Re: CBA recommendations for Neighborhood Council Consideration
Gary S. Trujillo
Hi, All.
I've corrected the URL attached to the link below - it had an
"t=94" in it, which jumps you forward to the halfway point. You
want to see the thing from the start. Also, please see my
addendum, which refers back to the interview of the head librarian
of the Halifax system, who also serves as CEO. As I wrote some
months back, I feel that an "indoor civic space" concept based on
the sorts of ideas brought out in the CBC Atlantic Voice
interview would be truly wonderful to have in Union Square. The
radio interview (see below) should get us thinking about the value
of genuine community, where people get to know one
another, care about one another and see themselves engaged in
common purposes and sharing elements of identity. That's what I
hear in the interview is happening in Halifax by means of this
building and what's inside it. I want to see a multi-purpose
facility here in Union Square, that includes library, meeting
rooms, performing arts theatre and new home for SCATV. US2 and
the City (articulated by George Proakis at one of the CDSP
hearings) keep talking about "these people don't know what they
want - first it's a library, then it's a performing arts space,
then it's..." I feel that we can and should push to find the
capital to have at least a portion of one of the buildings being
talked about for D-1 incorporate all these
things, which naturally go together. And as was said by
several people speaking at that CDSP hearing, the space should be
owned by the City, so that the operators of the facility are not
having to pay rent to and be subject to the whims of a capitalist
landlord! If we put our minds and hearts into the task, we should
be able to find the funding, whether through philanthropic
donations, a fund drive from citizens, transfer fee monies and/or
anything else we can think of.
There are over 40 videos showcasing the Halifax $57 million dollar 2014 new library but the 3D Virtual tour above covers some of the elements which the community might like to see in any Union Square public space--sustainability, open space, environmentally friendly, etc.
I wrote the following on 17 November, so some of you will have seen it previously. The last paragraph refers to the CDSP process, which was then underway. The CDSP has since been approved, much to the disappointment of myself and many of you. However, I think that what is being talked about here, in some form, can and should be made part of the CBA we are hoping to achieve.
--
I have posted several times in an ongoing thread among Union Square Neighbors members on the subject of a civic facility, preferably on D-1, incorporated into what is being planned in place of the public safety building and/or other buildings presently on the site rather than close to the new T station, for a number of reasons. I would also like the facility to be along the lines of what we have talked about in the past as to its fulfilling a number of purposes
- library / "info hub"
- multimedia studio facilities (operated by SMC/SCATV and made available to the general public)
- performing arts theatre
- meeting rooms
I have spoken with Alderman Mark Niedergang about the disposition of the D1 parcel, which I understand has not yet been sold to US2, and that we have some leverage over how development on that site proceeds. As such, I think we likely have a greater ability to influence what happens on that site than we do across the street on D2, where preparatory work has already begun, and that it's a better place to have the facility anyway, since (in my own imagination, at least) more space would be available.
I join with the Green & Open Somerville people and others who do not like the idea of a parklet adjacent to Merriam Street, for the reasons they and others have given (shadow during much of the year from adjacent buildings and the hazard for children crossing either Somerville Ave. or Washington St.). Not putting a park on that site (opting instead for the Warren Ave. site, where the Citizens Bank across from the Goodyear tire store now sits) would give more space if, as Wig has recommended, the parking facility on the site be put entirely underground.
I feel it would be most useful to be able to think in somewhat "visionary" terms with regard to this subject, which is why I keep recommending to those interested in the subject of a new indoor civic facility that they listen to a half hour interview done by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in May of this year on the Atlantic Voice program. Host Angela Antle speaks with Asa Kachan, head librarian and CEO of the Halifax Public Libraries about the transformative effect of the new CDN$52 million dollar facility which has won architectural awards and become a new "crown jewel" for the city.
(I fully realize we don't have that sort of money to spend, and
that such a facility is more likely to be possible in a larger
city. However, in functional and community-building terms, at
least, I think there is much we can learn from such examples and
the thinking that has produced them.)
Ms Kachan talks about the powerful community building effect of the new building and the facilities it houses, which I agree with Bill Shelton should be one of our main criteria for doing all new development in the Union Square area. For me, this subject is not merely about getting something we all can agree would enhance our individual lives -- it's also about providing opportunities to connect with our fellow citizens and develop meaningful relationships of various sorts, which is another level of benefit that we cannot afford to neglect or feel to be of secondary importance.
I agree with those who would urge the planning board to delay approval of granting permits for construction on any of the D parcels until there has been proper public consultation and a follow-through on communications that have been directed to "the powers that be," such as the one sent by USN to Mayor Joe in June, 2015. Though there has been much activity over the course of the past several years that might give the appearance of acting on the basis of working with the public, we must question how sincere or meaningful those efforts have been, given the results we have witnessed, which would appear to indicate that suggestions, inquiries and demands have not had all that much direct effect on planning activities, except perhaps "around the edges."
--
And, as I mentioned at a recent meeting of the built environment committee, I want to promote the formation of a committee (or perhaps a subcommittee of the BEC) to focus specifically on the indoor civic space project.
What say, people?
Gary