissance Square, Rep. Louise Slaughter, RTS, Sen. Charles Schumer, taxi, Trailways
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Urban Development | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
 Okay, I haven’t put the time or effort into crafting my own “vision” for the old Midtown Tower, so I’m not going to be overly critical here. But I’m going to show you two concepts for Midtown that were sent to the city this week for review (and 1 wildcard concept). The first drawing (shown on the left) is from local developers Patrick Dutton and Shane Bartholf. It includes 158 for-sale condominiums with large window openings, common or public use of the former restaurant space on the 14th floor, and mixed-use office and retail on the first three floors. As you can see they’ve also added some shiny (albeit blurry) people to their drawing, as well as a lovely solar-flare effect to make the building look extra shiny…
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Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
Tags: architecture, city, concept drawings, design, development plans, downtown Rochester, Harmony Group, Midtown Plaza, Midtown Tower, mixed-use, New York, NY, Patrick Dutton, real-estate, Shane Bartholf, sidewalks, skyscraper, urban planning, urban renewal, urban revitalization, vision
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Urban Development | No Comments »
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
 Last week, Senator Chuck Schumer and County Exec. Maggie Brooks announced that the Renaissance Square project  will be moving ahead, with or without the performing arts center. $45 million would still need to be raised to build the theater, and at this point it looks like that money would need to be raised entirely with private donations — HIGHLY unlikely. So what exactly are we building? A new bus station (essentially a covered parking lot for buses). New classrooms for Monroe Community College. Oh, and a big grassy area where the performing arts center would have been.
Pricetag? $230 MILLION and 10 years of planning!?
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
Tags: architecture, bus, bus station, bus terminal, city, Clinton Ave, design, downtown, Greenwich Village, Hell's Kitchen, Maggie Brooks, Main Street, MCC, mixed-use, Monroe County, Neil Bauman, New York, NY, performing arts, real-estate, Renaissance Square, Rochester, Senator Schumer, sidewalks, storefronts, street, urban planning, urban renewal, urban revitalization
Posted in Opinion, Urban Development | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
 Today was an historic day for America in many ways. Whether you voted for President Obama or not, most Americans agree on one thing — our infrastructure could use a few upgrades. During his campaign, Obama expressed that one of his priorities would be to rebuild America’s aging schools, roads, and power grid. Today, in his first address as President, he restated this intention.
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Tags: bridges, economic stimulus, economy, government spending, green energy, highspeed rail, highway, hydrogen fuel, I-490, infrastructure, light-rail, President Obama, Presidential inauguration, rebuilding America, recovery, roads, train, transportation, utilities
Posted in Opinion, Urban Development | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 16th, 2009
I’ve been working hard to add new and exciting stuff to RochesterSubway.com over the past month. Not the least of which is this handy-dandy Blog thingy. Relax, we won’t be calling it a “Blog” — that’s so 2005. We’ll just call them articles and I’ll be posting them as we have news or stories to share.
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Friday, January 16th, 2009
Tags: Gift Shop, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway map, Rochester Subway Poster, rochestersubway.com, subway, subway blog, topics, Trolley and Bus Passes, vintage postcard of Rochester City Hall and Subway entrance
Posted in Opinion, Subway Gifts | No Comments »
Saturday, January 10th, 2009
I grew up on the south shore of Long Island — about a half-mile walk from a Long Island Railroad station. As a teenager without a car I could leave my sheltered suburban Cape Cod style house, and in less than an hour be smack dab in the center of Manhattan. Not only that, but for just a dollar extra I could reach just about any corner of New York City’s five bouroughs by hopping on a subway car. Can you imagine if New York City had scrapped it’s subway in favor of a highway?!
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Saturday, January 10th, 2009
Tags: automobile, bus, bus-stop, car, city planning, commute, Elmwood Ave, I-490, Long Island Railroad, New York City, Ontario Beach, railroad, Rochester History, sprawl, suburbs, subway, traffic
Posted in Opinion | 6 Comments »
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