Local News Briefs & Tidbits: 4-23-09
by Bill Dusty
FROM THE SPRINGFIELD CITY WEB SITE:
SPRINGFIELD – The City of Springfield announced on Tuesday the release of RFPs (Request for Proposals) for two city-owned properties along the riverfront of the Connecticut River. The York Street Site, formerly the site of the York Street Jail, consists of 4 acres of land and is available for sale or long-term lease. Also, the building at 1200 West Columbus Avenue, which currently houses the Springfield Information Center, is also up for sale or long-term lease. The Visitors Center is being moved to the nearby Basketball Hall of Fame this spring, and the vacant 41,000 square foot building should be available by the summer.
Check out the City’s Web page on both properties here.
OBAMA OFFERS “SKYROCKETING” ELECTRICITY RATES:
President Barack Obama bluntly told an audience that under his plan to regulate electricity, “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket” as producers passed on the cost of regulation to consumers. Click here for a video of that sobering news.
‘BOLT’ SHOWING AT FOREST PARK LIBRARY:
SPRINGFIELD – The Forest Park Branch Library will be showing the movie BOLT on Thursday, April 23, at 6:00pm and also on Saturday, April 25, at 12:30pm. Check out the Library’s Web page for more info on the movie.
BULK TRASH PICKUP NETS THREE DUMPSTERS OF RUBBISH
SPRINGFIELD – The Maple High/Six Corners Neighborhood Council sponsored a bulk trash pickup day last Saturday, filling up three large dumpsters of garbage brought in by area residents. The event ran from 8:00am to noontime. The Council distributed flyers throughout the neighborhood rather than advertise in the newspapers in an effort to avoid getting trash from outlying neighborhoods. Even so, they expected – and probably got – a few “outsiders” taking advantage of the free service.
Maple High/Six Corners Neighborhood Council President – and Ward 3 City Council candidate – Melvin Edwards pitches in.
Saturday, May 2nd is Springfield’s citywide Cleanup Day, put on by the local non-profit, Keep Springfield Beautiful. Check out their Web site for more information on this event, which will run from 8:00am to 1:00pm.
THEY ARE OUT THERE (MAYBE)
THE INTER-PLANETARY LEAGUE – Former U.S. astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who journeyed to the Moon as part of the Apollo 14 mission, told ABC News last July, 2008, that UFOs are a real phenomena. “I happen to be privileged enough to be in on the fact that we have been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomenon is real,” Mitchell was quoted as saying in the ABC News article.
Mitchell repeated his claim recently at a National Press Club appearance. According to a CNN story that appeared on their Web site, Mitchell asserted that it’s “our destiny” to join the planetary community. “I urge those who are doubtful, read the books, read the lore, start to understand what has really been going on. Because there really is no doubt we are being visited.”
Edgar Mitchell was born in Roswell, New Mexico, home to one of the most famous alleged alien crash sites – and one of the most popular alien tourist attractions – in the world.
Perhaps the local air is finally getting to him.
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3 Responses for “Local News Briefs & Tidbits: 4-23-09”
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Over 7 tons of debris was collected during the Maple High Six Corners Neighborhood Council’s Bulk Trash Drop Off Event last Saturday. Please join us for the Keep Springfield Beautiful Great American Clean Up on May 2nd, http://www.keepspringfieldbeautiful.org
The jail site would have a lot more curb appeal for potential investors if it were cleaned up.
Clean up should include removal of graffiti, repair and resecuring the fence and screen cloths, sweeping the public sidewalk along Columbus Avenue and removing overgrowth and accumulated trash at the jail site and the city owned lot next door containing the giant billboard. And once the site gets cleaned, it should be monitored so new problems, should they appear, are addressed promptly.
It seems to me, that in order to effectively redevelop the riverfront, the first thing that needs to go is the railroad, as they eat up most of the prime real estate, and block access to the river. Can we sieze this through eminent domain and force the RR to relocate to a more suitable location, or would it be best to invoke Neal to mandate this through legislation?
I have heard rumours in the past the RR was essentially unwilling to cooperate and share the public burden, is this still true today? Does anyone have more info?
Thanks, Greg