Geeze I hate this kind of stuff. I did not realize that there are so many companies the are just dying to build huge projects in Lansing! Why have these guys waited until this point, why not tell the city council all about it before they OK'd the deal? They seem to think that they should get some of the profit[when is that going to be?] that the Ferguson's are going to make. Sound like these guys are the ones seeking an extortion. I have been disappointed to see that nothing has begun over there as of yet. I hope this will not blow the whole thing.
'OK here I go with a possibly interesting story! While a student at MSU I worked in The State Room as a waiter. One of my duties was to serve a the Cowles House for events that the Kellogg Center catered. It was very interesting to work there and I served there for three different MSU Presidents. A few times I served while Dr.Edgar Harden was acting President. I served at a lunch for Roger Smith the CEO of GM at the time. After that lunch GM announced their huge donation to building the Wharton Center. Dr. Harden if I remember correctly was part owner of Story Olds, and I think he and Roger were old buddies.They drank a lot of Boodles Gin straight on the rocks with a lemon twist! Another time, Dr. Harden and Joel Ferguson were seeking to developthe Capital Commons on the west side of downtown. I do not remember for whom it was, but they put on a nice dinner and presentation of the plans at the Cowles House. Soon after they were chosen to build that development. So I could see that having a fancy meal with the President at the most MSU place the Cowles House [Harden did not live there at that time] could have influenced someone. I do not think it was wrong or pay for play but it did seem to have helped their causes. It is interesting that Mr. Ferguson MSU and Story Olds property are still in conversations about city subsidized building projects. At least to me !
Haven't had time to read the story, yet, but the City Pulse has a story out this week on what the drain commissioner wants to do with the public part of this project: The Montgomery Drain. First, a rendering of what he wants to do with Ranney Park:
And then an example of a concept of what he wants to do within Frandor:
The plan will be unveiled tomorrow. I'm as excited about this part of the project than any other. It'll further restore health to the Red Cedar and break up the concrete monotony that is the Frandor Parking lot, which essentially covered of the drain and its original wetlands.
Great pictures, thanks for sharing. It took me a minute to put perspective on the top image. I'm curious to see how the Frandor parking lot could change. It's just cut off in the picture on the bottom left and doesn't appear to be part of this project.
Ranney Park does look really nice, and the outer perimeter trail will be really good for running and exercising.
It's all part of the same project, but they are different units. It's Frandor, Ranney Park and the south half of the Red Cedar golf course. We'll get better and more renderings tomorrow.
I'm thoroughly impressed with the things I'm reading about this in the City Pulse. Lots of water features, art and natural areas, all great things. Besides that, I'm really liking all the placemaking features throughout the Frandor area; a large topiary clock at the north end of Ranney Park, water filtration walls in Frandor's parking lot and the "Windlord" sculpture from Adado park relocated to become the centerpiece of a fountain in the median of Michigan Ave among others. I'll be very interested to see more of his plans.
I wonder where exactly Windlord is going to go, specifically which section of the median? I'll tell you, I will miss it in Riverfront Park, which we used as our neighborhood park. But, it will make more sense to have it more prominently featured. I had no idea it was supposed to go in the traffic circle downtown.
The land rises fairly dramatically (for Lansing, anyway) to the northwest and north. It's probably the retaining walls along Clippert, the walls that hold up the land behind McDonalds, the walls behind the Rite-Aid and bank on Saginaw, the walls behind the hadware store...you know, all the retaining walls on the north end of the complex.
Oh, huh. I mean, it's cool, but would people see it? That's like parking and loading docks, right? I guess I thought this would be somewhere more visible.
The concept is built around using gravity to clean the water before it ultimately drains into the Red Cedar River to the south. The artistic aspects are secondary to this, so it's not like they are building fancy fountains or anything in the middle of Frandor. The artistic aspects are gravy.
That said, who knows? Maybe the plan will include pedestrian walkways next to the walls to showcase them. Anyone find the plan? They said it would be released to the media, today.
Comments
'OK here I go with a possibly interesting story! While a student at MSU I worked in The State Room as a waiter. One of my duties was to serve a the Cowles House for events that the Kellogg Center catered. It was very interesting to work there and I served there for three different MSU Presidents. A few times I served while Dr.Edgar Harden was acting President. I served at a lunch for Roger Smith the CEO of GM at the time. After that lunch GM announced their huge donation to building the Wharton Center. Dr. Harden if I remember correctly was part owner of Story Olds, and I think he and Roger were old buddies.They drank a lot of Boodles Gin straight on the rocks with a lemon twist! Another time, Dr. Harden and Joel Ferguson were seeking to developthe Capital Commons on the west side of downtown. I do not remember for whom it was, but they put on a nice dinner and presentation of the plans at the Cowles House. Soon after they were chosen to build that development. So I could see that having a fancy meal with the President at the most MSU place the Cowles House [Harden did not live there at that time] could have influenced someone. I do not think it was wrong or pay for play but it did seem to have helped their causes. It is interesting that Mr. Ferguson MSU and Story Olds property are still in conversations about city subsidized building projects. At least to me !
And then an example of a concept of what he wants to do within Frandor:
The plan will be unveiled tomorrow. I'm as excited about this part of the project than any other. It'll further restore health to the Red Cedar and break up the concrete monotony that is the Frandor Parking lot, which essentially covered of the drain and its original wetlands.
Ranney Park does look really nice, and the outer perimeter trail will be really good for running and exercising.
City Pulse articles:
The Art of Clean Water
Watershed Moment
That said, who knows? Maybe the plan will include pedestrian walkways next to the walls to showcase them. Anyone find the plan? They said it would be released to the media, today.