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Tuesday is Trash Day!
I don’t know how many other Lincoln households get excited about Tuesdays, but we here at the Wilson house sure get bubbly. Today was no different. Why the excitement? Why, Tuesday is trash day, of course!
I know, that doesn’t sound like cause for jubilation, but I assure you it is. For many weeks now Robbie has taken to stationing himself on the back of the couch, watching out the front window for the arrival of the big white Uribe Refuse truck. And when it arrives ... “BIG TRUCK TAKE TRASH!” Robbie gets so animated you’d think Clifford the Big Red Dog had just strolled through the yard.
For the past two weeks, a younger guy has noticed Robbie in the window. He always takes a second to stop and wave, which really gets Robbie going. “BYE!” he’ll holler while waving like mad. As the mornings get warmer, I’m sure Robbie will want to station himself on the front porch to watch the action. That will really be a thrill.
The joy of trash day lasts throughout the week. Over the past week, each night as I said goodnight Robbie reminded me “big truck take trash”. “Today is Thursday,” I would tell him. “Trash day is on Tuesday.” And Robbie would drift off to sleep, no doubt having fantastic dreams a la ”Trash of the Titans”.
Yesterday, Robbie and The Missus went to the Y, as is their routine. Inside the childcare area, Robbie’s friend Ty looked glum. “What’s wrong, Ty?” asked The Missus.
“It’s Monday,” he replied. “I wish it was Tuesday, cuz then my dad would be home”.
Robbie’s ears perked up. “TUESDAY?! BIG TRUCK TAKE TRASH!” As you can see, Robbie often speaks in capital letters.
And so, with yet another trash day gone by, we anxiously await the next one. Come back soon, trash men!
A Snowball’s Chance This Spring
Place your wagers: Will it snow again this spring? Or are we going to make it through April (and May) without any more flakes?
(Not) In a Rut
I realize I don’t drive nearly as much as many of you do. But in my travels around town I haven’t noticed very many gaping potholes so far this spring. There have been a few, sure; there always will be. Yet all of the most substantial holes on all the routes I frequent have been patched pretty quickly.
Have your tires been eaten by any potholes this spring? Have you noticed any persistent problem spots the City has missed?
Tell the City About Your Budget Priorities
The City’s budget priorities survey is now online. The survey gives Lincolnites a chance to rate the relative importance of various aspects of the budget, and to provide written feedback on a number of topics.
I haven’t completed the survey yet, but so far it’s pretty much what I expected it to look like. I do worry that some populations will have a hard time with the survey. I’m not sure that a lot of “computer inexperienced” people will be able to figure out the drag-and-drop interface, for example. It looks pretty, but it isn’t necessarily intuitive to those who aren’t used to it. I am also concerned that the form isn’t “accessible”. That is, according to my testing the form is unusable by visually impaired users, and it is very difficult to use for those with certain mobility impairments. Phrased more bluntly: a lot of handicapped people are going to have troubles with it.
Fortunately, a paper version of the survey is available at all city libraries. That fact isn’t stated on the online survey website, but the Mayor’s press release confirms it. That should be a viable option for most people that the online version misses.
If you use the survey, let us know your thoughts, both about the survey instrument and about the topics it covered. Is it useful? Were you surprised by anything?
Syruppy Fingers
Well thank goodness Lincoln’s Village Inns aren’t closing. No seriously. There just aren’t that many breakfast options in Lincoln, and I love breakfast.
Hmm, I wonder who has the best breakfast in Lincoln? I think a lot of folks would push for Stauffer’s and Green Gateau. You’ve got your classic “healthy” (hah!) options at Hi-Way Diner and Shoemaker’s. There are the Hy-Vee restaurants. And then of course there are the various Sunday brunches around town.
Where do you go out for the best breakfast in Lincoln?
We’re Down to Two
Two finalists have been selected for hotel and convention center projects that will accompany the new Haymarket arena—if voters decide we want the arena. The finalists are: John Q. Hammons Industries, of Embassy Suites and aborted hotels on Q Street and 17th Street fame; and Robert and Will Scott of WRK LLC, who have been very actively lately in a number of projects around Lincoln. There are no details on either of the proposals.
We do know a little bit about the proposals that didn’t make the cut. One proposed a 7,000 seat arena—a far cry from the 15,000 - 16,000 figure often thrown around by the folks with the loftiest goals. Another developer is dubious about the amount of private financing the two finalists might be proposing, implying that taxpayers are in for more of a hit than we’re being told. If true—and remember, this is coming from somebody who lost the bid, so take it with a grain of salt—it would not be surprising. It’s almost a truism that the public gets sacked with a much larger bill than they were promised in these things.
I want to take a quick moment and critique the Journal Star’s headline on this news: “2 finalists selected for arena project”. There is a lot of confusion among the public about the distinction between the arena, and the hotel and convention center projects; who is in control of each part; who will pay for each part; and how much say the public has at each step of the way. To me, the use of the phrase “for arena project” in the headline is very misleading. Sure, the project is related to the arena, but in fact the developers are working more on the stuff that sits next door to the arena, not the arena itself. To be fair, it’s all sort of one big jumbled mess at this point—especially since voters could still shut down the entire project—but it would be nice to see the Journal Star try a little more actively to help clear up the public’s confusion.
Calling Time Warner and Windstream
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I sure wouldn’t complain if Comcast were to bring a little 50 mb/second action to Lincoln. Suddenly Windstream’s 6 mb/sec and Road Runner’s 10 mb/sec just feel ... pokey.
