Lincolnite

Lincoln landmark P.O. Pears is closing its doors after March 23. P.O. Pears is the first place I ever ate a bleu cheese burger; the first place I ever had Rocky Mountain oysters; and the first (and only) place I've ever been beckoned by the phrase "Spanky, your burger is ready". I've been to P.O. Pears just once in the past few years, so I can't honestly say I'll miss it as a destination. But as a Lincolnite, I will droop a little every time I drive by. P.O. Pears is the sort of place every city needs to have around, whether it knows it or not. On the other hand, with P.O. Pears out of the way, my not-completely-unserious proposal to put a new convention center and arena in southwest Downtown just got ever-so-slightly more possible...

The Mayor's budget survey begins this week. If you see a University of Nebraska-Lincoln phone number on your caller ID and you're in the mood to take a 15-20 minute survey, be sure to pick up the phone. A total of 600 Lincolnites will be selected to take the survey. There will be other mechanisms for input from those of you/us not selected to take the phone survey. Details about all of that will be released soon. If you happen to receive one of the phone calls, be sure to let us know how it went.

A couple quick soccer-related notes: First, tonight is a mandatory soccer rules meeting for anybody who wants to officiate varsity high school soccer matches this spring. The meeting is at 7:00pm at East High School. We are always looking for new referees, so if you've ever thought about reffing soccer, now's a good time to get started. If you can't attend tonight's meeting, there's another one tomorrow night at Omaha Westside. If you want to ref at the sub-varsity level, the meeting is not required but I recommend it anyway. As always, if you're interested in reffing soccer at any level in Lincoln, drop me a note and I'll help you get started. Second, all you adult soccer players out there will want to know that a new adult league is on its way to Lincoln. The details aren't yet set in stone, but the Midwest Amateur Soccer League (MASL) could be up and running as soon as April 1. The first season may have as many as 32 teams, and should feature Division 1 and Division 2 competition. (Lincoln hasn't had a D1 league in many years.) Where is Lincoln going to get that many teams and that level of competition? League organizers have cast a wide net, and they've made some pretty interesting catches. If you're a soccer player, keep a lookout for more information.

For several years now, folks across Lincoln have been selling the idea that reurbanization is good. It's all part of "new urbanism", or "traditional neighborhood design", or whatever you want to call it. The best neighborhoods, they've said, are those that promote diversity: diversity of residents; diversity of modes of transportation; diversity of design; and so on. The result of their efforts has been neighborhoods like Fallbrook and Village Gardens, plus renewed efforts to rejuvenate Downtown. The Antelope Valley Project was created by and is guided by the same mentality. Antelope Valley is where I notice an inconsistency. We are told that diversity is a good thing in Lincoln's new projects. And yet it seems like the proposed Antelope Valley design guidelines promote the opposite. The proposed guidelines encourage sameness and conformance, not uniqueness and creativity. The cost of abiding by the rules artificially raises the cost of each project. As a result, the type of use for each parcel is limited. That means fewer small, local businesses can afford to locate within the area. The residents and businesses that were or will be displaced to make room for the project? Don't count on them being able to move back in. I'm not against development guidelines. The City has an interest in protecting its investment, and part of that involves creating the atmosphere it wants to create. That will require some rules. But an important part of dynamic, thriving urban environments is spontaneity. If the rules are too onerous or too specific -- you can judge for yourself if they are -- the environment becomes predictable, and even stale. Regardless, it'll be interesting to watch as the Antelope Valley matures over the years. What will the area look like twenty years from now? Will all of this work and money have been worthwhile? Let's hope so. [My apologies if this post seems incomplete. It sort of is. I had hoped to discuss this in more detail, but alas, work beckoned. If there is interest, I can write more on this topic later this week.]

I haven't posted a video of Robbie lately, so here's an "interview" with Robbie from earlier today: The interview covers a wide range of topics, including animals, Robbie's favorite people, and words you really shouldn't say in a video that grandmas and grandpas will be watching.

As reported today: Any good administration should have the Chuckster in it:

Eyeing some of the GOP’s most independently minded senators, Obama is considering Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Richard Lugar of Illinois as possible secretaries of defense and state, respectively, senior advisers told the newspaper. Asked about his Cabinet choices last week, Obama told The Sunday Times: “Chuck Hagel is a great friend of mine and I respect him very much.” He did not go into further detail.

Both Hagel and Lugar - who are Obama's colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - would be great cabinet positions (Oh by the way FOX, Lugar is from Indiana, not Illinois). This makes one wonder what happens to Dodd and Biden, who are also on Foreign Relations. A VP role? This election season keeps getting better and better...