A banner day in Monroe
At the risk of being roasted over this, I offer congrats to anyone who was responsible for putting up the streetlight banners calling attention to the River Raisin Battlefield.
Also, despite any naysayers (and I'm usually a big fan of naysaying), I think this battlefield thing has a lot of potential for the area.
If anyone has driven by the old paper plant site of the battlefield recently, it's finally torn down (regardless of who might be lining their pockets from it) and it's a vast improvement.
If I were a politician -- any politician -- I'd be jumping on this bandwagon even if I hated history or the people involved in it.
Even if this doesn't pan out, this seems like one of those no-brainer, common good, kind of ideas.
Anyone care to do battle with me over this view?
Also, despite any naysayers (and I'm usually a big fan of naysaying), I think this battlefield thing has a lot of potential for the area.
If anyone has driven by the old paper plant site of the battlefield recently, it's finally torn down (regardless of who might be lining their pockets from it) and it's a vast improvement.
If I were a politician -- any politician -- I'd be jumping on this bandwagon even if I hated history or the people involved in it.
Even if this doesn't pan out, this seems like one of those no-brainer, common good, kind of ideas.
Anyone care to do battle with me over this view?
posted by The Observer at 6/28/2007 02:21:00 PM
18 Comments:
The banners are nice. I also think that the work being done by many of the folks involved with the battlefield; Friends of 1812, Monroe County Historical Society, War of 1812 Steering Committee, is great - but, now (nearing 48 months away for the celebration) it is time to hand the reigns over to the professionals.
We need a usable battlefield site (working village that can employ kids as "living actors") that is a cooperative of all parties involved (Port Authority refused to allow the recent drum and fife at the Battlefield Museum site because of "liability"). Simply, we need a site that will be an attraction and not a open field reminiscent of the front yard at St. Marys.
I do think this could be the cornerstone for Monroe County and an economic draw. Monroe will need to confront the fact that our days as a manufacturing community maybe limited but our time as a hospitality haven are arriving.
Given the impending closure of Ford/Visteon/ACH this site needs to be used for something - Casino? Amusement Park? Look, it's on the lake (our resource) with access to the turning basin (boat slip) there are plans to continue the marina slips down into this area. If "Michigan Adventure" can work for the west side of the state why not something here?
Too close to Cedar Point, maybe?
Also hard to picture people making a living in seasonal jobs that mainly go to college kids on vacation.
Also - not real scenic by the power plant (a good thing) and the steel mill (also a good thing).
You have to be realistic. Monroe will never be Gettysburg.
Not too close at all. Remember that Geauga Lake, Michigan Adventure, Kings Island and Six Flags are all within half a days driving distance however they all seem to be doing well? Why?
The point was seasonal jobs for not only teens but our college students. Additionally, these facilities employ a large number of full time skilled labor in not only maintenance, accounting, management but in construction trades.
Not a pretty environment - maybe but then again if you have been to CP by boat Sandusky is not the greatest either and in this instance boaters and drivers (as the four lane road already exist) will not drive (or sail) by these facilities. Besides - trees make wonderful cover. Also, don't forget that this "unpretty" environment is also near the area that the DNR is building a trail to connect the City of Monroe with Sterling State Park.
No - Monroe will not be Gettysburg however we will also not be the mecca of manufacturing that we once were. Look, the paper industry is gone. Monroe shocks, gone. IKO, gone. Ilgenfritz Nursery, gone. Smurfett, gone. Monroe Stamping, gone. Newton Steel, gone. Premier Industries, gone. Hicks Pallet Company, gone. Things change. Michigan's fortunes will not be saved by manufacturing.
It is nice that GME (Dundee is doing well) however remember this is a joint venture of three companies in a new facility. It is also going to be great if DTE does build another facility at Fermi (my fingers are crossed). Still, we need to start thinking what will be stain able for the future.
I am not trying to argue but rather wish we could have an open conversation about the future and direction of Monroe. Sadly, we are such a "fomoco" town that any suggestion that does not mean manufacturing is dismissed. What is most interesting is that if you look at the most livable communities in not only Michigan but the United States you will find that they are based not around manufacturing but around technology.
Still - the demolition is a good day for Monroe even if you are against the the Battlefield the destruction of an eyesore is a great thing.
I do agree with what Alacajun writes in the main. Like John Iacoangeli he or she is not afraid to dream and has a vision for the future. It is irrational to criticize anyone unless you have a better plan to offer.
We do have some technology based industries in our city. Several that come to mind are advanced heat treat, MacSteel, Detroit Edison and let’s not forget Monroe Environmental. Two more atomic power plants as was envisioned decades ago to join Fermi II would be wonderful and help secure our future energy needs.
