Did you stop by the check-the-box event the city held at Vintage? Go for the lies...stay for the pies?
It was an impressive poster show. You know, all those timeless architecture-art drawings of things that just never seem to materialize. Remember the ones depicting the Village Parkway? Not there yet, eh? There were other informative materials, one looking like a memo, but for the fact that it is color printed on heavy weight calendared paper. The PIOH notice is printed on heavy card stock and you have to look closely to see it isn't laminated. Could they have made this more extravagant? Perhaps, but they couldn't figure out a way.
The actual information was interesting, particularly the arch-art. First was the total absence of any information indicating the funding source for this, well, whatever the hell it is, maybe today's trend. But, one of the docents gladly offered up that the Fed's were funding this, but seemed somewhat dismayed when the questioner's reaction was: this is not good. Then there's the trees. Docent: "we're going to try our best to keeps as many trees as possible." This is city hall speak for: "those trees are toast." What's with the two strips of concrete? Well, that's the latest fad sweeping the country, and it comes with marketing buzzwords: separate the heels from the wheels. The docent, clearly a contractor, city bureaucrat, or someone who otherwise knew nothing about what goes on in daVille, was surprised to learn that our Lance-a-lots don't race around daVille, but they drive here, park their cars and bike all over the area, probably covering 20 or more miles at a ride. The look on the docent's face was almost as if he realized this whole project was bullshit and wasn't comfortable peddling it.
One answer beyond the docent was contact information for the non-profits established to support this project. Unlike the origins of the city itself, where folks who live here came together and organized to form the city, there is no such community support for this project, or any of the others like it. So...no support...no non-profits. The outside funding tells the story. Outsider's money means outsider's plans and outsider's agenda. No where near local control. And those trees at the TFM/Walgreen's parking lot? They'll come down in a hurry and some city apologist, maybe Mother Mayor herself, will declare them "diseased." It has happened before. And that tree in front of Novo? It is like a Japanese death row convict, it won't know it's the day until the morning of.
Why don't we all celebrate this project during Lemonade Days?
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