ASK THE BORED: Is consistency among BOW's mandates when it debates street closings?

It's possible the Board of Public Works and Safety might actually be trying to regain a sense of consistency.

Time will tell.

What we know from the minutes of January 14 is that the Regions Antique Automobile Club came to BOW well ahead of time to ask for a street closing (Market from Bank to State) for four hours on a Thursday evening (August 20).

Mrs. Cotner Bailey raised the valid point that it would inconvenience businesses and residents. Mrs. Jarboe noted that her equally sensible suggestion to move the event to the amphitheater was rejected by the club. Then Mr. Nash stated the board needs to have a conversation about street closure requests and event permits coming in so far ahead of time.

You'd think the board would appreciate advance notice, but still, these are reasonable considerations overall.

How, then, to explain the board's perennial enthusiasm for the NA Blues, Brews and Barbecue Fest, which a mere four months ago blocked the entirety of Market between Pearl and State for two and a half days, inconvenienced businesses and residents so an on-street KOA campground could be erected atop the city's new median, and would be much more efficiently staged if it were to be relocated ... to the amphitheater?

There is no explanation, at least not yet. If the board's brush-off of the Antique Automobile Club means it finally intends to have these conversations and grasp the need for consistency, that's very good and I for one support it.

If not, it's just more of the same hypocrisy -- primarily from BOW's superannuated figurehead.

The following was published here last September.

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Beginning tonight -- Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. -- both traffic lanes on Market Street between State and Pearl will be closed until Sunday morning. Sidewalks will not be blocked.

The reason for the closure is to allow public space for professional BBQ teams to cook their meats for the weekend NA Blues, Brews and Barbecue Fest. You are encouraged to attend this event.

Speaking personally, if we're to be genuinely walkable as a city, then disruptions like this are of little or no consequence.

However, reality on the ground dictates this reminder that there's a parking garage at the corner of State and Market, and parking by the levee at the foot of Pearl -- and quite a few curbside parking spaces everywhere, even on a busy weekends, just a short distance from the event and the affected businesses on both sides of the closed segment of Market Street.

It should be seasonable the next few evenings. If you're driving, park somewhere and have a nice walk, then a bite and a drink. Don't have too much of the latter if you're driving.

And ponder the question of why we purpose-built Bicentennial Park to be problematic and barely usable for events, and naturally insist on constantly using it for such events even when the Riverfront Amphitheater would be far more appropriate.

The New Albany Blues Brews and BBQ Festival is Friday and Saturday.

Beginning tonight -- Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. -- both traffic lanes on Market Street between State and Pearl will be closed until Sunday morning. Sidewalks will not be blocked.

The reason for the closure is to allow public space for professional BBQ teams to cook their meats for the weekend NA Blues, Brews and Barbecue Fest. You are encouraged to attend this event.

Speaking personally, if we're to be genuinely walkable as a city, then disruptions like this are of little or no consequence.

However, reality on the ground dictates this reminder that there's a parking garage at the corner of State and Market, and parking by the levee at the foot of Pearl -- and quite a few curbside parking spaces everywhere, even on a busty weekends, just a short distance from the event and the affected businesses on both sides of the closed segment of Market Street.

It should be seasonable the next few evenings. If you're driving, park somewhere and have a nice walk, then a bite and a drink. Don't have too much of the latter if you're driving.

And ponder the question of why we purpose-built Bicentennial Park to be problematic and barely usable for events, and naturally insist on constantly using it for such events even when the Riverfront Amphitheater would be far more appropriate.

Shades of Jimmy Hoffa as Deaf Gahan hastily buries slaughtered Floyd County Election Board's political signage stipulations beneath Market Street mess.

Does Gahan invoice HWC Engineering or is it the other way around?

The Root coworking space begins as a previously neglected half-block emerges.

The Root has opened as of today. If you're wondering what coworking is, kindly refer to the first photo, where Brigid has explained it in less than 30 words.

On one side, Todd Coleman is upgrading Classic Home Furnishings. On the other side, Pints&union enters its fifth month of operation.

That's a lot of money being invested in dramatic changes on the south side of Market, between State and Pearl.

Shouldn't any projected changes to the street and sidewalks be designed with these investments in mind, and not restricted to the north side of the street?

Yo, progressives -- sidewalks are a social justice issue. But we spend a lot more on paving, don't we?

Don't strain your eyes looking. There were no signs warning of a closed sidewalk throughout the period of work, even though handicapped users could not pass. How much effort can it possibly take to think FIRST about walkers and handicapped users? 

