<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hey Tim, <div><br></div><div>You <a href="http://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters/article/760606--not-in-best-interests">http://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters/article/760606--not-in-best-interests</a> and other TriTAG members (esp. Michael Boos and Chris Klein <a href="http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/758194--condos-worry-iron-horse-cyclists">http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/758194--condos-worry-iron-horse-cyclists</a>) 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.</div><div><br></div><div>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 <u>Park</u> to approx. 60m. beyond John St. </div><div><br></div><div>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.</div><div><br></div><div>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.</div><div><br></div><div><b>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." </b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>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! </b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b>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".</b></div><div><br></div><div style="font-size: 14px; "><b>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. </b></div><div style="font-size: 14px; "><b><br></b></div><div style="font-size: 14px; "><b>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.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Best regards,</div><div>Robert</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>PS: Here is their initial proposal, then their more ambitious but problematic one.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 900; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); line-height: 20px; font-size: 13px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font: normal normal normal 16px/24px Georgia, serif; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); text-align: center; font-size: 15px; "><a href="http://www.benjaminbach.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/144-park.png" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(48, 136, 255); text-decoration: none; "><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1906" title="144 park condos in Waterloo" alt="144 park Waterloo City Staff recommend Proposal for 144 Park Condo be approved" width="440" height="600" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: auto; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.699219); text-align: center; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-right-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-left-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); display: block; " src="cid:A9001432-6B43-47FE-B2C3-EC2BAB72967D@lan"></a></p></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><b>Note: The curvature of the building's patio is approx. the same as that of the adjacent original Iron Horse corridor.</b></span></div><div style="font-size: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><b>(The Record seems to have removed the source website here.) </b></span></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><img class="" width="400" alt="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." height="300" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; vertical-align: top; " src="cid:0B86C664-86F2-48ED-9B1D-794FEF034D02@lan"><div class="td-EndPageImageInfo" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; "><b style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Development</b> 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.</div></span><div style="text-align: left; ">TheRecord - Condos worry Iron Horse cyclists</div><a href="http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/758194--condos-worry-iron-horse-cyclists">http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/758194--condos-worry-iron-horse-cyclists</a></div><div><br></div></body></html>