Lincolnite

I'm not the parking scofflaw that my wife is -- I have 1 or 2 tickets to my name, she has several plus a tow -- so I'm presumably not the target of the proposal to bring parking boots to Lincoln. Instead, they're focused on major violators, those with several outstanding, unpaid tickets. Considering how obnoxious it can be to deal with the City's towing company, putting up with a boot seems like a veritable tiptoe through the tulips. The current estimate is that the boots would be used 400-450 times per year. Think about that. There are so many people not paying their parking tickets that the boots could be applied more than once per day. I probably shouldn't be surprised, but I am. That seems like a lot to me. Are there any downsides to putting boots on cars? There's the inconvenience, of course. But it's significantly less inconvenience than dealing with a towed car so that doesn't feel like a viable complaint. Anything else?

When the difference between acceptable and unacceptable use of a property is a simple IRS designation, common sense ought to win out. And it did! Miracle of miracles. In the linked situation, the difference between an outfit being able to set up shop on West O Street and not being permitted was whether or not they were a registered non-profit. Considering how little a non-profit status has to do with a group's use of a property, that's a pretty silly distinction. Zoning laws are supposed to be about things like safety and use clumping (or separation), not petty bureaucratic distinctions. So kudos to the Planning Commission for not blindly sticking to the letter of the law. That being said, I wonder why this situation developed in the first place. Why do non-profits get leeway that other organizations don't? If this property shouldn't be used for its newly-intended purpose, then it shouldn't be used in that manner by anybody, non-profit or not. Perhaps this is a loophole that ought to be closed. I dunno. Zoning regulations are (mostly) foreign to me. If there's something to be fixed, let's fix it.

On Monday Mr. T posted a Where In Lincoln featuring sledding on Choo Choo Hill. That's what I've always called it anyway, thanks largely to my time on the Lincoln Southeast cross country team. I'm not sure if any other local schools called it the same thing. Regardless, do any of you know why we called it Choo Choo Hill? Long-time Lincolnites will remember that there used to be a train engine sitting at the top of the hill. Specifically, Chicago Burlington & Quincy locomotive #710. It sat there for a few decades, until it was removed in 1990, restored, and then placed where it still resides today: in the Haymarket. We have Mr. W.E. Haydon to thank for that engine. You can read about it here.

It’s been a while since we first visited Frank & Simon’s Great Food on West O St. Since then, F&S has well established itself as a popular deli, sandwich, and salad place with a loyal following. To celebrate the end of its first very successful year, Frank & Simon’s will be convening the First Annual Run With the Big Dogs hot dog eating contest on Friday, February 24, 2012 (doors open at 6:15 PM and competition begins at 7 PM). Entry fee is $25. Whatever complete maniac can first eat fifteen hot dogs and buns will win a trophy AND a 3 day/ 2 night vacation for two. Additionally, all entrants will receive a T-shirt and also be entered into a random drawing for ANOTHER 3 day/ 2 night vacation for two. Finally, for a $5 donation, there will be an accompanying “Best Dressed Dog Contest” in which participants will race to design an amazing hot dog. The best dressed dog contest will earn the winner a pogocard. This sounds like a lot of fun, and there will be generous amount of prizes. The contest will raise money for Best of Business local charity fund. Registration deadline for the contest is February 10. Frank & Simon’s is open Monday through Saturday, and is located at 201 Capitol Beach Blvd.

Not long after the Cooper Y announced another building expansion, here's news that a southeast Y is in our near future thanks to $1 million from Ed and Mary Copple. YMCAs are taking over this town. My wife is a member of the Cooper Y (South 14th Street) and it's frequently packed. Beyond that, its programs are packed. Signing up the kids for activities means being quick on the draw if we want to ensure they get a spot. There's certainly demand for more YMCA services. The location of the new Y is up in the air at this point. Will they choose Village Gardens, despite its relative proximity to the Cooper Y? How about the area around Walmart? Or perhaps something farther north, perhaps near St. Mark's United Methodist on Pioneers Boulevard? At the rate their growing, maybe they'll choose all three. I'm curious how many of you readers are members of the Y or participate in Y programs in some capacity. How many of you might become a member if it moved in near you? Where would you put it?

It's not nice of weather forecasters to get me all excited about the possibility of ridiculous amounts of snow, only to later break my heart by telling me we're probably looking at little more than six inches, with a non-zero probability of bupkis. I've really got to stop listening to weather forecasters. Of course, as soon as I do that they'll get one right... Enough whining. Who among you tried to go to the grocery store yesterday only to find out that they were out of many of the staples? I didn't go, but I heard that was a common complaint. Snowstorm or not, at least many folks' cupboards will be full this weekend.

The site of Lincoln Recess is now known as Parkhaus. After all these years, it finally has a name. Parkhaus is, of course, an appropriate name. See, it has housing and parking. You can park where your house is. Get it? OK, so I'm not completely sold on the name. That's ok. At least the darn thing is getting built. The structure is even nearing completion. How awesome is that? Pretty soon you'll be able to move in to a suite with a by-the-bed leasing option that won't leave you on the hook if your roommate bails out mid-lease. I'm excited to see what sorts of tenants they get lined up for the retail space on the first floor. Jeff Korbelik says that PepperJax is interested in opening a shop Downtown. That, to me, sounds like a match made in heaven. What do you folks think about the name and the building? Sure, it's not the 15-story building (or giant two-building complex) we once dreamed of. But it's not too shabby overall, particularly considering it was planned and built on the tail end of a recession. I still miss Star Ship 9, but it's hard to argue that Parkhaus leaves us worse off.