My new work schedule has made it somewhat impractical to attend city council meetings, but I can still read the minutes.

It's budget time, and in the minutes from August 16 there was a casual mention of combining money from two different funds to free as much as $3 million for paving in 2019. Note that this sum addresses paving alone. It does not include various other street expenditures, the bulk of which go toward automotive-enoblement projects.

It would be interesting to arrive at a comparison of car-centric expenditures and those going to improve and enhance non-automotive options. I think it's safe to say that sidewalks (to name just one) receive much less investment on an annual basis. At the risk of error, my guess is that we rely primarily on Community Development Block Grants for the cash for sidewalk improvements. This excerpt is from the 2015 CDBG draft.

Sidewalk Spot Improvements $1,100,000: Funded throughout the Five-Year Plan to provide for improvements where deteriorated sidewalks restrict connections that can benefit pedestrians or to repair spot basis sidewalks where incidental deterioration exists. Sidewalk improvements of approximately 1,795 linear feet are planned each year. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant ramps are included.

Um, impressive.

Dear reader, do you think of yourself as a progressive? If so, are you aware that deteriorating or non-existent sidewalks are a social justice problem of escalating dimension?

Read on, if you dare.

Crumbling Sidewalks Become a Legal Battleground, by Adina Solomon (CityLab)

A lawsuit in Atlanta reflects a growing movement that demands accessible, well-maintained sidewalks—and rejects budgetary constraints as an excuse.

I'm shocked -- SHOCKED -- at the possibility of cities not properly budgeting for sidewalks.

For one thing, the ADA became law nearly three decades ago, in 1990. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which guarantees certain rights to people with disabilities, dates back to 1973.

“At this point, it’s hard to imagine that cities aren’t appropriately accessible,” says James Harrington, an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin and founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project. He has worked on sidewalk-related cases in Texas. “The ultimate defense, of course, is they can’t afford it, but when you’re looking at 30 years of notice, then it’s hard for them to say they can’t afford it had they not structured it into their budget as they were supposed to from the beginning.”

Attorney James Radford, who is representing the plaintiffs in Atlanta, says he spent two to three years on research before filing the lawsuit. He met with people in wheelchairs and looked at sidewalks across the city to gauge whether maintenance was a systemic issue. He also found a 2010 report from Atlanta’s Department of Public Works saying 18 percent of the city’s sidewalk network was categorized as deteriorated.

“If you look at the budgets over time, they just decided not to fix it,” Radford says.

But ... but ... annual paving is the very basis of pay-to-play!

And it’s important to remember that it isn’t just a matter of convenience.

“Cities should invest in sidewalks if they want to increase walkability, often for some of the most vulnerable parts of the population, but [also] for the general population as a whole,” Loukaitou-Sideris says. “Now that we have the back-to-the-city movement, we have more people walking or wanting to walk. As costly as it is, it is not as costly as paving highways.”

Of course, New Albany municipal bureaucrats typically cite their own long-neglected sidewalks as an excuse to mow down street trees accused of buckling walkways, but subsequently they repair only a fraction of the sidewalks thus liberated from the insidious tyranny of shade.

Can old trees and sidewalk repairs co-exist? New Albany's lickspittle clique says no, but surely there's a way, although we probably won't discover a solution for so long as Nanny Barksdale insists on clearcutting anything green (except money).

Seismologists record earthshaking Tree Board orgasms as Schoolmaster Barksdale's chain saw strikes again.

Meanwhile, the newspaper's most recent reporter hire dug a bit and learned that the street tree recently landing atop a car on the south side of the 100 block Market Street -- this being the side of the street slated for zero improvements according to the city's latest sycophant-endorsed plastic Disneyfication plan -- had been reported repeatedly to the city by the business owners nearest it.

Here finally was an obviously rotting tree, one certifiably justifying pre-emptive removal, and of course the city did nothing; however, once the tree fell, all remaining living things on the block were removed and light landscaping followed at a glacial pace, taking something like six days, with parking in front of the salon blocked throughout.

That'll show them for running to the newspaper instead of Big Daddy G. As for Ms. McAfee, she'd best be careful with truth-telling like this. Deaf Gahan might get huffy and cancel his newspaper ads -- and without ads, how can Bill dispatch an editor all the way to Evansville to cover Herr Drumpf?

