[All] Congratulations on really great Record letter today (slight correction re: Park St)

[Robert Milligan]

Hey Tim,

You http://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters/article/760606--not-in-best-interests 
  and other TriTAG members (esp. Michael Boos and Chris Klein http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/758194--condos-worry-iron-horse-cyclists) 
  are doing very commendable work towards getting the 155 Park  
developer to do what's best for the LRT project and the community. But  
you've got at least former Waterloo Councillor Jan d'Ailly and blind- 
development-lover (and LRT dis-supporter) Mayor Brenda Halloran  
against you. But somehow more needs to be done. Perhaps the inclusion  
of various forms of creative action in addition to your excellent 155  
Park analysis is required.

d'Ailly, who chairs the City of Waterloo's Transportation and Trails  
Committee, needs a fire-cracker placed somewhere (not the literal  
creative action that I had in mind) to get his attention away from  
just pleasing the developers and Brenda (who appointed him chair?). I  
have had numerous "discussions" with him about this issue. I also met  
with his committee last fall about the location and width of the trail  
from Caroline to Park, and the width (adjacent landowner  
infringement?) of the trail from Park to approx. 60m. beyond John St.

So far a brick wall gives a more intelligent response than d'Aillly or  
his committee, although they do have some experience with walls, i.e.  
they (d'Ailly?)  stonewalled my appearance before them until the next  
meeting after their vote last September approving 155 Park's  trail  
relocation.

But what to do? Among other creativeactions -- at an appropriate time  
-- you might want to consider a community-picketing dis-celebration  
event on the streets around their worksite that includes at least a  
funeral band and sad clowns. I'd be glad to join with you likely along  
with my good friend Ron Bowman, a retired railroader/artist who makes  
great placards.

I do continue to hope that TriTAG (and Regional Council and CAO Mike  
Murray) will finally realize the similarity between the Region's (i.e.  
"water engineering expert" but LRT-design-unabled Thomas Schmidt's)  
current plan and the inflexible course set by the captain of the  
Titanic.  I would receive no  satisfaction in saying, "I told you so."

Just imagine the harm done to our area's multi-generations-earned  
pioneering-innovator's reputation by a failed innovationless and  
terribly expensive (compounded by excessive low-usage operation costs)  
LRT system that like the Energizer bunny lasts and lasts -- truly a  
noisome problem. It would perennially be in our faces, and in the  
faces of those organization and talent that we we are trying to  
persuade to re-locate here!

And we would probably join the Titanic on the infamous map of forever- 
remembered World-class technology failures. And Thomas Schmidt himself  
-- through his own unbridled "LRT" actions -- might become infamous.  
That is, every time a major government project fails because of the  
lack of needed technological innovations, it would be called "pulling  
a Thomas Schmidt".

The best creative action for the LRT system project as a whole might  
be some creative tweaks (current LRT plan as a foundation) using  
proven transportation and energy innovations.

If only the necessary insight and courage could be awakened in our key  
decision makers -- perhaps spurred by until-now silent but influential  
stakeholders who (in some cases) shouldn't let any narrow personal  
interest interfere with the greater personal impacting (LRT project  
great success vs. grand failure) public interest.

Best regards,
Robert


PS: Here is their initial proposal, then their more ambitious but  
problematic one.





Note: The curvature of the building's patio is approx. the same as  
that of the adjacent original Iron Horse corridor.
(The Record seems to have removed the source website here.)





Development Mady Development Corp. wants to build a pair of  
condominium buildings on top of a parking garage on a block of land  
where the Iron Horse Trail is located. The developer wants to move the  
trail, but some cyclists are opposed.
TheRecord - Condos worry Iron Horse cyclists
http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/758194--condos-worry-iron-horse-cyclists

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