Jared the Subway guy to be in Grand Forks on Thursday
Jared Fogle, the Subway pitchman (yes I know he looks kinda like me), who lost about 250 pounds several years ago eating Subway sandwiches, will be in Grand Forks on Thursday doing promotional appearances in advance of Saturday's Fargo Marathon. Reporter Joe Marks and I will meet with Jared on Thursday and interview him for a story for the Herald and a video for our website.
Do you have any suggestions for questions we should ask Jared? What would you like to know about him? What do you think of Jared's story? What's your favorite local sub shop?
Posted by: Schuster80 on 5/14/2008 at 5:41 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink
Altru seeks to restrict doctor's privileges
Dr. Khaled Rabadi alleges in a lawsuit that Altru Health System has committed breach of contract for attempting to restrict his access to outpatient renal dialysis services at Altru. A district court judge has granted a temporary restraining order, allowing Rabadi to keep full privileges for now. A hearing has been set for June 2.
Rabadi received a letter from Altru's president Casey Ryan dated April 29 informing him that his outpatient renal dialysis access at Altru was being revoked (he would still be allowed to use Altru's inpatient services). The letter was issued as a result of Rabadi opening Aurora Dialysis, a private hemodialysis clinic at the Aurora Medical Park in Grand Forks in April, which Altru officials argue means he has access to those services elsewhere and does not need to use Altru's outpatient dialysis equipment. Rabadi says Ryan overstepped his bounds and did not consult Altru's medical executive committee (which Rabadi serves on) or its board of directors. Both sides said they believe they have strong legal cases. Rabadi said Altru had granted him a two-year extension of his privileges to practice at Altru that runs through August 2009 and that it is customary for outside physicians to use hospitals' services and equipment for free.
What do you think? Do you think Dr. Rabadi or Altru is right? Should Altru restrict his access to outpatient services? Is Altru attempting to limit competition?
Posted by: Schuster80 on 5/13/2008 at 4:51 PM | Comments (14) | Permalink
Time for electric cars?
With gas prices rising and no end in sight, a select few are turning to alternatives like electric cars. Read Ryan Bakken's column about a local couple who claim their new ZENN (Zero Emission No Noise) car, which runs on 6 12-volt batteries, costs just a penny a mile to operate. Here is a link to the Canadian company behind the ZENN cars. But with a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour and a range of 25 to 35 miles before its batteries need recharging, it is at this point just an option for in-town driving, running errands or driving to and from work. Obviously this isn't for everyone.
But something needs to be done with the average price of regular unleaded in Grand Forks setting a record of $3.67 per gallon on Tuesday, up from $3.12 a year ago, according to a AAA survey of gas stations. Is the time coming for electric cars and other technology forms (solar, hydrogen?) to offer more of a concrete alternative to fossil fuels, which will eventually be depleted? Energy companies are constantly trumpeting plans for new technologies (which obviously still have many kinks to work out), but we have yet to see a mass produced alternative energy car.
What do you think? Are high gas prices changing your driving habits? Would you buy an electric car? Do you think energy companies have enough incentive to invest in new technology that would compete with the record profits being reaped as a result of high crude oil prices set by futures market commodities traders? Is all this talk about alternative energy forms overblown?
Posted by: Schuster80 on 5/13/2008 at 9:27 AM | Comments (10) | Permalink
Tabula to close, be replaced by new coffee shop
The Tabula coffee shop on University Avenue by UND will close in late June after being informed that its lease at the Christus Rex Lutheran Campus Ministry would not be renewed. Co-owner Kelly Thompson said he does not have any plans to reopen in a new location and that Tabula would likely be closing for good. Tabula's owners were informed in a letter from the ministry received on Monday that said the coffee shop, which had a month-to-month lease, needed to be out by June 30. Tabula opened in 1999.
Tabula will be replaced with Archives Coffee House, which is targeting a mid-July opening. Archives will be owned by Christus Rex treasurer Bruce Kopp and his wife, Rachel, who will run the coffee shop. But a Christus Rex representative said the change in coffee shops was not favoritism and that it indicates the ministry's interest in creating a stronger affiliation between the church and coffee shop. But when asked the representative didn't mention any specifics about how the new coffee shop would operate differently than Tabula. Archives has signed a three-year lease with Christus Rex for similar terms as Tabula had.
What do you think? Will you miss Tabula? Are you excited to try the new coffee shop? What do you think about how the situation was handled by Christus Rex?
Posted by: Schuster80 on 5/09/2008 at 10:01 PM | Comments (24) | Permalink
Downtown future map unveiled
A map including development options for the potential future of the northern portion of downtown Grand Forks was unveiled by city staff at a city Growth Fund meeting on Wednesday night (Sorry, people but that appears to be as big as I can make the map for the Web after working with JLG and our Web and graphics people for more than an hour yesterday). The map was compiled by JLG Architects in consultation with city staff, but they stressed that the map is only a concept of what that part of downtown could become and said it is not an indication that any of the options placed on the map will happen or that landowners' land will be seized by the city (they actually scolded the media in attendance not to refer to the map as a "plan" and worried that residents might misunderstand that this is just a mock up of some options and represents the general idea of what city staff would like to see happen to the area). The general idea was to look at options for creating a new vibrant district with new housing and commercial growth and creating walkable areas. Though city officials said they were not looking for a land grab of any of the sites on the map at this time, it appears the city is starting to look at its future options for eminent domain or acquiring some of the land and what its legal options are.
