Gahan convenes counter-revolutionary anti-terrorism squads because "business owners want to see changes made to busy New Albany intersection."

As noted in this space on Tuesday, institutional cowardice helps to explain why the Board of Works has routinely ignored complaints about the dangerous intersection of Main and Bank Streets since at least 2015.

To understand this situation, one must don a Hazmat suit, shrink to corpuscle dimensions and climb inside the mind of our terminally bunker-bound mayor, who views the hostile world outside in simple shades of black and white.

Jeff Gahan regards himself as perfect; as such, all his top-down directives must also be perfect, because as Aquinas probably wrote, imperfection cannot ever be the product of perfection.

Therefore, a point of view differing from Gahan's is by definition imperfect, and by extension, those expressing a differing point of view can be doing so for political reasons alone. To Gahan, why else would imperfection exist if not to disrupt his own carefully laid plans? Therefore, opposition always is political,not related to ideas and content.

If you're a Mt. Tabor Road resident, a downtown business owner, a public housing dweller, a bicyclist, a homeowner in an area intended for annexation, owner of a motor vehicle targeted with selective enforcement or supporter of David White, Mark Seabrook or Dan Coffey, you're an enemy.

Your reasons for asking questions are not important, because who questions perfection?

Only a malcontent.

It's Gahan (and to a vastly lesser extent the DemoDisneyDixiecrats) against the world, and if your captive city engineer has been using the same excuse for four long years -- (simper, whimper) we can't do anything to make a street safe for all users unless we conduct a study, which we may or may not consider at some point in the future -- then it's Gahan doing the talking, and what Gahan is saying is this:

Be good little boys and girls, take this medicine I'm giving you, and never forget to be seen glorifying New Gahania, not asking stupid questions of perfection incarnate.

Business owners want to see changes made to busy New Albany intersection, by Hayden Ristevski (WDRB)

Some New Albany business owners have major concerns about a busy intersection.

Cisa Kubley, owner of Sew Fitting, and Stacie Bale, co-owner of Road Runner Kitchen, both said the intersection of Bank and Main Streets is too dangerous.

"We spend all day listening to car tires screeching and horns being blown, because people are in a hurry to get through here,” Kubley said.

It’s hard for drivers to see oncoming traffic on Main Street if they’re attempting to turn off of Bank Street. There also is not an outlined cross walk for people trying to cross Main Street.

"It's scary as a pedestrian to try to cross this street at the width, because you always feel like you have to run,” Kubley said.

There is a crosswalk on Bank Street, but cars turning off of Main Street may have a hard time seeing pedestrians.

"You can't cross it safely,” Bale said ...

Institutional cowardice might explain why the Board of Works has routinely ignored complaints about the dangerous intersection of Main and Bank Streets ... since at least 2015.

In 2017, in 2019. Forever; no change.

Props to Stacie Bale for informing Warren Naps and the Bored of Works that the intersection of Main and Bank is hazardous for pretty much everyone who uses it, drivers included, but especially walkers.

Roadrunner Kitchen owner says dangerous intersection hurting business, by Chris Morris (Hanson's Folly)

NEW ALBANY — Stacie Bale, owner of Roadrunner Kitchen in New Albany, loves her new location at the Underground Station, at the corner of Main and Bank streets. She moved there from her old Main Street location in January.

While the new home is perfect for her restaurant, getting there is a problem — for both pedestrians and vehicles. Trying to cross Main Street from Bank Street is dangerous, Bale told the New Albany Board of Public Works & Safety on Tuesday, and she is looking for the city to add some safety measures.

"We have maintained a lot of our regulars, but tons of pedestrians won't cross the road," she said. "We have 11 businesses there [Underground Station] but due to safety you can't get there. I don't even leave work that way in my car."

Bale is hoping the city can add a traffic light at the intersection. City engineer Larry Summers said there are plans in the works to redo Main Street, from East Fifth Street to State Street "a couple years down the road."

"Part of that is to look at a signal at that location. But before we do that we have to do an analysis to see if a signal is warranted," he said. "We are looking at several different options for that intersection."

Bale is hoping something can be done there sooner rather than later.

"I love it there, and our new landlord is super," she said. "But something needs to be done there to make it safer."

