Main Plaza to Reopen this weekend!

[wCat]

MojoK.....I haven't been to the actual FM on Main. I've heard that it has a long way to go...and even then it's very limited to what actually can be set up. The web site leaves a lot to be desired....but it's a start. My hopes are that eventually we'll have a more permanent area for a bigger market similar to Dallas. They have pavillions and permanent vendors there. Plus they host a lot of food/cooking/gardening events in adjacent buildings. It's a weekend treat!
They could not possibly do that along Main Plaza.....but for a street vendor venue it is a nice change for now. I personally hope the city doesn't "settle" for this kind of "market" setting.

Primo....re: gravel....I sort of agree that gravel is not high heel friendly...but neither is grass. I'm not sure why the choice was made, but possibly they were modeling after other city parks back East or even in Europe. I have worked with some clients that are even tearing up and/or laying gravel drives on their property. They really need a retaining boarder and do require some maintenance as gravel gets packed into the ground over time. Gravel is actually cooler than a concrete drive or walkways/sidewalks. I'm thinking Main Plaza has been geared more for events and gatherings than really a park-like setting.

[SATX56]

Will they have fountains so the kids can bathe???? Ha! Ha!

[elston]

There you are satx56.....

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by satx56

Will they have fountains so the kids can bathe???? Ha! Ha!

Take 'em a bath at home.

[Primo]

In the grand San Antonio mayor tradition of wasting millions of dollars on a public flop that nobody will use....First Cisneros gave us the Alamo dome. Now, Harberger has given us the Main Plaza "Litter box". First of all this gravel is not heel friend, not flip flop friend, not dress shoe friendly, and definetly not wheelchair/scooter friendly. And since 5 100+year old oak trees suddenly became "diseased" and had to be cut down after it was installed......I don't think the gravel is tree friendly either.

I visit the litter box quite often during lunch and I think the park's design may have been completely intentional. I honestly think the park was designed to be uncomfortable so the bums/drug addicts and winos...won't take over the place like they did Travis park
- No grass
- No full lenght benches. They are short with no backs.
- Very few places to sit, other than the tables and chairs which are moved every night.

Another gripe I have...why are the live bands allowed to play so loud? So loud...you can always hear that over the priest during mass and you can about praying in peace in San Fernando during your lunch.

[Bo]

Originally Posted by Primo

In the grand San Antonio mayor tradition of wasting millions of dollars on a public flop that nobody will use....First Cisneros gave us the Alamo dome. Now, Harberger has given us the Main Plaza "Litter box". First of all this gravel is not heel friend, not flip flop friend, not dress shoe friendly, and definetly not wheelchair/scooter friendly.

The city's about to throw another 250,000 taxpayer dollars at that problem. In the rush to complete the MP project during the Hardberger administration, there were some shortcuts to the design process that prevented the city's accessibility coordinator from making sure that the project complied with Federal ADA requirements.

More money needed for Main Plaza (http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/City_must_put_more_money_into_Main_Plaza.html - broken link)

[dvlpr]

Originally Posted by Primo

In the grand San Antonio mayor tradition of wasting millions of dollars on a public flop that nobody will use....First Cisneros gave us the Alamo dome. Now, Harberger has given us the Main Plaza "Litter box". First of all this gravel is not heel friend, not flip flop friend, not dress shoe friendly, and definetly not wheelchair/scooter friendly. And since 5 100+year old oak trees suddenly became "diseased" and had to be cut down after it was installed......I don't think the gravel is tree friendly either.

I visit the litter box quite often during lunch and I think the park's design may have been completely intentional. I honestly think the park was designed to be uncomfortable so the bums/drug addicts and winos...won't take over the place like they did Travis park
- No grass
- No full lenght benches. They are short with no backs.
- Very few places to sit, other than the tables and chairs which are moved every night.

Another gripe I have...why are the live bands allowed to play so loud? So loud...you can always hear that over the priest during mass and you can about praying in peace in San Fernando during your lunch.

What a provincial, small-minded statement. Tourism is a major part of SA's economy, and much of what makes SA's tourism industry work is its vibrant, beautiful downtown. Yet it's a suprise to folks like you that investments in downtown's public spaces are expensive, and that progress often requires change (gasp!). Imagine downtown SA without the Riverwalk, or Alamo Plaza, or La Villita. Do you honestly think we'd get the droves of tourists, convention business, and major national sporting events without them?

What do you think SA should spend its public resources on? And how will it make SA a better city in the years to come?

To respond directly to the errors in your post (though I'm almost positive you don't care):

1. A "flop that no one will use"? Sorry. I've been to that park during the day and at night. It's a highly-used public space. I don't know how anyone with eyes can argue to the contrary.

2. Main Plaza is a plaza, not a park. There's a major difference between the two. Plazas are almost always paved, and are adjacent to important public/civic buildings (in the case of Main Plaza, Bexar County Courthouse, City Hall, and San Fernando). Parks are generally more heavily planted with grass and trees, and are meant for recreational uses (as opposed to commercial and civic uses). Travis Park is an excellent example of a park.

I commend Mayor Hardberger for his leadership on Main Plaza. While it certainly wasn't cheap, it will be an important part of SA for years to come.

[wCat]

Speaking of the Courthouse and the whole plaza re-do, I had to run a very quick errand at the courthouse not long ago. I was surprised that the courthouse restoration was STILL going on (I remember them getting bids on it)

With the re-routed traffic around the plaza, and the "re-construction" and scaffolding blocking 1/2 the street....and the other side dealing with the demo of the Kallison building...there was NO parking for a quickie errand. The parking lot on the SW corner STOLE $13 from me to park less than 40 minutes! Holy Moly....I remember when we thought it was outrageous to park there for $6 a day....and that wasn't that long ago. That kind of price gouging should be illegal. It's not that they are being inconvenienced.....and the price of oil or the stock market isn't effecting their "income". Just the contrary. They are sitting on a gold mine. Wish it was mine!