The best way to read the map is that the brown in the upper left hand corner is a warehouse district with some mixed use residential, the yellowish orange fronting University Avenue is all mixed use medium density residential, the light blue are for infill sites including the Civic Auditorium, the purple is for possible public use facilities surrounding the YMCA and the grey is existing parking lots. Some of the interesting details include the warehouse district, which Jim Galloway of JLG said would be one way to capitalize on what is already there and could conceivably be similar to warehouse districts in larger cities (Minneapolis for example) that have high-end housing (lofts?) with more of an urban feel. Other interesting details are the purple public use options surrounding the YMCA, which could include options like a museum or some type of attraction to draw in attention and help serve as part of the focal point of the district.
The light blue shaded boxes on both sides of First Avenue depict the Civic Auditorium and its parking lot, which the city has yet to decide between two projects to either renovate the Civic and use it for storage for HB Sound & Light or tear it down and build one or two apartment complexes on the building and parking lot. The Civic and its parking lot are viewed by the city as key elements in the future development of this part of downtown. Near the Civic site the map also depicts the possibility of adding a focal point to differentiate that visitors are entering a new zone (signs, landscaping?) accompanied by some green space and maybe a small pocket park.
The map also shows mixed uses of new residential housing (presumably a mix of apartments, condos and possibly townhomes) with some commercial and retail lining the University Avenue corridor. Galloway of JLG said such potential new growth on the north side of University would likely spur other property owners to the north to fix up (and possibly sell or build new projects?) their own properties, effectively extending the district and its new growth to the north.
What do you think of the map and the city's view of what it would like the northern part of downtown to become? If you were in charge (think Sim City), what would you change about this part of downtown? Will any of this happen or is this just wishful thinking on the city's part?
Posted by: Schuster80 on 5/08/2008 at 9:08 AM | Comments (5) | Permalink
City delays decisions on Civic, condos
The city's Growth Fund delayed a decision on the future of Grand Forks' Civic Auditorium at a meeting on Wednesday after hearing updated proposals and financial offers. The Growth Fund plans to consider the proposals in an executive session (no public, no media) in the next two weeks, possibly next week. One of the proposals would renovate the building for use by HB Sound & Light and two others by developers MetroPlains and Dakota Commercial and Development would demolish the Civic and replace it with two apartment complexes on the site of the auditorium and its parking lot. Last month the Growth Fund heard initial proposals from the parties and asked for more information and detailed financial proposals, which was presented at Wednesday's meeting.
The city also decided on Wednesday not to hear a proposal by Dakota Commercial on the University Flats condo project in the 500 block of University Avenue in Grand Forks that had been planned for the city's finance committee on Wednesday. The University Flats proposal has been put on hold until the fall and the city plans to look at its financial details and how it would fit into the concept of what the city would like the north side of downtown to become (read: the city thinks the proposal asks for too much financing help and it would like to make a decision on the Civic first).
HB Sound & Light offered to pay the city $150,000 for the Civic building, which the business would renovate and use for storage while renting out the remaining space, and also asked for the first right of refusal to purchase the parking lot. If HB Sound & Light bought the Civic, it looks like Central High students would be able to continue using the parking lot for some time and it is unclear if HB Sound & Light would even want to buy the parking lot.
MetroPlains is asking the city for free land and the city to pay for tearing the Civic down (estimated at $300,000) and $450,000 in city HOME funds for the project and a five-year property tax abatement. Dakota Commercial proposes to give the city $100,000 to buy the parking lot, but asks for the city to pay for removing the asphalt and also asks for a property tax abatement. The city has assessed the parking lot's value at closer to $250,000. Also, the city says it is currently losing about $60,000 a year mothballing the vacant Civic in addition to getting no taxes from the property. City staff said that the city has already allocated all its 2008 HOME affordable housing funds and what MetroPlains is asking would drain all of the city's 2009 HOME funds, which are typically split up over several projects on a competitive basis.
MetroPlains would build a three-story, 47-unit apartment complex on the current site of the auditorium with some affordable housing options, similar to the Current apartments, another of the company's projects. Plans call for 20 one-bedroom apartments with an average of 725 square feet, half offered $437-$480 per month. It would also include 27 two-bedroom apartments with an average of 975 square feet, with 11 renting for $525-590 per month and 16 renting for $800 per month. Because it would apply for state affordable housing tax credits, construction couldn't start until a year from now at the earliest.
Dakota Commercial plans between 40 and 50 market-rate apartments and some commercial space on the main floor. If approved, construction could begin this fall and be complete by 2009.
What do you think? Are these proposals a good deal for the city or not? Should the city give up more financing help than it would like or buckle in order to help add more housing in downtown's north end now?
Posted by: Schuster80 on 5/07/2008 at 10:48 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink
