Lincolnite

As much as I want to thumb my nose at Paul's for leaving my neighborhood, I am happy to hear that some of Lincoln's best BBQ is back in business. I wish the word was that they have lines out the door; instead, it sounds like business is slow. You folks out that direction don't know what you're missing! Paul's new location is 5650 North 33rd Street, directly across the street from North Star and right where 33rd Street turns into Fletcher Avenue.

The Missus and I are at the courthouse today. Our two foster boys are now free for adoption. The Wilsons should officially be a family of five before the end of the year.

I'm intrigued by the idea behind the new "Educare" center that will be attached to Belmont Elementary. It's a research-focused child care center and preschool put together by LPS, NU, NU Foundation, Community Action Network, and Buffett Early Childhood Fund. I'm very curious what sort of outcomes they'll be able to see over the next ten or fifteen years. I make no predictions about the role of the methodologies they'll use. However our family has witnessed firsthand the value of stability and consistent intervention in helping at-risk kids. Simply having a good place to go day after day will play a huge role in these kids' lives, regardless of any novel educational approaches used while they're there. I'm impressed that they think they'll be open a year from now. That seems speedy. I look forward to seeing the finished product -- and I don't just mean the building.

Fifty cents isn't much money, so it's easy to scoff at the City Council's $0.50 increase on monthly passes for low-income StarTran riders. (Handi-van riders will pay an extra $1.00 per month.) On the other hand, fifty cents represents an extra 7%. If you're counting your nickels and dimes each month, that matters. I'm of two minds on this matter. On the one hand, it's fair to ask those who use a service such as StarTran to pay for a portion of their subsidized transportation. Yet it's hard to not feel bad for those for whom $0.50 makes a big difference. I'm certainly in no position to judge how the affected individuals should feel about this. I left $0.63 in a leave-a-penny cup the other day because I didn't have pockets in which to carry the change and carrying the change to my car (along with the other items in my hands) would have been too big of an inconvenience. I have no doubt many of you have done similar things. So although it is tempting to reject the notion of four bits making a difference, I have to acknowledge that for some people, they do. Ultimately I keep coming back to the conclusion that the City Council made the right decision to raise the rate to $8.00 per month. It feels ... doable. Considering my warped sense of the value of fifty cents, however, I continue to be nagged by a voice telling me it's just not that simple.

Did you know that the Lincoln Children's Zoo is still open? I had no idea until I drove by the other day. The zoo remains open until October 15th. And then, of course, there's Boo at the Zoo October 26 through the 30th. For future reference, if you need a zoo fix when the Children's Zoo is closed, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is open year-round.

Residents in the vicinity of the soon-to-be-constructed roundabout at 14th and Superior are fired up. As a result, the City has pushed back the start of construction so that a meeting can be held. I'm not sure what good a meeting does at this late stage in the game. Plans are made, contracts are signed. But hey, whatever makes folks happy. I haven't quite figured out what area residents are so fired up about. Part of it is the roundabout itself. I would understand their complaints better if roundabouts elsewhere in town hadn't been so successful. In fact, I know several residents near 48th and Pioneers who nearly rioted because that intersection isn't getting a roundabout. Sure, the two-lane style roundabout at 14th and Superior is unusual for Lincoln, but addressing that issue is a simple matter of public education. Millions of drivers around the world have figured out multi-lane roundabouts; I'm sure we can figure it out, too. But I'm not sure if the roundabout is the lead complaint. There are also some odd sidewalk and bike path issues associated with the project. I think some parents are worried that because the sidewalk goes under the street, it is therefore more dangerous and more likely to be used by folks who are up to no good. I suppose that's possible. If it comes true, however, it would make that neighborhood stand out relative to the rest of Lincoln. There are many tunnels around town and, other than the occasional bit of graffiti, I'm not aware of any widespread safety issues. Perhaps these two complaints are more serious than I know. Or perhaps there are other complaints I'm not familiar with. I would love to hear more about it -- hence the public meeting. In the mean time, can any of you in the know fill me in?

So says Jack Mitchell. I haven't seen any other information just yet.

Lincoln has traffic cameras all over town. You can even watch them yourself. So why don't they seem to get used? Here's an example. Last night traffic was backed up on South 27th Street, south of Capitol Parkway. According to radio traffic reports there had been, at some point, a "multi-car accident" nearby. (By the time I made it through there was no sign of any accident.) Since the stated purpose of the cameras is to allow "real-time monitoring" so that the City can "direct and re-route traffic as needed to keep traffic flow", you'd think the timing of area traffic signals would have been adjusted. Within only a few signal cycles the whole backlog could have been flushed out. Instead, the signal timing never seemed to change. As a result, traffic backed up closer and closer to South Street. That's about three-quarters of a mile. Last night's experience certainly wasn't the only time I had wished that a human would take over to unstick a traffic jam. No doubt you've all been in similar situations as well. And yet I can't think of a single occasion in which I witnessed a traffic signal break out of its usual routine, either automatically or by human prompting, to help clear out a temporary slowdown. Perhaps I've misunderstood the role of traffic cameras, though the City's language seems pretty clear on the matter. I would like to see more active use of the cameras to lead to direct control over traffic signals when needed, preferably by folks who've been trained in the art and science of traffic dejamification. If done properly, I have no doubt it would help buy the City's beleaguered traffic management folks some much-needed love from Lincolnites. I wonder: have any of you ever witnessed what appeared to be The Hand Of God a City worker remotely controlling traffic signals to clear up a jam? (I'm not talking about when you see a person -- often a police officer -- controlling the lights via the box at the intersection. That's different.) Would you like to see more direct intervention?

The Missus reports that something called "Babylon Restaurant" is going in to Briarhurst Center at 48th and Highway 2. A sign says "coming soon". I don't have any more information than that for now, but since I live nearby I'll be sure to keep an eye on their progress.

Many of you will notice sidewalk ramps being redone mere months after they were completed. Don't blame the City. The Feds are to blame. They approved one set of specifications at the start of the project, then applied a different set of specifications during the final inspection. The result is 800,000 tax dollars unnecessarily respent. Makes you proud, doesn't it?

Ahh, there's nothing like seeing your name in the Legal Notices section of the Journal Star to get your blood pumping first thing in the morning. Fortunately it's not actually for me, but rather for somebody with a similar name. They still haven't caught up to me yet...

While you enjoy this warm start to October, reflect back to two years ago. It's hard to imagine that happening right now, isn't it?

It's nice to see Air Park getting some love these days. The oft-forgotten and -neglected appendage on Lincoln's west side is sort of the Rodney Dangerfield of the city. Enter the I-80 West Lincoln Business Center. (I really hope they come up with a better name!) The I80WLBC is supposed to eventually include over 200 acres of homes, industrial uses, and everything in between. It's a true multi-use development. That's the rumor, anyway. It turns out the developers don't really want to talk about the details just yet. I suppose that's fine, especially since most of the project won't see the light of day for many years. The first round of development will only affect 7 acres. We'll find out more about the project at today's hearing. Who knows, maybe it'll include that Cheesecake Factory Lincolnites have been clamoring for. I kid, of course. But admit it; a couple of you felt your heart race until you realized how ridiculous that location would be.