NA Confidential: Placemaking? I thought she said pacemaker.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Placemaking? I thought she said pacemaker.

In dealing with largely the same stormwater issue, New Albany got news coverage last week while Jeffersonville produced its own good news. Given the similarity of aquatic circumstance, why the difference?

This is YOUR Jeffersonville - The Canal from Squire Davidson on Vimeo.

27 comments:

Joshua Poe said...: While the canal is, at least, a turn toward the right direction, New Albany could accomplish the same goals through a simpler approach. Actually, they could accomplish more because the canal still allows point source pollution to flow into the river.

A sustainable stormwater plan is inexpensive, quite simple to implement and does not require a massive public works project. Although it might require a little political will.

Plant more trees, convert superfluous parking lots and other impervious surfaces back to greenspace, install stormwater bumpouts in the street, install flow-through planters, put down pervious paving, install bio-swales, retention cells, incentivize rain barrels and rain gardens for homes, etc...

Of course, none of this involves renewing, expanding and replacing expensive infrastructure every 5 years.

As I told a local councilman recently, we simply have too much pavement, with nowhere for the water to go. Simply put, we need to direct the water back into the ground, where it can be absorbed slowly using a natural filtration process. I could not have purposely designed the area around 15th & Elm to create more flooding than it does now.

We need to recognize the inter-relatedness of how we plan and design. This approach to stormwater management not only eliminates flooding and complies with the Clean Water Act, it also beautifies neighborhoods, calms traffic, creates more safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and creates more green space, all of which makes neighborhoods livable and fosters economic development.

I suggest that local business leaders and citizens put pressure on the city to reject the current regressive stormwater master plan and come up with one that encompasses long-term, sustainable solutions with positive externalities that will benefit this community in any number of ways.

If things continue as they are with current planning practices, all the downtown restaurants and shop-local campaigns will be useless when the city is under water. MSD in Louisville is currently starting to take a sustainable approach, simply b/c they are terrified of the consequences of continuing the methods of encouraging economic activity through guaranteed failure. Keep in mind that the 1937 flood was the result of 13 inches of rain over 3 days. We received 5 inches in 2 hours last August. The flooding is going to get worse, much worse.; 9:54 AM
G Coyle said...: I support everything Joshua is saying. I’ve been screaming it into the wind here for 50 F@*king years. I have personally witnessed the destruction of the eco-system here. Jeff has the same loss of bio-diversity. While the canal is a better and cheaper way to move excess storm water than more pipes, it still misses the whole point of everything!! We have a natural storm water system here. It’s FREE. It’s GREEN. It’s guaranteed to boost economic development.

When I saw the master storm water plan a few months ago, I seriously thought - “this is the final straw in us staying here”. I agree with Joshua, when the town is chronically under siege from water run-off, or under water, nothing else we do matters.

I’ve been looking at 5th st that runs by Coyle Chevrolet - notice the deep swale? It was probably a natural drainage swale that fed into Falling Run and used to drain that whole ghetto area that Padgett has covered in asphalt for the last 50 years. In fact, I’ve walked that Falling Run section repeatedly over the last 4 years. There is still a natural storm system that could be re-created that goes all the way from IUS/Purdue to the Ohio in the West End. Right now it’s damned, drained, filled with raw sewage and trash, etc. I advocate for one master plan for restoring the REAL storm system, the one nature made and that worked for 1000s of years before people with the instincts of cockroaches cut everything to the ground, then poisoned the ground, then paved it over, then got government jobs coming up with “solutions” with tax money. I mean really!! The buildings here have been “pimped out”, the entire eco-system has been “pimped out”... And all anyone ever proposes is more short term expensive band-aids.; 10:32 AM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: But if our system is run on anything other than developer subsidy and political patronage, how would we ever survive?

/sarcasm; 11:27 AM
RememberCharlemagne said...: O.K.

I'm all about creating a better stormwater plan and thinking of creative ways to improve the city, the way Jeff is thinking. I said it, on this blog, the first time I heard what Jeff was thinking of doing: We could easily do this with Falling Run Creek.

The city has offered their plan but individuals here on this blog seem to think that we can do better.

I think this is a problem that we have control over.

Where is the group to push for such ideas?; 5:28 PM
bayernfan said...: Why do you keep asking, Jameson? Why don't you form a group and start pushing your ideas? You seem to want to convince everyone here that your ideas are the way to go. Set up a meeting, invite people and form your group. Why are you waiting for others to form a group for you?; 5:59 PM
G Coyle said...: Falling Run Creek is a natural storm drain...why does it need concrete poured into at great expense to turn it into a storm drain. Remcharl - it's the whole mindset here that doesn't even get how nature works, so works against it constantly. Are there more than 20 people in New Albany who understand what the natural biosphere would look like if we restored it?; 7:35 PM
RememberCharlemagne said...: That's the spirit Andy.

My asking, "where is the group" is not pushing my ideas. There is agreement here that a more comprehensive stormwater plan would be bennifetial.

All I'm doing is pushing for a group to act so that I can participate.; 7:49 PM
RememberCharlemagne said...: Gina,

I don't know how you will be able to restore the natural water shed without doing away with the city as a whole.