The Fourth Meeting
As I mentioned the other day, there will be four meetings in the coming weeks at which the public can talk about the City budget process. Three of the dates and locations had been announced; now the fourth location—Lincoln North Star—has been added. Here are the four:
- April 22: Lincoln Southwest High School
- April 24: LPS District Offices
- April 29: Lincoln North Star High School
- May 6: Lincoln High School
For more details, see the press release.
Who can listen to that garbage?
Now that the basketball season is over, I need to get something off my chest…
Kent Pavelka needs to go.
Having had to listen to him on the internet was absolutely painful this season. He’s WAY past his prime. (He really wasn’t all that good to begin with) THAT’S RIGHT...I SAID IT!
The Husker Sports Network’s hand was forced to let go Randy and bring in Kent, another Steve Pederson flub. And it was absolutely the worst decision.
Kent whines, Kent complains, Kent is a homer. Hey Kent, here’s an idea...listen to Greg Sharpe. You’ll pick up more in one game from Sharpe than you’ll ever learn in a lifetime of broadcasting.
:rantover
P.S. I realize this might have been more effective DURING basketball season...but, oh well.
Scooter Baggers
I see that Scooters and Brown Baggers are now open side-by-side at 84th and Van Dorn, in the same strip as Dino’s Eastside Grill. Note that the 84th Street Brown Baggers is not the same as the Brown Baggers on 70th and Van Dorn. I think the 84th Street BB is related to the Haymarket Brown Baggers, which also sits next to a Scooters.
I once asked what the deal was with the two different BB’s in town. The only answer I got was effectively “we don’t like them, and they don’t like us”. Suddenly buying a sandwich was like taking sides in a bitter rivalry.
It’s all so very confusing.
Interesting Conflicts
It’s good to see Councilman John Spatz working on alternative conflict of interest legislation in the wake of the City Council’s decision to keep voters from deciding if city employees should be forbidden from holding contracts with the city. Unfortunately, any conversation related to the issue at this point is likely to involve little more than partisan bickering. You can largely thank the Republican City Council members and Democrat Vic Covalt for that.
Ethics shouldn’t be a partisan issue. But how can you have any sort of intellectual debate about a contentious topic like this when the sides only define each other (and themselves) by party? The two sides are being petty and childish around a serious issue:
Asked whether he had talked to Covalt about his alternative, Spatz said he can’t think of another person in the city he’d be less likely to discuss the issue with, noting that Covalt is running for chairman of the state Democratic Party. ...
In response to Spatz’s implication that Covalt is just playing politics, Covalt said Spatz is doing the same: “He’s as much a Republican as I’m a Democrat.”
Ugh. What does party affiliation have to do with ethics and conflicts of interest? Nothing. Grow up, gents, and draw the dividing lines—which, I suspect, aren’t nearly as insurmountable as the two sides think—based on principle, not party.
I Wonder if Bork Has a Permit For His Peddling Pedaling
While reading about door-to-door peddlers getting arrested, I realized I’ve never even thought about asking door-to-door salesmen if they have a permit. I don’t see a lot of them, and I’ve never had a problem with one, but I can see how they might cause trouble for some people. I get especially concerned for people like my great aunt. She is so trusting…
Another thing I didn’t realize is that selling items door-to-door without a permit can get you arrested. Yikes. I assumed a pushy peddler would just get a ticket.
Have you ever had a problem with a door-to-door salesperson? Are you a door-slammer, a patient listener, or a gullible buyer?
Still in the Running
Half of the items still haven’t been solved in ”An Exhausting Puzzler”. Can you figure them out? I will post hints in the comments periodically…
Here’s How You Should Spend My Money
If you’ve ever wanted to tell the City how they should spend your money, you’ll have a few chances in the near future. On Sunday, an online survey will go live. It will be unscientific—that is, just because 90% of survey respondents give a particular answer doesn’t mean that 90% of Lincolnites would give that answer—but it will give Lincolnites a chance to rate budget priorities and offer written comments.
Then there will be four town hall meetings:
- April 22: Lincoln Southwest High School
- April 24: LPS District Offices
- May 6: Lincoln High School
- TBD
My bet is the fourth meeting will be held at Lincoln North Star or Lincoln Northeast.
I get the feeling there is a lot of distrust over this process. Rather than applauding the City for asking for public input on the budget—something Lincolnites have asked for many times over the years—there’s a good deal of dismissal going on. I don’t know if Mayor Beutler and the City Council will take the input seriously or not. I hope they do, and I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until they demonstrate otherwise. One of the first tests will be the release of the phone poll data. It is due in mid-April. Hopefully they release all the data and let the public come to our own conclusions. If all they release are soundbites and summaries ... well, I’ll be concerned.
Do you have faith in the City’s public input process? How would you have done it differently?
Saying Goodbye
It has been interesting following the debate over whether or not the State Fair should move from its current digs to make way for UNL’s proposed Innovation Park. In the beginning, there was a lot of distrust of UNL, and the notion that the Fair should move was unfathomable to most. Or at least, to most of the people who commented on the Journal Star’s online stories. Now that the Fair is all but certainly headed to Grand Island, the tide has turned. Today’s comments are mostly supportive of the move, and the proportion of folks welcoming the tech park with open arms seems higher than even just a few weeks ago.
On the plus side, Lincoln will probably get its tech park. There’s every reason to suspect that will be good for the community in many ways. I can’t wait to see how it looks 15 years from now.
On the flip side, I’m worried about what the State Fair will look like in 15 years. I’m not as fatalistic about it as many people are. But I’m wary.
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