More money needed to rebuild the Arbors
PjStar: “Sometime yet this year, the city will demolish the one remaining historic arbor at Rebecca Place and Main Street … The original plan - to recreate the concrete arbor - hit a stumbling block when bids came in way over budget. The city anticipated it would cost $139,000 to replace, but the two bids came in at $225,611 and $300,823. One reason they were so high is that few contractors do this type of concrete casting. … Though the city still has $125,000 budgeted for this project, 2nd District Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken is working with Wagner and others to come up with either additional funding or ways to cut costs.”
Raise your hand if you think Bradley ought to pitch in and help
October 27th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
I have to say part of me says spending $125,000 on an arbor is obscene when other basic city services are suffering.
October 27th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Gosh, I agree with Vonster on something. He’s right, that $125,000 should be spent on a needle exchange program!
However, I don’t see why on these sort of projects the concrete companies in question don’t all get together and do the work for free, as a write-off, for the public good, historical purposes or just because it’s a nice thing to do.
October 27th, 2006 at 6:14 pm
I think Bradley ought to just pay for all of it. It’s no more than they paid for one of the houses on Maplewood.
October 27th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
I agree. I am having enough problems with the city coming up with enough money to fund Station 11…lets see protecting the neighborhood or beautifying one? I really wonder…
October 28th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
Why bother, Bradley will be buying the houses on that street in a couple years when they realize how ugly and misguided buying just one side of the block was.
October 29th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Maybe you can get concerned citizen Dave Ransburg to cast the concrete pillars since the company he purchased (Henri Studio) specializes in outdoor concrete statuary.
October 30th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
CP, I’m sure Dave Ransburg is having closed door meetings as we speak to save the Arbors! Too funny!
$225,000 - $300,000 seems outrageously high. I would assume alot of that cost involves making molds, so building an additional Arbor at the opposite end of the street should be much much cheaper, if that were ever a consideration. Still, $300,000?
In my mind, Bradley destroyed the neighborhood; the least they could do is fix up what’s left of a west bluff icon, even if it will be soon filled with rentals.
Mahkno, I believe you’re one block off.