But Gina you know that I'll be more that willing to plant trees to help replace the ones lost.; 7:55 PM
Joshua Poe said...: I don't know how you will be able to restore the natural water shed without doing away with the city as a whole.

If you care to know,The Light Imprint Handbook by Tom Low explains.; 8:31 PM
bayernfan said...: "All I'm doing is pushing for a group to act so that I can participate."

And I'm saying why don't you lead one? Why wait for a group to start? Start your own. This isn't the first time you've asked why there isn't a group to push certain ideas. Take the initiative on your ideas, get others who feel the same way and start working on it. Just coming here and asking where the group is really doesn't work, does it?; 8:49 PM
G Coyle said...: REm - the city "as a whole" doesn't exist anymore which is why now is the time to make a sustainable master storm water plan. When the city was "whole" it was surrounded by old growth forest that still did a good job of moving flood water.

thanks for tree planting!; 8:51 PM
RememberCharlemagne said...: Thanks Joshua

Gina, Joshua, I have forty tulip poplars waiting to be planted and cared for, any interest?

Andy, who said I'm not doing that already?

And yes, coming here and asking for a group to act isn't working.

But I won't give up on you Andy.; 9:08 PM
RememberCharlemagne said...: The only problem with the trees is I don't think they will make it for planting this fall.

I have already got an offer from the boy scouts to dig and plant. I have also talked to the boys and girls club on Ekin, they're game.

Planting the tree is easy. Taking care of a tree is another issue. I talked to the city in the past and they acted like I wanted to break the bank.

Without a city wide group not much will change in the lines of tree planting. The tree board is just coming around but I have already spoke with some individuals and they want to focus on downtown, while the older neighborhoods remain bare.; 9:16 PM
Randy said...: The worst thing you can do to a watershed is to corral it with a concrete bottom to control its flow. You need to control development around it, not to tame nature, but to tame humanity. Nature will win, but in the meantime species will die and problems will be exacerbated.

A big difference between the JeffCanal and Falling Run is that the canal is as much a retail/mixed use magnet as it is a flood control measure. I haven't formed an opinion on it, per se, but I can see a massive condemnation of private property to be handed over to a developer (who'll probably come up short and be bailed out by the city, but not before several years of profits are squirreled away).

In short, if Jeff wants to do it, it's really not (much) my business. But I just don't think the idea flies along Falling Run Creek.

I would be very interested in a volunteer corps to clean up the creek banks on weekends if proper safety tools were made available by the city, the Corps, etc. Making FRC's banks clean would be a start toward making its waters clean, if only because people would slowly begin to see it as a treasure and not a place to dump.; 9:17 PM
RememberCharlemagne said...: You have a second volunteer to clean up the creeks.

Let me know when and where.

Maybe that same group could also work toward planting trees.; 10:01 PM
bayernfan said...: "Andy, who said I'm not doing that already?"

Glad to hear it, good luck with it! I look forward to hearing the results of your efforts.

I have plenty on my plate working within the community, J. I was merely curious why you questioned a few different times why there wasn't a 'group' working on something. The implication was that you were looking for something to join up with. It sounds to me that you should be leading an effort and not asking others to start so you can jump in.; 10:01 PM
G Coyle said...: I will start making some sort of list of major issues relating to our urban watershed and hardwood canopy. Not a do to list necessarily, just organize my despair into words and when I do I'll put it on my blog, just to stimulate more conversation on this topic.

Right now there are so many problems and they really all have to be thoughtfully brought under some meta concept of policy and planning.; 10:19 PM
RememberCharlemagne said...: The current group I'm with is a neighborhood association.

It is limited in it scope but I'm trying to expand that by communicating with other groups.

Working with other people is always better than working alone, especially when it comes to city wide issues, don't you think Andy?

I'm always asking where the group is because all I see is ideas and no action.

I'm more of an action kind of person.; 10:20 PM
Jeff Gillenwater said...: I haven't formed an opinion on it, per se, but I can see a massive condemnation of private property to be handed over to a developer (who'll probably come up short and be bailed out by the city, but not before several years of profits are squirreled away).

Good point. The canal itself isn't a comparatively bad idea but the convention center and accompanying "development" should be separated, much like New Albany's downtown plaza and other potential projects.; 10:23 PM
bayernfan said...: Gina...link your blog, would you? I'm interested to see what you come up with.; 12:02 AM
Iamhoosier said...: A sitting council president tells me, "I'm not going listen to those people"(at the time, referring to Roger, Jeff, Randy and Lloyd)and another sitting president gavels down a citizen(me)even before that citizen can state his idea.

Lots of luck. Group or no group.; 9:08 AM
RememberCharlemagne said...: Mark, why?; 5:16 PM
Iamhoosier said...: Why what?; 8:49 AM
RememberCharlemagne said...: Why did you receive such responses?; 7:05 PM
bayernfan said...: You'd probably have to ask the councilman who did it, J.; 8:10 PM
Iamhoosier said...: Andy is correct. Any answer that I have would speculative.

That said, I think it is pride. Pride(power is part it)wins with both of the members over actual public service. In one case, I'm not even sure he realizes it. The other one doesn't care.; 9:06 AM
Iamhoosier said...: ...would BE speculative.

(constantly leaving words out); 10:45 AM