quote:

Originally posted by GEM:
Am I the only knuckle head going to these meetings? (Mon & Wed) I thought there would be more posts about it.

Apparently, yes. Well Amy goes...and JustAResident goes....and Candidate goes.

Like I said, who has time to keep up with all of this?

GEM - you have a vested financial interest in it - I don't. If it affected my business - at all - I'd be there too.

I would like to publicly announce that GEM's bad post a couple of months ago where I disowned him was not written by the GEM I know. GEM is a friend and I wish the best for him.

Thanks Fan, Does this mean I don't have to pay $250.00/hour to be your friend?

I've talked to Candidate and JustAResident, But I haven't talked with Amy. I saw her gardening the other day and was going to stop and say Hello, but I thought that shovel she had would leave one heck of a mark on my forehead.

quote:

Originally posted by GEM:
Thanks Fan, Does this mean I don't have to pay $250.00/hour to be your friend?

No, my real friends pay $325 /hour.

Yeah, I couldn't believe that some knucklehead actually would say what this town needs is to eliminate commuter parking in order to plant grass that might appeal to shoppers arriving via train.

I'm sure this was undoubtedly just one of countless ideas tossed out as brainstorming, but it is one of very few to make the papers. Could ANYONE seriously think this proposal anything less than ridiculous?

How many must have felt.

GEM, I want you to know that even if I hated you, I wouldn't hit you with a shovel.

I could not attend last night's wrap up. I am definitely curious what was discussed. Perhaps a meeting at Tap House over a beer, GEM? All BB'ers are welcome - you'd practically be holding court!

GE Fan, I looked up Charette because I had honestly not heard the term before. It is French. Here's a link. If it makes you feel any better about thinking you'd go out of your mind at that meeting, I almost did. The problem is, it all depends on who you are grouped with and how loudly you want to press your ideas. There were LOTS of ideas, some which I did not agree with at all but they still ended up on my group's "sheet".

Yes, green space on both sides of the tracks was suggested - I think that would be in conjunction with a commuter parking garage and possibly another garage for shoppers/non-commuters. Obviously, green space would be more attractive than a bunch of cars...I still think there could be a win-win here. I also think there are a few really good people on the TBS team and as long as they get to have a say in things, we might actually have a good outcome.

quote:

It is French

Seriously???

Green space on the tracksides would really add fuel to the landlord battle on Main and Duane. That could be kind of cool.

quote:

Originally posted by Amy:
Obviously, green space would be more attractive than a bunch of cars...I still think there could be a win-win here. I also think there are a few really good people on the TBS team and as long as they get to have a say in things, we might actually have a good outcome.

Amy - I believe that neither you nor your husband catch the train to and from work on a daily basis. If you did, I really believe you would not support grassy space instead of parking along the tracks.

Heck, I walk to the train, and firmly believe that the commuter parking is one thing that is NOT broken and does NOT need to be fixed.

Let me guess - did anyone recommend turning Main St into a pedestrian Mall? That might look pretty too!

quote:

Originally posted by Dinsdale:


Let me guess - did anyone recommend turning Main St into a pedestrian Mall? That might look pretty too!

Thank you Mayor Byrne.

My husband used to catch the train on a daily basis, when he worked for Accenture.

Nonetheless, I do not think it was suggested to remove ALL of the commuter parking. The focus seemed to be on the lots on both sides of the tracks, west of the station. Again, I would imagine that eliminating any of that parking would be done in conjuction with a parking garage for commuters that would still be located very close to the tracks/station. We suggested a garage behind the Civic Center. I didn't hear all of the details in all of the groups but I think the goal was to create a public space that would tie the north and south sides of the tracks together. I suggested a pedestrian underpass at Forest....it was ignored by my group which was being dominated by one person. I had also suggested closing the RR crossing at Main and the street between Crescent and Duane so that the traffic situation would be better and pedestrians COULD cross Crescent without backing traffic up on the tracks. That was poo-pooed. I thought with Park and Prospect still viable crossings and eliminating oncoming traffic at the Duane/Main intersection as well as at the Crescent/Main intersection, it might make the whole area move better. I also tried to suggest a parking garage/visitor center/fire station at the fire station location. The visitor center would house, COC, EDC, and a welcome center for people just shopping or visiting and for potential new businesses. I thought a rooftop restaurant on the top of that structure would be a welcome and unique idea. Again, my group didn't really glom onto that.

It just seemed several individuals had their own ideas and wanted them on the plan and they basically drove the whole group that way - even though I can't say that the group actually agreed.

We all agreed that the train station needs to be improved/increased in size. But, I don't know what that takes from the UP.

