Braves stadium/development to cost $1.1 billion (Atlanta: 2014, assessor, pricing)

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

That's basically where we are now.

We are? I was thinking that we are all provided an education for 13 years, and record numbers of people are going on to post-secondary education. Education seems to be available for anyone who wants it, no?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

We are? I was thinking that we are all provided an education for 13 years, and record numbers of people are going on to post-secondary education. Education seems to be available for anyone who wants it, no?

That is my impression.

I must say I am baffled by tales of students graduating from college with $300K in debt. Where are these folks going to school?

My thought would be that if you can't get a scholarship you are a whole lot better off going somewhere within your means. There are many terrific public colleges with reasonable tuition.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by arjay57

That is my impression.

I must say I am baffled by tales of students graduating from college with $300K in debt. Where are these folks going to school?

My thought would be that if you can't get a scholarship you are a whole lot better off going somewhere within your means. There are many terrific public colleges with reasonable tuition.

Graduating with lots of debt is the new normal, arjay. Even from affordable colleges such as UGA, Tech, and GSU.

[UrbanConquistador]

Cost rising for bridge to Braves development

From the article:
The bridge that will carry walkers, bicyclists and people-moving trams over 15 lanes of interstate highway to SunTrust Park could cost taxpayers about $3 million more than Cobb County officials have previously acknowledged. And the bill could keep climbing.

The county has told the public for the past year that the span over I-285 would cost a maximum of $9 million. But that is an estimate of construction costs only, and does not include expenses that are necessary to complete the project, Cobb DOT Director Faye DiMassimo acknowledged recently in response to questions from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.


Can we call this thing a boondoggle yet? I feel like the Billion+ being spent to replace a perfectly fine stadium could have been used in a much better way to actually benefit Cobb and the region.

For this amount, Cobb/Braves could have probably built a rail connection to tie in directly with the MARTA system, and a better solution could have been implemented for Turner field (Mag Lev was being proposed not long before the move was announced). I think connecting Cobb to the rest of the metro and the airport, via rail, would have been a bigger benefit to the county and the region as a whole, in the long run.


From the article:
The proposal also mentioned concerns: the bridge’s 1,100-foot span is long, equal to 3 1/2 football fields; its incline relatively steep; and exposure to the elements could be harsh.

“We will focus heavily on softening the walking experience,” the proposal says. “We will … create opportunities for refuge and seating; incorporate cover areas or overhead canopies to provide shading.”

It says there could be “misting stations” along the way.


This whole thing is going to be an uphill battle. They are going to throw so much money and effort into trying to make Cobb into something that it clearly is not. The pedestrian experience, after all money and effort aside, is going to still be horrible.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Graduating with lots of debt is the new normal, arjay. Even from affordable colleges such as UGA, Tech, and GSU.

That's too bad. I have been saving for my kids' college since the day they were born. Is it a matter of folks not saving for college? Or is it that parents don't want to pay?

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

That's too bad. I have been saving for my kids' college since the day they were born. Is it a matter of folks not saving for college? Or is it that parents don't want to pay?

It has absolutely nothing to do with either. By any measure, the cost of higher education is skyrocketing in America. The best personal financial management in the world, except from the ultra-rich, cannot compensate for that.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by Frankster87

Cost rising for bridge to Braves development

From the article:
The bridge that will carry walkers, bicyclists and people-moving trams over 15 lanes of interstate highway to SunTrust Park could cost taxpayers about $3 million more than Cobb County officials have previously acknowledged. And the bill could keep climbing.

The county has told the public for the past year that the span over I-285 would cost a maximum of $9 million. But that is an estimate of construction costs only, and does not include expenses that are necessary to complete the project, Cobb DOT Director Faye DiMassimo acknowledged recently in response to questions from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.


Can we call this thing a boondoggle yet? I feel like the Billion+ being spent to replace a perfectly fine stadium could have been used in a much better way to actually benefit Cobb and the region.

For this amount, Cobb/Braves could have probably built a rail connection to tie in directly with the MARTA system, and a better solution could have been implemented for Turner field (Mag Lev was being proposed not long before the move was announced). I think connecting Cobb to the rest of the metro and the airport, via rail, would have been a bigger benefit to the county and the region as a whole, in the long run.


From the article:
The proposal also mentioned concerns: the bridge’s 1,100-foot span is long, equal to 3 1/2 football fields; its incline relatively steep; and exposure to the elements could be harsh.

“We will focus heavily on softening the walking experience,” the proposal says. “We will … create opportunities for refuge and seating; incorporate cover areas or overhead canopies to provide shading.”

It says there could be “misting stations” along the way.


This whole thing is going to be an uphill battle. They are going to throw so much money and effort into trying to make Cobb into something that it clearly is not. The pedestrian experience, after all money and effort aside, is going to still be horrible.

Why does this latest rendering have two bridges on the south side of 285? Is one not enough?

Sheesh. By the time this thing is up and running, it's gonna rival Vegas in terms of glitziness.

[red92s]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

That's too bad. I have been saving for my kids' college since the day they were born. Is it a matter of folks not saving for college? Or is it that parents don't want to pay?

Try 5-7% yearly tuition hikes, compounding on each other, for 6 or 7 years. Even putting away money every year for college, it's hard to keep pace when the cost of attendance doubles in a decade.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Why does this latest rendering have two bridges on the south side of 285? Is one not enough?

Sheesh. By the time this thing is up and running, it's gonna rival Vegas in terms of glitziness.

It is one bridge, with 2 lanes. One for transit and another for pedestrians/cyclists, because so many people are going to ride their bikes to the stadium.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by cqholt

It is one bridge, with 2 lanes. One for transit and another for pedestrians/cyclists, because so many people are going to ride their bikes to the stadium.

Oh, god, I forgot all about the bikes!!