A national park and tourism is a necessary part of the mix for our future. I agree it is nice to see Homrich tearing down the defunct papermill we bought from him. Likewise Homrich is a kingpin on the inner circle of The Historic Society so it is nice of him to sell the papermill lab, office, and pump house to the Historical Society as so small a cost he can consider it a donation. This would be a good interpretative center for our papermaking industry and why we needed paper sales cartons when we made automotive parts in this area. Some type of people mover will be needed to get persons to the facility given its location with no available parking.
When did Premier close up? Did anyone tell the owners and employees? They still are manufacturing special machines for industrial use, and they still pay city taxes.
Anonymous -
Thank you for the correction. I guess that when you list eight companies by name (not to mention the four or five paper company's that were the "paper industry") it is more than possible to make a mistake. I do apologize and appreciate your correction.
I wonder if I should have included Pre-Besto Homes on that list? How about; Delta or Hwy Lumber or OK - there are a ton more.
But, thank you for letting me know that I included Premier when I should not have. I do apologize to them for that oversight.
You are so very welcome, Alacajun.
We don't need to speak these businesses into expulsion, kind of like Pre Besto, because we need all we can get. They are still here so far, are they not?
Manns Lumber is gone, but if the building trades pick up, then they could reopen. Their business has not ceased, only a few of their locations.
Maybe Granholm's new business tax will help out our economy. Wanna bet on that one? If so, I've got a piece of property next to the Superdome for sale for you.
Granholm's plan will help out municipalities who want to turn viable industrial property into some sort of field of dreams, where if you build it, they "may" come, but they may not. How will her plan help with this? It will cause more businesses to close up. Thanks Jenny!
Pre Besto is here only in that they still have a lease. The have laid all (assembly) employees off and have zero production.
I agree that the Governor's plan will hurt business (that is unless those business (like Toyota in Ann Arbor) receive huge tax abatements). What is ironic about this is that the Governor received overwhelming support from nearly every labor union (UAW, IBEW, Teamsters and so on).
I believe that what is needed in Monroe (and much of the east coast of Michigan) is an overhaul of our economic thinking regarding what industries support sustainable jobs.
I am amazed that the west coast of Michigan (county by county) is more (economically and educationally) affluent than the east coast. I am amazed that Cleveland has made a turn around and Detroit is still struggling. I think there are very real, simple reasons for this. I believe it is because much like the west coast of Michigan, Cleveland has turned to a more diverse economic structure that includes and embraces tourism, entertainment and the conservation and use of existing resources. It is too bad that with all of the talk of, "in five years, you'll be blown away" we (south east Michigan) continue to plod along will little to no progress.
All of this reminds me that for nearly thirty years now there has been the recommendation to remove all of the low level dams in the City of Monroe (to help with commerce, tourism and sustainability of the waterways and aquatic life). Yet, here we are so where's close to that. But, we do have 31 public parks! (No, I am not against parks. In my past life I was Smokey the Bear. (Not THE Smokey but A Smokey)).
First, you can never even think about the cost to remove the rock in the river to make it a waterway in which boats could travel further west.
A higher priority should be to clean up what is down in the Riverfront (Pirates Landing & Clamdigger) areas. A marina on both sides of the river would promote tourism, at least in the summer months. The biggest hindrance I see is the wastewater treatment plant aromas, as well as the industrial areas surrounding this prime property. What should be contemplated is for Mr. Homrich to develop a large scale marina across from the Riverfront. Elm Street would have to be rerouted, but in the grand scheme of things, that would be minor. Just imagine a 200-300 slip marina which you would get to through a canal off of the river. This would bring some possible businesses to open up in the area, possible some good restaurants, a hotel, how about even a convention center. All this right next to the battlefield site. Eventually, some may come to realize that this is such a good idea that the battlefield site would be shrunk down to make way for more marina space and more businesses.
Monroe is the perfect place for a marina, shops, hotels, etc. similar to the Petosky area. Ever hear of Bay Harbor? They have developed this place with golf courses, marinas, shopping, as well as one of the finest hotels you can imagine. It may seem a stretch, but why not Monroe. Biggest problem with all of this is finding the developer who is willing to take this on as a project. Mrs. Runyon had this idea out by Joe's French Italian, but the expenses ran more than budgeted due to rock, so it went into foreclosure. This is a project that would take extremely deep pockets. Perhaps the Boyne Resorts should be contacted to see if they want to tackle another waterfront project like they pulled off in Petosky.
Just some of my thoughts on a boring Saturday.
There was an absolute certainty that Barb Runion’s project would hit rock just below the surface and have access blocked to an unacceptably high lake level by the sanitary sewer line laid through solid limestone. Even so, any marina in the area of the battlefield would have difficulty at times with low or no water with a stiff west wind.
