April 2, 2007
R/UDAT: Day 2, the community forum; Tonight, the presentation
Day 2 kicked off with a three-hour public forum, with citizens asking questions of and sharing their†vision with R/UDAT {Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team) team members, and themselves.† Tonight the R/UDAT team will present its design plans; a reception starts at 5:30, the presentation at 6:30, both at PRAC (Petersburg Regional Arts Center).
Some of the many†topics raised at the public forum:
* Green space within the town * bike trails along the river *†Trader Joe’s *†improved lighting (more uniform and attractive) *†a†venue for ballroom and similar dancing *†an outdoor amphitheatre *†green roofs * the view into Petersburg from its I-95 and rt. 1 entrances *†the buses on Sycamore (how to get them off Syc. until the new bus station is built) * the†tower†(how to dress it up if it is here to stay) *†Halifax Triangle†* a call to address absent property owners about ill-kept property *†a call for Petersburg to honor not only its antebellum history, but also it’s current history†(e.g., sports and music figures that have achieved recognition)†*†a call for Petersburg to†quantify and market any reductions in crime *†better rainwater runoff management *†increased parking * a call for†enhancing the†Farmer’s Market * … †
(To those that were also there, what have I missed?)
†
A need for city-wide wireless internet was also raised.
If not a city wide wi-fi, one that covers the public spaces is not difficult. There is a public wi-fi hot spot in Monroe Park in Richmond.
That could be a good use for my favorite down town feature, the radio tower.
Citywide wireless internet would be great! We could all use some relief on our utilities and opening up internet and making it free would not only give people more money to spend, but give those who can’t afford it a chance to experience the online world.
I agree Kenny. Sad fact is that it was tried in Philly and verizon squashed the attempt.
I don’t think that should stop us from trying though.
Curious as to what towns have managed to get past the telcos that lobby to block the implementation of citywide wi-fi, I ran a search on the Factiva news database and came up with the following (incomplete) list:
* New Orleans, Louisana; Milpitas, Calif (hosted by Earthlink)
* Cookeville, Tennessee; Carlinville, Illinois; Elko, Nevada; State University of New York in Orange County; Burnsville, Minnesota (all hosted by Frontier Mobile)
* Portland, Oregan (hosted by MetroFi)
* Cumberland, Maryland (hosted by Wavion and CONXX)
* Vail, Colorado (hosted by Lok Technology)
* Minneapolis (host not identified in article)
etc.
Richmond blog Urban Richmond argues that Petersburg’s collaborative revitalization efforts are a role model in an article entitled What Richmond Can Learn From Petersburg.