Street-level atlanta (rent, salaries, maintenance)

[JPD]

Originally Posted by ATLnSAV

So what does San Francisco say? That photo of it looked downright third world ...

What third world country have you visited? I agree that photo is a poor example of a "nice looking" street, but third world? Please.

[architect77]

San Francisco beats to a different drummer. It has its own aesthetic, valuing clean air over clean views along its streets. Everything about SF is decadent, from the topography, to the views, etc. Manmade incidental obstructions like powerlines juxtaposed to the scenery only heighten the surrounding beauty....

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by architect77

I don't really care about powerlines, I just want mast-arm traffic signals at intersections Like these which were part of the Hillsborough St. makeover in Raleigh....

I couldn't agree with you more about the mast-arm signals, although I'd prefer to get rid of the wires, too. No doubt most Atlantans would like to see that happen, too.

The question is how do you do it in times where there's no money? It's fairly common in suburban regions and wherever there's redevelopment within the city limits. And there have been a number of targeted projects where this has been done in Midtown, Buckhead and downtown. But it's a slow process.

[J2rescue]

Its been an interesting discussion. One thing that really bothers me it that there seems to have been virtually no civic improvements done by the city itself since the Olympics. Most, if not all, of the improvements that have been done recently were initiated and funded by the neighborhood groups such as the Midtown Alliance and ADID. Its one thing I just don't understand about the city government, particularly for a city that has conventions and tourism as a major industry.

As for the power lines, the only entity that can make Georgia Power do anything is the state legislature. They have imminent domain powers and could put a substation in your back yard if they wanted to. Clearly the aesthetics within the city has not been a big concern for them for a long time.

[JPD]

Here's an example of the failure of the city to maintain even a basic level of pedestrian/traffic signals:

There is STILL no crosswalk signal on the corner in front of the Ellis Hotel, which was renovated and reopened a few years ago. How much easier could it possibly have been than to simply install the damn thing when they already had the sidewalk closed off during construction?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

Its been an interesting discussion. One thing that really bothers me it that there seems to have been virtually no civic improvements done by the city itself since the Olympics. Most, if not all, of the improvements that have been done recently were initiated and funded by the neighborhood groups such as the Midtown Alliance and ADID. Its one thing I just don't understand about the city government, particularly for a city that has conventions and tourism as a major industry.

The city doesn't have money for things like that. (The Olympics were privately funded, too, of course). Unfortunately the city has tied itself into massive payroll, pension and benefits obligations for city employees, and there's not much left over for anything else.

Take a look at the 2010 General Fund. There's only about 1% allocated to capital outlays. That's $6.6 million for the whole year, for the whole city, and that won't come close to even filling the potholes.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

As for the power lines, the only entity that can make Georgia Power do anything is the state legislature. They have imminent domain powers and could put a substation in your back yard if they wanted to. Clearly the aesthetics within the city has not been a big concern for them for a long time.

The question is that even worth the expense?

Sure the poles can be ugly, but they do still perform the task for which they are there for. Blackouts and brown outs are a pretty rare thing compared other places I have lived.

At this moment I am fine with the city/GA power moving power lines underground on a "need to" basis. There are far more useful things the city should allocate money to than replacing existing street lights, traffic lights, crosswalk signals and poles.

[J2rescue]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The city doesn't have money for things like that. (The Olympics were privately funded, too, of course). Unfortunately the city has tied itself into massive payroll, pension and benefits obligations for city employees, and there's not much left over for anything else.

Take a look at the 2010 General Fund. There's only about 1% allocated to capital outlays. That's $6.6 million for the whole year, for the whole city, and that won't come close to even filling the potholes.

Of course the city doesn't have the money right this second (and you mentioned one of the reasons why) but there have been times of economic growth and increasing revenue into the city between 1996 and now. Any city does these sort of things. Its what the city government is for and it just baffling to me that a city of this size does so little.

Originally Posted by waronxmas

The question is that even worth the expense?

Sure the poles can be ugly, but they do still perform the task for which they are there for. Blackouts and brown outs are a pretty rare thing compared other places I have lived.

At this moment I am fine with the city/GA power moving power lines underground on a "need to" basis. There are far more useful things the city should allocate money to than replacing existing street lights, traffic lights, crosswalk signals and poles.

Its more of a "someone has to pay for it" basis.

[mike7586]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The city doesn't have money for things like that. (The Olympics were privately funded, too, of course). Unfortunately the city has tied itself into massive payroll, pension and benefits obligations for city employees, and there's not much left over for anything else.

Take a look at the 2010 General Fund. There's only about 1% allocated to capital outlays. That's $6.6 million for the whole year, for the whole city, and that won't come close to even filling the potholes.

Wow, there is entirely way too much money allocated for personnel.

[architect77]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The city doesn't have money for things like that. (The Olympics were privately funded, too, of course). Unfortunately the city has tied itself into massive payroll, pension and benefits obligations for city employees, and there's not much left over for anything else.

Atlanta's pension obligations, financial situation is no different from any other municipality and however strained the finances are is a product of their own doing. It is absurd to cite pension obligations to defend insufficient normal upkeep and safety aspects of city property, basic to any definition of city services.

I don't expect the city to fund anything, i'm just wantin' two or three of the ugliest intersections to get new mast-arm signals. Chattahoochee Ave. off Howell Mill Rd. used to be quite ugly, but now there are 5 or 6 new mast-arm signals in the area, no big ordeal, but they've spruced everything up. I doubt they cost $400k each, as someone suggested earlier, my guess is around $50k a pop.

Atlanta is so poorly run, a shame for such a high profile city filled with fortune 500 companies. It should have plenty of cash to do everything.

Instead, CBSAtlanta has to point out missing water main covers and stay on their case until they take action.