The railroad tracks are not going anywhere, and they do divide the town. My husband and I were just discussing that physical division of the CBD when walking through town the other day. I just don't think removing parking will unite the north and south sides of downtown. If they want to take a few spaces, plant some grass and put in a bush or two near main Street, I can get behind that. Otherwise - it's a feel-good gimmick, not a solution.

Amy - I know you have a lot of good ideas and are a first-rate listener. I am sorry to hear you were poo-pooed. I know I would have not be able to sit through the meeting as you did. You are to be commended!! Hooray for AMY!

btw - I'm sorry, but my husband says there are frequently homeless angrily cursing and shouting at each other inside the building in the morning. Their presence makes waiting inside intolerable. I wonder why they closed the public bathroom.

You are very sweet, GEmom2.

Yeah, well, the bahavior of some of the homeless and some of our homegrown need to be curtailed. PERIOD. If they ignore that issue, they are putting lipstick on a pig.

Our group was dominated by a couple of individuals also. They had good ideas, however they were not viable economic solutions. For the most part I kept my mouth shut during the brainstorming session on Monday. I was more concerned with solutions that could sustain themselves. Many people in our group wished for business that were once here. Perhaps they weren't in town when these retail locations existed, or they missed the "Going Out of Business Sale". I'm not so keen about a grassy area next to the railroad tracks as this idea is in and of itself a safety hazard (kids+teenagers+trains=trouble) Candidate has some great ideas that were just plain old common sense. I hope they listen to him.

Amy, I can't make THG in the next few days as I am on kid duty all weekend. I will however try to make the Wed. meeting (if they don't lock me out.) Perhaps I can diffuse some more of the rumors that were flying around the room. (like last Wed.)

quote:

Originally posted by Amy:
You are very sweet, GEmom2.

Yeah, well, the bahavior of some of the homeless and some of our homegrown need to be curtailed. PERIOD. If they ignore that issue, they are putting lipstick on a pig.

A little putty and paint, Make it seem like somethin it ain't!

quote:

I could not attend last night's wrap up. I am definitely curious what was discussed. Perhaps a meeting at Tap House over a beer, GEM? All BB'ers are welcome - you'd practically be holding court!

I'll be there tonight. We BBers really do need a secret password and/or handshake - something allowing us the ability to identify other BBers we do not know. For example, if I were to walk up to someone I thought was GEM, I'd say "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain" and GEM would reply "Three blind mice. See how they run"

quote:

Originally posted by GEM:
... Many people in our group wished for business that were once here. Perhaps they weren't in town when these retail locations existed, or they missed the "Going Out of Business Sale".

GEM- I think what those of us who were talking about bringing back some of the "old" type of businesses were trying to say that we think they went out of business because of their selections and the way the businesses were run. If a bakery goes out of business, that does not mean the town does not need one. It means that the bakery was not running properly and we need new ownership and a new bakery. Not having a men's clothing store is a disadvantage for our town. While Dean's was, in better days, a good store, it lacked selection for the younger to mid-aged male adult. My husband and I used to rent the condos on Park and Crescent while our house was being rehabbed and I walked to Dean's almost every day looking for something to buy my husband. It was not possible- and I can usually find an excuse to buy just about anything.

At the same token, some of the businesses that closed in GE needed to close.

Don't forget- I re-opened the brain storming part just for you so you could add your input. The hard part was being rushed through everything so fast because the presentations went too long in the beginning.

It'll be interesting to see what they come up with. I hope you continue to go to the meetings and speak up. I'll be there to support you!

This is exactly why I have not and will not attend these meetings. What's the purpose? To say that we need different stores, different products, and a different selection? Those are issues entirely outside of the province of the village, village staff, the EDC, and the COC. The village will not, cannot, and never will have any say in what stores are leased, sold and marketed to private individuals by the private individuals that own the buildings.

There are only two ways in which the landscape of Main St. and the CBD will ever change. One, by some stroke of God, all of the building owners gather together and decide to adhere to a new plan and a new way of doing business- at their financial detriment. Two, the village of Glen Ellyn abandons its 75 year philosophy of fiscal, political, and social conservatism and actually takes affirmative steps to either issue a TIF, take property by eminent domain, or raise taxes. All of the downtown consultants in the world, and all of the ideas of the residents won't change those facts.

As far as I'm concerned, while your motives are noble, you are wasting your time.

quote:

Originally posted by bitterboy:

quote:

I could not attend last night's wrap up. I am definitely curious what was discussed. Perhaps a meeting at Tap House over a beer, GEM? All BB'ers are welcome - you'd practically be holding court!

I'll be there tonight. We BBers really do need a secret password and/or handshake - something allowing us the ability to identify other BBers we do not know. For example, if I were to walk up to someone I thought was GEM, I'd say "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain" and GEM would reply "Three blind mice. See how they run"

I'll be there. What time is the get together?