New Albany business owners frustrated with delays in removing tree, by Brooke McAfee (Tom May[de] in the Shade)

NEW ALBANY—Local business owner Angela Shaughnessy said she wishes the City of New Albany had taken immediate action to remove a hazardous tree before it fell.

On Wednesday, a tree uprooted and fell on top of a car parked downtown on Market Street in New Albany.

The car was damaged, but it was unoccupied at the time. No injuries were reported.

Shaughnessy, co-owner of Downtown Style on Market Street, said she and her business partner have called the City of New Albany multiple times about their concerns with the tree. The tree was located outside of her beauty salon, and she noticed that large portions of the tree's base were visibly hollow.

"I don’t know how it was still standing," she said ...

Seismologists record earthshaking Tree Board orgasms as Schoolmaster Barksdale's chain saw strikes again.

It's been a tough week if you're a downtown New Albany street tree.

When one of your brethren decided to strike a blow against car-centrism, it was inevitable that hostages would be taken, tried, sentenced and quickly dispatched.

No last meals or final requests, just those signature red plastic bands -- and the sound of chortling from Schoolmaster Barksdale as his trademark Husqvarna was lubed and revved for duty.

Early this morning, the latest round of carnage was complete on the orphaned south side of Market, by Hannegan Hall.

Fellow street tree, your appointment with the Robespierres of the Tree Board will soon be processed.

But for now, there goes your brother, off to be rendered into firewood, with the proceeds destined to be deposited into Dear Leader's burgeoning re-election fund.

Earlier in the week, for no apparent reason, this row of street trees on Elm Street by the former St. Mary's school received the condemned terrorist treatment.

Sarcasm aside, if once -- just once -- an elected or appointed city official would mention aloud the issue of urban heat islands (to cite one relevant example), and display a semblance of awareness of the implications, then I'd be more inclined to accept his or her persistent tree removal reasoning.

But when the rationale for removal embraces the crazed notion that trees must be removed so our precious historic buildings can be properly viewed by people in passing cars who are too lazy (or overheated) to get out and walk, then I call bullshit -- and will continue to do so.

Previously:

Earth to Gahan: Street trees increase home prices, shade trees reduce household energy use, and these effects can be measured and expressed in dollars.

Chainsaws are the soundtrack to our anchors: "How Should We Pay for Street Trees?"

#FlushTheClique

Summers announces plan to "Walk the Walk" by enhancing car-centrism via the Market Street medians. We advocate nuking them to outer space.

As the photos show, reducing the sidewalk width of the north side of Market between Pearl and State means having to cut even more trees -- and shortening the median (which by all rights should be dynamited, not "preserved," historically or otherwise) suggests dismantling and moving David Thrasher's signature fork in the road sculpture.

Better ask the Tree Board.

On second thought, the Tree Board probably is the prime mover of this latest deforestation plan.

Worst of all is testimony from city engineer Larry Summers, who apparently cannot fathom the sad irony of announcing a plan to remove trees, uproot art, maintain a car-centric median, add a turning lane for autos AND take ten feet off sidewalks while still insisting, drone-like, it will "create a place for people to gather and make the street more functional."

If Summers is genuinely interested in this outcome, and he's not, he'd be advocating for reducing lanes to one each direction, ditching the median and extending sidewalks (at the very least).

However, in defense of the city's engineer, by his own testimony he's already working 80 hours a week (his words at last Monday's city council meeting, not mine), as well as fending off the usual territorial pissing challenges from councilman David Barksdale on behalf of redevelopment.

Time and again, Mayor Jeff Gahan and his minions have proven that of all possible outcomes in a situation like this, the one that benefits drivers and their cars will be the one chosen and glorified in Orwellian Newspeak as "walkability."

If aesthetic atrocities are inevitable ... can we #FireGahan2019 ?

Block of Market Street in New Albany to get facelift, by Chris Morris (Plain Tom May Content Dealer)

NEW ALBANY — A section of Market Street, between Pearl and State streets, will soon receive a facelift. But who oversees the project is still up for debate.

Larry Summers, engineer for the city of New Albany, told the Redevelopment Commission about the proposal Tuesday, which will include several aesthetic changes including new lighting, widening the median in certain spots but shortening it near State Street to add a turning lane. He said the sidewalks on the north side in front of businesses will be shortened to 10 feet and benches will be added. The project is being paid for by a grant from the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County, although Summers did not have the final cost. He said the hope is to have the majority of the work completed by Harvest Homecoming in October for safety reasons.

