Is there any sign of great leadership skills coming from Maggie Brooks? Of course the original Ren Square is dead. It was her idea and her's alone. She didn't involve the community until she sprung the idea on an unsuspecting public. Therefore there was no public support and that was only Maggie's first grave error.

Her final (hopefully) grave mistake in Ren Square is to go out with a surprise press conference and to point fingers and talk about who is to blame. What I expect to hear from a leader--especially one that has been held in high regard by many--is not blame but what she learned from this entire fiasco and how she would do things differently in the future.

A BRILLIANT IDEA FOR OUR CITY !!!!!!!!!
Our Smaller Version of Grand Central Station
Chris Wilmot
DiMarzo and Mark IV propose using the old Rochester Savings Bank (current Citizen's Bank) as the main hall of the new RenSquare. For those of you who haven't been inside this historic structure, it is like something straight out of Europe: Mosaic tiles, ceiling murals, and Greek revival vertical columns. It reminds one of an ancient place of worship. Now, it could serve as the main entrance to a grand hall, with retail, news stands, food, bus & Amtrak tickets.

Behind, and connected to the 'main hall' would be climate controlled bus bays, entrances, and exits. At last evenings public hearing at City Hall, Richard Rosen, an architect with Mark IV, made the most compelling point about the futility of the current RenSquare enterprise and location. Rosen pointed out the obvious: How, indeed, will RTS buses make all those corner turns that the RGRTA revised plans call for? Buses would continually be making 90-degree turns, slowly, thus holding up traffic, and adding extra air pollution. Under Mark IV's proposal, buses would have the room and space to utilize straight shots when entering and exiting the facility

The true renaissance can now begin. Congratulations to Mayor Duffy and the City Council for taking a stand, although belatedly in Mayor Duffy's case. Now that the uncertainty over the fate of RenSquare is gone, private enterprise, aided and abetted by the City, can make Downtown bloom. With help from Louise Slaughter and David Gantt, he should move full speed ahead on the intermodal station at the Amtrak site, which, in itself, will provide construction jobs. Get Roger Brown and Joni Monroe and the Rochester chapter of the American Institute of Architects on board for plans for the new station and for other ideas for downtown development, such as development of St Paul Street as a boulevard leading to Main Street, which would revitalize the north side of Main. Federal Transit funds under TEA-21 could legitimately be used to do that, using plans for which a charade has already been designed. RenSquare was a $20 million dollar lesson on how NOT to plan and build. Do it correctly this time and involve the public and the professionals. No more closed doors.

no, actually, Ren Square is not quite dead... this urban design frankenstein lives on in the form of the energy and possibilities for the 80 million taxpoyer dollars (roughly) that has been stranded on Mark Aesch's lap.

The question the media missed so far is what will happen to these funds? This broke the first rule of good reporting... follow the mo0ney. 80 million is a pretty big pile; some of it is said to be quite flexibly designated.

Aesch has talked about a sequel in the form of a bus station north of mortimer, another utterly terrible choice for a transit center.

Will area leaders stand by while the guy who just spent 20 milolion taxpayer dollars on a doomed and basically insane plan to drive buses in circles continues to spend even more money on "plans",consultants,lobbyiests' web sites, phony public input and all the other ways he squandered money so far.

How many benches, shelters, clean fuel buses, waiting areas, new routes and other investments could have been made that really brought value to our transit system?

The price of gas can double in months.... no one know what the future will bring, but making real investments in transit seems prudent for many reasons. To do that a new direction and new leadership is needed for transit planning. Mark Aesch thinks driving buses in circles was a good thing, ande seems willing to spend another 20 million to do it.... our area needs and deserves better.

Correction:
sorry for the typos...

We must also incorporate the beautiful, almost unnoticed Falls Fields on the east side of the river. This view actually almost rivals Niagara Falls in beauty.

A city wide charrette as I have been proposing with Evan Lowenstein & others is needed. Why is Mayor Duffy ignoring us with his August 17 meeting of 'developers'?

Didn't he learn anything from ren square?

The whole city must be involved in planning our future if Mayor Duffy wants to avoid another reincarnatition of 1,000 fast ferries. Say no to a meeting of hand picked "developers". Say yes to a city wide charette.

Local Enterprise can save us? No I don't think so. Enterprise usually cares more about money / Wall Street than it does about people or space or cities or counties. I believe Maggie Brooks cares deeply about Rochester and the County, and that she was working for what she believed would benefit us. And to me I was glad that she and Duffy kept talking and trying to keep this thing afloat. Everyone's got a great idea! Wonderful! Private Enterprise built Midtown Plaza - also it built suburban malls that drew all the shopping dollars out to Henriett and Victor etc enabling Sibley's to close its downtown flagship store... do any of you commenting on the busses actually ride the busses every day to work?? What do you know about it?