Alan Froman writing in the TWG has a nice recap of the Grandview yard story. With the potential to double the tax income going into the city, and add up to 800 residential units, it is the biggest news story of last year, this year, and for years to come. How the small city of Grandview Hts. can co-exist with this monster sized new development without losing the character (and present businesses) it has worked hard to retain will be … interesting. If I owned a retail businesses on Grandview Ave. I would change the word “interesting” to “terrifying”.

The Mayor has said that NRI is asking for $160 million in public financing. Why isn't that number included in the newspaper stories about G.Y.? Why isn't the comparison made with the $53 million spent on the Arena District? What makes G.Y. so different from the A.D.?

That number is the potential killing point for the project, and I'd like to see NRI do a better job of itemizing the number. How much for the streets, the rail bridges, the 315 ramp? Are those 3 parking garages a “must have” right from the start, or could they be built years in the future?

Since the city learned its application for $5 million from the Ohio Job Ready Sites program has been turned down, what hope do we have that there will be money from the state? Is this a “wait for better economy” situation, or has the state decided to stiff-arm the development?

The TIF negotiations are key to how G.Y. will impact the finances of the city. If every possible dollar from a TIF (the max is 30 year at 100%) will be needed to pay the public costs, how will the city be able to provide the increased services that will be needed? How will the schools be able to accommodate the children that 800 new housing units will bring?

Many questions. No simple answers. Anyone have a time machine to look into the future?

School board president Suzanne McLeod announced her resignation on Dec. 9, to be effective in January. She has said that she is moving out of the district, and by stepping away she will allow the board to appoint a new member to complete her last year.

I don't normally have a file ready to create a post for a departing board or council member, but I have been working up a meta-post about the long term problems with the school board. McLeod was the central figure in those problems, so I am flush with stories about her time in office.

Let the flushing begin.

Both the TVN and the TWG had stories about a proposed upgrade for the High school auditorium. Acoustics within the auditorium, better seats, and updated technology are all good projects for a facility that is showing its age. Some group called the “District auditorium committee” is proposing a three-phase, $298,600 project to the school board, to be paid with donations.

It does sound like the upgrades are worthwhile, and unlike the artificial turf, the project can be done in sections if donations are slow. It also doesn't require the school to pay high maintenance costs, like the replacement of the turf every 10 years.

Still, you wonder what sort of Orphan Annie musical these people are living in. The economy is in recession, and even the most optimistic economists are saying that it will be years until recovery. The other school groups – band boosters, athletic clubs, etc. - are going to be hurting. Yet these people think now is the time to start an expensive new upgrade?

I didn't read anything that suggested the board will pitch in money, but given the history of the board during the artificial turf fund raising (voting to pay all costs, killing all reasons for donations), it would be no surprise if the board made another irresponsible move to fund this project.

Ellis on Grandview Yard

NRI honcho Brian Ellis gave a pep talk to the Chamber of Commerce lunch Nov. 13. He spoke about “behind the scenes work” that was under way, and said ground was to be broken on the project in the middle of 2009. A more important admission was his statement "The fact of the matter is we don't have one lease signed". Ellis can blue-sky the project all day, but without a name on a contract, why would anyone start building?

Of interest was this statement quoted in the TVN:

“Third, "parking fields" would need to be established, meaning areas of public parking that eventually would cater to the customers and employees of the Yard.”

I'm still checking to figure out what parts of Grandview were hit, but this morning on my street we all found a single sheet of paper under our windshield wipers. The title was “Citizens voting out Ray DeGraw for Mayor”. The first major WTF is – what does this have to do with voting today, there are no local Grandview races, certainly not for Mayor. Is this someone who is against Issue 50? The charter amendment that is mostly technical cleanup of the language in the city charter?

I'll post a scan of the sheet later, but on first read it appears to be a scattergun blast at issues this person or group is trying to link to DeGraw. Parking during the snow emergency, something about the Grandview theater closing, a Grandview Yard money complaint (the only issue on the page that might be a legitimate complaint), and an incoherent rant about the bike race.

Some odd crazy in this. Who still thinks that an anonymous pamphlet under the windshield is a way to influence the public's opinion? Unless it had the scoop on a provable scandal, this is just static that does nothing but waste paper.

(later) This is just speculation, but the person or persons who put out the anti-DeGraw pamphlet may be in violation of Ohio election law. During an election cycle (and with the election for Mayor approaching, it is inside the cycle), all political posters and pamphlets must say at the bottom the name of the group who paid for the message, and a valid address. This was not done.

Info on the person who did this is needed, please use the feedback link to the left. Anonymity will be given to all who request it.

It's not the violation of the Ohio election law that upsets me as much as the trash on the ground this caused. The area covered was big, at least First Ave to Third, top of the hill to past Grandview Ave. That would require hundreds, if not a thousand sheets of paper, some of which are now blowing in the wind. What a waste.

Later - the area where the pamphleteer struck was bigger than I thought, I got a report of them on Mulford at the top section near Glendale. Scary thought - this was done by a group. A group who thought that the nonsense on that paper was worth spending a night passing out? Weird.

Word is that when the Mayor was asked who he thought printed and distributed the sheet, he replied “I think my wife might have done it” :-)

Scan posted after the jump.

We want to develop a design that is evocative of the 20's, but with a more modern palette. We are also considering adding decorative elements from some of the (now long closed) theaters that used to dot Grandview, eg the Boulevard, The Arlington, etc.