Thursday, October 23, 2003

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23 OCT 03: OPENING AND CLOSING



It was a joy to jog downtown on the Riverwalk this afternoon. The detour around the Trade Center is gone, after more than a year! I won't have to take a deep breath and count to 40 anymore - as in the 40 stairs you climb to reach the Space Science Center.



The Trade Center renovation has adjusted the Riverwalk, so you actually go UNDER the building for about 100 yards. That little area will need extra security, on school prom nights....



People heading north on the Riverwalk will know they're approaching the Trade Center, because a big sign is now on the side of the building, right over their heads. This could start a curious trend - such as a giant inflatable rattlesnake above the Civic Center stairs, when the Cottonmouths have home games.



The new landscaping around the Trade Center includes dozens of large boulders, along the Riverwalk and around entrances. What do you know -- all that flooding in the spring may have saved the contractors money.



(There's also a giant circle covered with rocks on the Riverwalk, where a nice fountain used to sit. That's one way to stop low-income families from using it as a swimming pool.)



The newly-opened section of the Riverwalk still seems to be a work in progress. For instance, a huge street lamp and pole are sitting on the ground around Ninth Street. If the city's not careful, some college football team's offensive line is going to take it home with them as a souvenir.



Not far from that project, a different sort of structure is going up on First Avenue. It's a tall structure surrounded by concrete blocks, next to the Government Center. Before rumors start - no, it's NOT a holding pen for opponents of the school sales tax.



Having driven by this project in recent weeks, I can tell you the concrete blocks are surrounding a new cooling system, on the west side of the Government Center. The turbines admittedly would NOT have looked right for this neighborhood - but shouldn't the blocks be a bit smaller, and made of brick?



The concrete blocks around the Government Center's new cooling system apparently are a sign of the security-conscious times. Hopefully terrorists won't try to outsmart the Columbus city government - and form their own team of muscle-builders, which breaks blocks with their bare hands.



BLOG UPDATE: Muscogee County school officials are taking pains to DENY the rumors about Wal-Mart trying to buy land on Macon Road for a SuperCenter. Superintendent John Phillips may have had the last laugh today - when federal agents raided Wal-Mart stores in dozens of states, and arrested accused illegal immigrants.



The feds even raided a Wal-Mart store in Valley, and arrested a suspected illegal immigrant. Doesn't that man realize he's holding a job hundreds of mill workers need?



(C'mon now - didn't you wonder a little about the broken English of "Mario" in that Wal-Mart TV ad? The man who asks customers, "Can I help YOU? What I can do for YOU??")



But back to the schools: have you seen the new "Vote Yes for Kids" TV commercial? It claims the debate on a Muscogee County school sales tax is OVER. If it is, someone forgot to tell the school board -- because it spent Thursday night trying to figure out a list of projects for that money.



Fourth Street Baptist Church Pastor J.H. "Frosted" Flakes wrote a letter to today's Ledger-Enquirer - saying he supports the school sales tax, but "with concerns." OK, how much money would he like for his church's day care program?



BIG PREDICTION: Isn't it only a matter of time before some religious group complains about the new commercials for Subway? After all, W.W.J.D. does NOT stand for "What Would Jared Do...."