10 AUG 08: DOWNTOWN SHUTDOWN
A bit of history is repeating itself in downtown Columbus this weekend. Two blocks of Broadway have been closed for several hours. It's like StreetScape construction is happening all over again....
Broadway is being closed from 10th to 12th Streets on Friday and Saturday nights, from 12:00 midnight to 4:00 a.m. So part of Uptown Columbus is on the way to achieving the status of Cooper Creek Park.
The partial shutdown of Broadway happens to follow a fight on the sidewalk last weekend, part of which wound up on the evening news. One woman who was there claims she tried to restore order, only to have her "civil rights.... violated." Does this mean a brawler punched her, police frisked her - or a nightclub bouncer demanded to see proof of age?
Uptown Columbus Inc. asked for the four-hour shutdown of part of Broadway on weekends. But President Richard Bishop assured WLTZ the downtown area has plenty of security. Of course, that's what the government of Beijing thought until the last several days....
One Broadway restaurant worker said the other day she was pleased to see Columbus police stop by while on patrol. If the officers can be there, why did we need the one-percent sales tax vote to add officers on the Riverwalk? It's only two blocks west - or an elevator ride to the top of a parking garage, with the binoculars officers use during hunting season.
Richard Bishop explains Broadway needs to be shut down from 10th to 12th Streets after midnight on weekends, so lanes can be clear for emergency vehicles. But isn't Bishop partly to blame for this, by promoting StreetScape? The street was narrowed from four lanes to two - and Broadway became slightly wider than an alleyway.
The four-hour shutdowns on Friday and Saturday late-nights are being described as "temporary," through the end of August. At first the timing didn't make sense - but then I realized something. Come September, most of the Broadway partygoers will be at sports bars watching college football games.
But these shutdowns apparently show the dream of Uptown Columbus Inc. is being accomplished. Broadway has become a nighttime hot spot. The problem is that some people are getting too hot -- and it's amazing how too many cold beers can make you hot under the collar.
I jog from time to time down Broadway, but never as late as midnight. If a Saturday night run during summer is strong and lengthy, I might be there around 9:30. Sometimes I even pretend to play along with the guitarists on the sidewalk....
This weekend's Saturday night course was different, but I drove downtown while carrying dinner home with me. I glanced down Broadway at 13th Street at around 9:45 p.m., and everything seemed quiet. This is what happens when the Bradley Theatre is left to rot.
The prime alternative for downtown partygoers trying to avoid Broadway closures is First Avenue. But please watch where you're going. That red light above the door at Club Odyssey can be awfully distracting....
And don't expect the parking garage in the 1100 block of First Avenue to be open. An SUV driver tried to get into it Saturday night - then curled right in front of me to take a parking space along the median. Did that driver go downtown to drink, or was it the second course?
>> Why aren't we very thrilled about 8/8/08? Read why at our poker blog, "On the Flop!" <<
TODAY'S BLOG OLYMPIC MOMENT: It's 1:00 a.m. Saturday night, and NBC is showing an old-school six-a-side volleyball game from China. It reminds me of the 1996 preliminary volleyball matches I attended on a Saturday night in Atlanta -- only on that night, the Omni wasn't half-full. How much is China's government paying residents to fill the seats?
E-MAIL UPDATE: We're apparently on one local political activist's mailing list, as we received this....
Legislative Alert for new Season:
http://0162f1f.netsolhost.com/statelegislativealerts.html
The link takes you to a summary of several proposals, including a constitutional amendment which will on the Georgia ballot in November. It would allow education tax money to be used in Tax Allocation Districts. Of course, Muscogee County voters already rejected TAD's -- and the only thing which might make them vote for education taxes is the thought of John Phillips pointing a pistol at them.
We're holding a couple of other e-mails for another day, so we can research them. In the meantime, let's check the weekend news reports:
+ Georgia Military College's Columbus campus announced it will switch to a four-day class schedule, to save fuel costs. All students will get Fridays off. You'd think a military school would coordinate this with the proposed city garbage schedule, and be off on Mondays....
+ The "Real Time" telecast during the Olympic Games on WLTZ featured Cascade Hills Church Pastor Bill Purvis inviting viewers to Easter services. Easter?! Well, at least they're saving the Christmas program promotions until after Labor Day.
(Hmmmm - WLTZ has a great opportunity to showcase its newscasts during the Olympics. So why was Bill Purvis on at 12:05 a.m. Saturday night instead? Maybe Jeremy Moss isn't able to pronounce the names of medal winners from other countries.)
+ Fort Benning hosted an archery competition, with some events held at Golden Park. Do you see what could happen if Columbus loses minor league baseball? People will be aiming at targets behind home plate - but no one would dare try to hit those arrows over the fence.
+ Jacksonville edged Atlanta 20-17 in the opening pre-season football game. Record-setting kicker Jason Elam made his Falcons debut, and was one-for-three in field goal attempts. Uh-oh - does new coach Mike Smith have Morten Andersen's phone number?
+ Instant Message to Tire Pro on Whittlesey Road: How thoughtful and timely of you, to offer free tire pressure checks. So which candidate's literature will wind up on my windshield?
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