Sew Fitting owner Cisa Kubley, whose shop sits in front of the Underground Station at Bank and Main streets, said the intersection is one of the most dangerous in the city.

"We hear honking and screeching tires every day. Even when there aren't cars parked on Main Street it's still very limited visibility," she said. "People drive far too fast and pay no attention to cars slowing to turn or pedestrians trying to cross."

Let's see.

It was October 29, 2017 (below) -- and Larry Summers probably gave precisely the same robotic answer, because then as now, the people charged with determining safe walking conditions do so from the DRIVER'S SEAT OF THEIR CARS, not with two feet on the ground.

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Main Street intersections at Bank and 4th are hazardous for pedestrians. Where's City Hall, apart from a state of denial?

An increased number of businesses are on the north side of Main Street. More are on the south side (Underground Station) as well as one of the larger expanses of surface parking (by the levee).

Notice the crosswalks and other means of making pedestrian passage across this wide street easier.

That's right. There are none.

The intersection of Bank and Main also is bad for drivers, especially those northbound from the surface lot. It's been two and a half years since this was first pointed out to BOW (reprint below).

Now the situation is worsening at 4th and Main, where Hull & High Water is generating a great deal of foot traffic, both from area parking and the beautified corridor.

Jeff Speck had thoughts about this. These are 17-foot traffic lanes and 8-foot parking depths. That's a whole 50 feet from one side to another, without any effort to slow traffic or assist pedestrians.

Until city officials do something about this, anything they say about "walkability" is to be taken as an insult. After all, it's "not an option," is it?

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May 13, 2015

Board of Works approves new city slogan for new city seal: "It's not an option."

There were many curiosities at yesterday's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, held at the usual 10:00 a.m. slot which precludes so very much in the way of attendance and public input.

We learned that some folks can temporarily close streets with little effort, while others must assemble a petition. We noticed that when it comes to communications, it doesn't. It was reported that John "Human Chainsaw" Rosenbarger will be felling 30+ trees on Thomas Street, and planting 50 more ... and so on.

However, let's focus on just one of the items.

At a previous meeting, local businesses occupying the evolving Underground Station property on the corner of Main and Bank had asked the Board of Works to refit the intersection in front of their building (Main and Bank) into a 4-way stop, and to add a handicapped parking space on Main.

It wasn't surprising to hear street department commissioner Mickey Thompson speak for the board in waving away these requests, but his justifications (and his tone) were puzzling.

As for the handicapped space, Thompson feared establishing a harmful precedent, as though to say that if one business seeks a handicapped space, all of them would. Left unsaid was whether people with handicaps would find this useful.

But isn't the real question this: Why doesn't the city, through its Board of Works, proactively address parking issues and enforce parking ordinances? Why be troubled by a solitary handicapped space when no laws presently are enforced? After all, don't just do something -- stand there.

As for the 4-way stop request, which was made owing to steadily increasing traffic probably resulting from the simple fact that finally there is commercial traffic where before there was none, Thompson could do no better than grunt: "It's not an option." 

The obvious question that should have been asked and answered: "Why Not? Why isn't it an option?" 

We already know that through the top-down marionette otherwise known as the Board of Works and Safety (that word again), the Democratic municipal machine is delaying all movement toward street grid reform for 18 months or more. However, as the intersection of Main and Bank attests, the grid already is unsafe, and in the regrettable vacuum created by Jeff Gahan's politically-inspired and plainly cowardly deferrals, our streets are becoming more unsafe by the day.

Jeff, Warren, Adam ... yo, guys, can we at least have a Band-Aid to staunch the bleeding?

Even a wooden clothespin in place of the necessary tourniquet might help us to stay alive and watch you ineffectually fiddle.

Following are some fair and balanced pros and cons of the 4-way stop.

The Great Stop Sign Experiment, by Sam Newberg (Streets MN)

... In the big picture my personal hope and goal is for my neighborhood (and city) to be a safer place for all ages to walk and bike. If that means cars have to drive slower or there is more congestion in places or at certain times of the day, I’m willing to accept that. If we build and manage our roads to accommodate rush-hour traffic, the livability of our city will suffer at all hours.