Summers said the changes will create a place for people to gather and make the street more functional.

"It will be very unique; it will be its own place," Summers said.

Summers also said the improvements would go through the Board of Public Works and Safety since that board meets weekly, instead of monthly, and must approve all projects that fall into the right of way. However, that did not sit well with all redevelopment members.

"This is a redevelopment project, not a board of works project," redevelopment member, and New Albany City Councilman, Dave Barksdale said.

The bids are supposed to be open prior to Tuesday's board of works meeting. The redevelopment commission members agreed to meet at 11 a.m. Tuesday to review those bids and said they want to have control of the project moving forward. Work may begin as early as this month. A pre-bid meeting was held May 7 and only one contractor attended, but Summers said it was not mandated.

Barksdale also said the two medians on Market will be different looking when the work is completed. He said he hopes money can be found in the future to improve the lighting and overall appearance of the median in the "lower" block.

Summers said there was not enough money to make changes to the other median, but added that would be a priority in the future to improve the landscape and lighting in the median, from State Street to Hauss Square.

"There is a lot of traffic there so we are always looking to improve that section," Summers said.

Grid Control, Vol. 29: Market Street now is two-way the entire way, though it complicates parking garage access.

For reasons unknown, the reversion of Market Street to two-way traffic (specifically, between State Street and W. 5th) was not part of the federal 80-20 funding mechanism of the grid modernization and (and campaign monetization) project.

Downtown 2-way Conversion Update - Market Fully 2-way on Oct 31

The final stretch of Market Street set to be converted to 2-way traffic (from State Street to West 5th Street) will convert on October 31st. The intersection at Scribner and Market Street will temporarily be a 4-way stop while crews work to convert the signal. After this conversion is complete, all of Market Street will hold 2-way traffic.

It has happened. Interestingly, the reversion has a side effect in the sense of restricting access to the parking garage for traffic traveling eastbound on Market -- including those drivers eastbound on I-64 who exit into New Albany and approach downtown from the west.

The median precludes a left turn into the Market Street garage entrance; while a left turn into the parking garage from State (northbound) remains theoretically possible, it involves crossing two lanes of traffic where southbound cars are stacked headed south at the light.

Of course, drivers eastbound on Market can circle the block via Pearl and Spring to get back to State southbound, and easy garage access; ironically, ending the necessity of making such loops was a prime reason for the reversion to two-way traffic.

In my opinion, both medians between W. 1st and Pearl would have been better removed, traffic lanes narrowed and moved to one side of the street or the other, and room for human use added. For Jeff Speck's innovative (and predictably discarded) thoughts on this stretch of street, go here and scroll to page 68.

For previous "Grid Control" series links, go here: Grid Control, Vol. 28: Elm Street capitulates to two-way modernity with a whimper, not a bang. Now, to the next stage.

UPDATE: 90 days later, Deaf Gahan's "blight and eyesore" has been superseded by "eyesore and blight" -- and DNA jauntily approves.

(October above; August below)

Boy, what a difference three months makes. Now two-way traffic on Market affords motorists an entirely different view of the former eyesore.

As the Green Mouse says, "Those gaping holes and half-buried debris are all autumnal and shit."

Too bad the USA is dropping out of UNESCO, or else we might have a new tourist landmark: The Duggins Cool-newal Urban World Heritage Site.

I wonder how many public housing units would fit in this space?

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August 6, 2017: Thanks, Gahan: Deaf called it "a blight and eyesore for the area," so he acted swiftly ... to create another one in its place.

Curiously, NAC's forensics department verifies that Team Gahan only recently has been on the site it has helped keep derelict.

Back in March, a scandal-plagued Jeff Gahan explained why he had to demolish buildings at the corner of Market and Vincennes. He didn't say anything about creating a post-industrial wasteland in the aftermath, but maybe the memo got lost when Duggins took all the city's bulldozers over to the New Albany Housing Authority ... with Democratic Party approval.

But wait.

Maybe it's another case of contractor error.

Previously:

Once again, NA Confidential handily scoops Jeff Gahan's flailing propaganda commissariat, so let's take a glance at the mayor's new theme park.

River Run Family Waterpark is doing so well that an aquatic sequel is planned for the former Market Boy acreage.

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As an addendum, NA Confidential has been unable to confirm whether New Albany Mayor Jeff M. Gahan or anyone working in the city's administration is under federal investigation or indictment for corruption, bribery or racketeering. It is standard policy of the U.S. Justice Department to refuse to confirm or deny the existence or non-existence of investigations or subjects of investigations. A similar policy exists at the F.B.I.