David Alkire Smith
Mr. Smith,
I would agree with your west wind assessment if utilizing the former smurfit marsh or the former Ford marsh. If a channel was formed off of the river, it would seem that this problem would be alleviated. Perhaps another type of channel would bring water into the marina simply by forcing water in if it were put in facing upstream. Either way, most marinas face this problem, whether it be Bolles Harbor or Toledo Beach Marina, neither of which are supplied by the amount of water that the river would provide.
I would think that something should be able to be engineered to work out, but I'm no engineer.
Good points all. Cityresident - your description of "downwind" slips is something that is used up and down the gulf coast.
I don't even know if I was wanting to expand an marina much beyond the area around ACH (i.e. the turning basin). Hell, if everyone else thinks its a good idea, expand it!
I never really thought that the river could be used for "boat travel" as it. But, if we could get rid of those damn dam's then I could at least put a skull in and not have to go north to Wyandotte or south to Toledo to do some rowing. Idea; there is another "untapped resource" - rowing competitions.
Honestly, the "smell" of the waste water plant will not put off that many boaters. It is sailed by daily in Detroit, Toledo, Maumee, Port Huron, Port Clinton and so on.
A nice keyboard conversation with nice people is enjoyable. So much of what we do in Monroe County is done with an adversarial approach.
The lake has its own set of engineering problems given a cyclical level change that does not seem to phase lock to anything such as sun spot cycles etc. Along with this we have wind to deal with. Please see:
http://www.historicmonroe.org/river/pollution-issues.htm
Here a photo taken just at the start of the slips below the railway bridges shows the river low from wind. Proposals come up for time to time to dredge the river through downtown. However this would entail removal of huge amounts of rock by blasting and result in a canyon through town requiring replacements of utility lines and bridges. Don Link and others have studied it and the cost is a big fraction of the net worth of the city.
Canoeing above Waterloo dam is practical for some distance upstream. The river can be dangerous. See: http://www.historicmonroe.org/fire-rescue/index.htm
I do hope that this site continues as it has for the last several topics so I can upgrade to PG or G on my own site. The site I keep is one of several and is an offshoot of my commercial site. Nearly everyone is happy with it. John Iacoangeli is treated fairly as is Al. I see these persons as trying to make a change for the better and in all honesty, they get too little thanks. Yes, more river use and assess for small craft is a challenge we must approach as an engineering problem and be willing to accept the possibility that good engineering may not solve the matter as we wish.
David Alkire Smith
This thread appears to have nearly exhausted any germane comment. I might be said that the Runion project failed to differentiate the cost of quarry blasting and precise blasting in terms of cost. It is nearly criminal to loft watermelon sized rocks into dwelling houses.
In quarry work the goal is efficient fragmentation of rock into crusher capable pieces using the smallest amount of ANFO and booster charges to do the job well. Here the cost of shot hole diameter vs. spacing will vary with the formation and toe condition at the bottom of the hole. Efficiency is measured in $ or KG of blasting agent to tonne of rock crusher ready.
The bank should have had a knowledgeable consultant review her scheme before committing any money. There is a big difference between a licensed blaster working in a quarry and the work Don Link put into the Dixie RR underpass. It appears Spas service station may have blended into the overall scheme of things. Always temper forward thinking with reality.
David Alkire Smith
Nice try Smith, but we're wise to you now. Get a dictionary!
Wow! We made it to post 18 before a doush bag accused an anonymous of being Smith!
Get a life you freak!
Anonymous said...
Hey!
Did anyone catch that Linda Jo Compora has now added Bill Burkett to the list of people accused of doing wrong!
Linda hit it right on the head when she said that the ethics policy could be used as a political weapon! Looks like the campaigning is kicking off a bit early this year!
So – for the record lets go through all of the wrong doing that Linda has accused various people and entities of:
Al Cappucilli and IKO – Crimes against humanity
Al Cappucilli – spraying her car with skunk oil
Brian Beneteau – Stealing the purple flowers from her mothers grave
Ed Paisley – Ethics violations – Helping Client / landlord
David Smith – Stalking, Harassment, Spraying Skunk oil on her car (yes, I know that is listed twice), being mastermind to get council to exclude her from council activities, masterminding a plot to keep her from finding employment.
Bill Burkett – Getting wife a job at the housing commission
DMBN – Crimes against humanity as a special interest group out to use public money for private interests.
I apologize for anyone who has been falsely accused that I missed. You must understand that the list is long, and it is easy to forget some of the BS.
So – she has now officially accused over half of the City Council, a Downtown Business organization, and a private citizen of wrongdoing.
How long do we have to put up with this? Isn’t accusing every one of ethics violations for political / personal vendettas an ethics violation?
Which one canidate is willing to step up in precinct number 5 to get rid of her once and for all?
She is making a mockery of the Monroe City Council. They need to move ahead with the operational assessment – but instead we have the Linda side show to watch.
Unbelievable.
03 July, 2007
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