Stacie Bale, late of NABC, reveals new project: Roadrunner Kitchen, coming soon to 145 E. Main Street in downtown New Albany.

Stacie Henehan Bale, late of NABC Cafe & Brewhouse and Earth Friends Cafe, has departed NABC and will launch a new venture called Roadrunner Kitchen. It will fill the space at 145 E. Main most recently occupied by Urban Bread Company.

She explains all at Roadrunner Kitchen's Facebook page.

Hello all! I am opening a new concept with my partner, Sarah Hastings. It will be similar to Earth Friends Cafe in that we will focus on sourcing sustainable, local products including local meats and produce. Earth Friends was founded on utilizing local resources - most especially from local farmers - and although many believed it to be primarily plant-based, it was always focused on sourcing from local farmers, including meat and eggs.

Our new concept will focus on the same philosophy as my former business, with the addition of VERY QUICK SERVICE. Consumers will have the option of waiting under 15 minutes for hot items, or choosing the option of grabbing a freshly prepared wrap or salad from our grab and go cases, paying by kiosk, and being out the door in less than five minutes - if necessary.

Also available will be housemade soups, espresso, smoothies and freshly prepared juices.

This concept will be for all types of consumers, but the focus will be on FAST and DIVERSE!

We will be located at 145 E. Main Street in downtown New Albany. We will be a quick breakfast and lunch service.

Hope to see you soon! Our target opening date is sometime in late February or March.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Stacie Henehan Bale

A pertinent question was raised in the comments section beneath Bale's post at Facebook.

In short: With Bale departed, what's to become of the food service at NABC's Cafe & Brewhouse?

More on the Earth Friends Cafe & Coffee Bar relocation from Grant Line to NuLu..

Previously at NAC: Earth Friends Cafe & Coffee Bar will have an outlet in NuLu.

What I like most about Stacie's greetings on the arrival of the New Year is the honesty and sincerity of her sentiments, without the usual corporate gobbeldygook. No Bob Evans press release, this.

We'll miss Earth Friends on Grant Line Road, and wish Stacie and the gang the very best in Louisville.

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Earth Friends Cafe & Coffee Bar

Happy New Year! We would like to take this opportunity on the first day of a New Year to express extreme heartfelt gratitude to all of those who patronize Earth Friends Café. Despite our hard to find location, and along with the construction going on for most of our days on Grant Line, our business stayed alive – well enough to expand to a second location inside the New Albany Floyd County Public Library.

In the latter half of 2012 we started looking for a potential Louisville location with the intention to make it a third location. However, we soon discovered since we are not yet two years old, the support to get the financial backing for a third location was not possible. Yet, we had already found a location in Louisville we felt would be perfect for what we are doing, so we have made the very hard decision to move the Grant Line location to the NuLu district in Louisville.

The most heart wrenching part in all of this is the fact that we have an established clientele at Grant Line who – if it were not for them – we would not be where we are now. There is some comfort in the fact that we are not leaving New Albany all together – we still have the library location, which has become vaster with its menu and offerings. If you have not been, there is a full service espresso bar, Panini grill for hot sandwiches, daily soup offering, and the option for combos with sandwiches, soup and/or salad. Right now there are five tables, but we hope to propose an expansion in the near future to make more seating available. All of the EFC favorites are there including the Veggie Wrap, Mediterranean Tuna, Chicken Pesto Wrap; as well as many Vegan options.

Lastly, we ARE trying to sell the business in hopes that the location stays alive to serve consumers in the area. We get a lot of business from General Mills, IUS, and several surrounding businesses. The location could continue as an 11a-2p, Monday-Friday lunch spot for someone who wishes to have their own café – or own their own business. If you know of anyone looking to start their own café, or for more information on the sale, please contact me at the Grant Line location (812)725-9393. It will be for sale until Friday, January 18th.

Again, thanks for making Earth Friends a success. We are very excited to enter the Louisville market and focus on becoming even more pro-LOCAL and ORGANIC with our food and beverage choices. The new space is going to be amazing, including outdoor seating. (Not to mention our kitchen will be five times bigger!)
We will be in our space at Grant Line until the end of January.

With much LOVE, GRATITUDE, and RESPECT,
Stacie Bale
Owner-Operator