Grid Control, Vol. 28: Elm Street capitulates to two-way modernity with a whimper, not a bang. Now, to the next stage.

This morning, a few days belated, Elm Street was reverted to two-way traffic. Probably no one even noticed, and therein lies an observation.

I'll always be fascinated by a decade or more of sheer sloth and acrimony, followed by 3-4 years of municipal bureaucratization, then the doomsday predictions of dozens of experts on social media -- and two days after Spring Street became two-way, there was complete and utter silence, with nary a peep since.

As I fee compelled to say over and over: This isn't the end of the push for a modern street grid to benefit all users, not only drivers. Rather, it's the end of the beginning.

Meanwhile, in our last Grid Control installment, Brad on Market Street reported issues with parking stripe placement relative to signage, and also this instance of a potentially blocked driveway.

My neighbor's driveway. Not that they use it much, but I feel like they should have the option without the chance of getting blocked in ...

Brad reports the latter issue to have been fixed and provides this proof.

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Previously:


Grid Control, Vol. 27: A case of parking space inconvenience on Market Street.

Grid Control, Vol. 26: The 2-Pocalyptic contagion claims another victim as Market Street capitulates to modernity.

Grid Control, Vol. 25: If Breakwater's overflow parking has been "donated" by AT&T, why weren't crosswalks installed for residents to access it?

Grid Control, Vol. 24: Deliver me this.

Grid Control, Vol. 23: City's fuddy-duddies losing their minds as the debut for a two-way Spring Street is pegged at August 29.

Grid Control, Vol. 22: City engineer Larry Summers answers our questions about intersection striping errors and the "No Trucks" sign removal.

Grid Control, Vol. 21: Murderous intersection at Spring & 10th to be repaved and restriped -- and, the hocus-pocus with a disappearing "No Trucks" sign at Spring & Vincennes.

Grid Control, Vol. 20: As Team Gahan dawdles, another bicyclist is crushed into mincemeat at 10th & Spring's dangerous dogleg.

Grid Control, Vol. 19: In a positive move, HWC begins righting the wrong cross hatching on Spring Street.

Grid Control, Vol. 18: Finally a few BoW street grid project answers, almost all of them citing "contractor error."

Grid Control, Vol. 17: Judging by the misdirection of this "CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP" sign, we now reside in the British Empire.

Grid Control, Vol. 16: What about HWC's cross hatching correction? Will this be finished before or after Team Gahan declares victory?

Grid Control, Vol. 15: Dooring enhancement perfectly epitomizes Deaf Gahan's "biking last" approach to grid modernization.

Grid Control, Vol. 14: Yes, you can still park on the south side of Spring Street during the stalled two-way grid project.

Grid Control, Vol. 13: "Dear Deaf Gahan and minions: FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, STOP TRYING TO BE COOL AND DESIGNER-ISH. YOU'RE NOT, AND IT'S EMBARRASSING ALL OF US."

Grid Control, Vol. 12: Meet the artistic crosswalk design equivalent of dogs playing poker.

Grid Control, Vol. 11: HWC Engineering meets with St. Marks, city officials nowhere to be found.

Grid Control, Vol. 10: City officials predictably AWOL as HWC Engineering falls on its sword over striping errors.

Grid Control, Vol. 9: "This was supposed to be discussed with us," but Dear Leader doesn't ever discuss, does he?

Grid Control, Vol. 8: City Hall characteristically mum as HWC Engineering at least tries to answer the cross-hatching question.

Grid Control, Vol. 7: What will the Board of Works do to rectify HWC's striping errors on the north side of Spring Street, apart from microwaving another round of sausage biscuits?

Grid Control, Vol. 6: Jeff Speck tweets about NA's grid changes, and those missed bicycling opportunities.

Grid Control, Vol. 5: Egg on HWC Engineering's well-compensated face as it botches Spring Street's westbound bike buffer cross hatching.

Grid Control, Vol. 4: But this actually isn't a bus lane, is it?

Grid Control, Vol. 3: TARC's taking your curbside church parking, says City Hall.

Grid Control, Vol. 2: Southsiders get six more parking inches, but you gotta love those 10-foot traffic lanes on Spring.

Grid Control, Vol. 1: You people drive so freaking horribly that someone's going to die at Spring and 10th.