concretepoem

Correction to my last post...Cerberus is handing over the keys...for $1..... to the new entity that will constitute Chrysler once it exits bankruptcy court. That's $1 for what's said to be the 2nd largest office building in America, beat out only by The Pentagon.

Fiat actually has a huge presence in America. It owns Case New Holland, the maker of farm and heavy equipment with its HQ in suburban Chicago and factories all over the country. Fiat's CEO Sergio Marchionne is Chairman of CNH, and says he plans to take over as CEO of Chrysler when in exists bankruptcy court in a month or two. Also, I believe that Cerburus, the private equity firm that bought 80% of Daimler's stake in Chrysler, retained ownership of the Auburn Hills HQ. So Chrysler may have no reason, or right, to stay in future years. I could see a scenario in which Marchionne ends up move Chrysler's executive offices to Chicago.

Expect to see more popping up around town. From the company's May 6, 2009 Press Release announcing the expansion into GR: New Unlimited, Flat-rate, No Signed Contract Calling Plans are Most Affordable in the Market DETROIT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 6, 2009-- Residents of Grand Rapids, Mich. now have a new alternative to costly traditional wireless service plans. MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS), the nation

I just got an email with the subject heading 'Moving beyond the shovel-ready'. It's from a Washington D.C.-based 0rganization called 'Transportation for America' that today unveiled an ambitious campaign, the details of which are available in a pdf on their website, t4america.org The email announces a 'big, bold, transformational' platform for a "21st Century transportation system were cyclists and pedestrians are safer, trains are faster and cleaner, public transportation widely available and efficient, roads and bridges are in god repair and Americans everywhere reap the rewards of a world-class infrastructure."

Best wishes to you and all the merchants for a great turnout tonight. Someday they'll erect a statue of you, GRGridGirl.

What's the bit about the Stokes house having been built in 1916, but relocated to the present site? That seems unlikely...parts of the addition done by the Stokes included using materials salvaged from Europe and imported here, but it's not as if the house was moved to Bonnell from somewhere else...perhaps they got their facts mixed up...

I'm not sure what this article in today's New York Times about 4 young Grand Rapids natives living together in Manhattan infers about Grand Rapids... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/realesta...3habi.html?8dpc I took it as a positive and a point of pride...but would be nice to imagine them coming back to GR someday and doing great things here....

Wired Maagzine's web site mentions' GR today in context of Hybrids and Harleys rally that rolled into town during McCain visit. http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/09/no-priuses-allo.html

There's a feature story in this morning's New York Times that gives both sides to the debate on the impact of urban streetcar, the politics, the costs, etc. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/us/14streetcar.html

Well, that's the flip side of having a local, family-owned pharmacy instead of corporate-owned drug store. The owners of Kay don't have to sacrifice their fundamental beliefs for a few dollars of profit. They are actually able to run their business based on personal convictions. (How refreshing.) As devout Catholics they won't promote the practice of birth control. If that makes GR seem like a national joke to the swells in Miami and New York, so be it.

AND....Just a bit further up town.....Holmdene, the old (and legend has it haunted) manor house hidden in woods of the Aquinas campus celebrates the 100th anniversary of its construction with the occassion with an Open House at Holmdene on Saturday, May 17 from 12 noon until 4:00pm. Light refreshments will be served and Holmdene's first, second and basement levels will be open to self-guided tours. In addtion, a DVD on the history of the estate was developed and will be shown continuously throughout the day.

What, no mention of the convenient auto repair facilities? ....seriously, this is nice pub that hopefully went Booth-chain wide...only thing nicer would've been if the writer had linked what's happening on the commercial side with some sense of the neighborhood's residential appeal...walkable scale...tree-lined streets...affordable family homes...maybe it was in the initial draft but got cut for space.

Sarcasm aside, Lynch's lumping GR in with Lansing, Detroit, Flint as cities suffering from "Michigan

I've got to believe the writer of this piece, from the Op-Ed page of today's New York Times, is using sarcasism to make his point about fixing our economy...but maybe he's serious ...in any event he's gone ahead and done the dis-service of linking GR to Flint, Detroit, and Lansing. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/opinion/25lynch.html

http://grandrapidscity.com/eyellowdir/deta...tina%20Antiques Should be a nice addition to Blue Door, East Fulton Antiques, etc. One more reason to come into town to live/shop/eat/educate.

That is a nice mention for GR in the NYT. I guess being in the Eastern Time Zone qualifies GR as an 'Eastern city'.

Not necessarily a bad thing, if a bunch of that money ends up buying goods and services provided by West Michigan-based suppliers.

That's great. Do you know what the total system capacity is, assuming current routes, schedules and buses? In other words, what's the vacancy rate of the Rapid? Unfortunately, at the same time, many other metro Grand Rapidians have made choices that exacerbate the issues GR Dad identified regarding highway traffic, adding more lanes, downtown parking, etc.

Not sure which assertion of mine you don't agree with, GRDad, perhaps all of them, but if you were in Portland than you likely saw that I-5 running through the middle of town is during is a bumper-to-bumper parking lot most of the day. That's the kind of obvious dis-incentive to drive I'm talking about. Portland, and Oregon in general, also have a collective community spirit it's carried over from the 1960s counter-culture that allows its political process to embrace intelligent alternatives to the status quo, like mass transit. But it seems to me that a lot of the goals you state could be accomplished if the collective mentality of GR shifted to a rejection of spawl in favor of living, shopping and establishing more businesses throughout all city neighborhoods, including downtown. As tamias6 notes on another post, the Rapid works, at least for those who choose to live and work and shop near its many routes throughout the city. That choice is there. More need to make it.

It's a huge challenge to get people to think about using any mode of transportation for individual trips other than the car, no matter how clean and attractive. Cars and the mobility they afford to go anwhere we want, at anytime we want, define status and sucess in our society. We're not good at waiting patiently for anything, sharing our space, giving up our individual wants and needs for the common good. That has to change before mass transit will gain broad support from politicians, taxpayers, and end users. Like most fundamental change in consumer behavior, it'll only occur through obvious economic disincentive, when the costs of using a private car--registering it, insuring it, parking it, fueling it--becomes prohibitively expensive.

GRDAD: Sorry this has gone so far off topic...but thanks to Raildudes for sharing your considerable knowledge on the rail service infrastructure. Imagine passenger rail service someday between Lowell and GR, with a station near College to serve the Medical facilities.

Raildude...Did any railroads using that track ever offer passenger service between those cities?

The November 27th issue of Forbes, which came in the mail today, lists America's Largest Private companies. For the second year in a row Meijer is #10, right behind Betchel. Forbes lists estimated revenues in 2005 of 13.2 Billion, up 5.6%. 65,000 employees. Other locals: Alticor just misses the Top 25, slipping to 27th with 7.2B in revenue, up 13.9%. Dropping out of the Top 50 is Gordon Food Service, which was 49th last year and 62nd this year, although revenue was up 8% at 3.9Billion. Forbes says GFS employs 7050. Haworth was at 272, off slightly compared to last year, but again 2005 evenues were estimated to be up 11%. 7,500 employees.

I would think that a facility of this sort would need to be clean slate. Not just to meet MSU's high symbolic expectations, but also the demands of the particular nature of a scientific research facility regarding temperature control, lighting control, NVH, clean rooms, and high security issues. I would think they'd have a very demanding specification for their building, and need to start from scratch.