Comments for SaportaReport

Comment on Atlanta’s arts community at a crossroads — is the curtain closing? by CHGreen

CHGreen — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:10:13 +0000

What’s missing in this discussion may be some relative honesty.

1. Burroughston Broch doesn’t want to pay for “art” with tax receipts, and my answer is “I don’t want to guaranty the debt of a football stadium with mine.” When our state floats bonds to build a football, basketball, and baseball performance venues, that’s exactly what I do. But in reality, they’re going to earn plenty of revenue for private businesses / people. Is it an economic driver? Sure. But did you know 1 in 7 persons in the metro area is employed by a creative industry? According to The Highland Group, the non-profit arts industry makes a greater economic impact in metro Atlanta than the Atlanta Braves.

2. My friend Stephen Fleming also draws a fairly narrow view of public arts funding, but why would someone not similarly question the public subsidy paid in his enterprise to start new businesses? Shouldn’t they have to go out and find investors to pay for their own incubation? The truth is that these investments are well worth their weight because of some of them turn into successful companies that grow and contribute new technologies, jobs, and investment capital. So do the arts – think about what 7 Stages and Horizon Theater means to Little Five Points, the Rialto and Theatrical Outfit to downtown at night, and Woodruff Arts Center to midtown. Cultural tourists spend more than sports tourist.

You can have it both ways – when you don’t embrace and idea, before attacking it, maybe look closer and ask why others do.

And so far as becoming an armchair art critic, I will turn back to football – I attended a “Super Bowl” once and the final score was 51 – 3. False advertising? Professional football? Definitely a shill sport

Charles H. Green, Chair, Fulton County Arts Council

Comment on Transportation sales tax campaign needs to target voters likely to vote yes by The Last Democrat in Georgia

The Last Democrat in Georgia — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:02:02 +0000

@inatl
You are indeed correct that voting no and defeating the T-SPLOST will likely do much more to advance the cause of transit around these parts than voting yes to what many describe as being nothing more than a blatant giveaway of public funds to roadbuilders and overdevelopers.

Comment on Transportation sales tax campaign needs to target voters likely to vote yes by The Last Democrat in Georgia

The Last Democrat in Georgia — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:58:33 +0000

@inatl
Looks like you are also very much correct about how voting no to the T-SPLOST may indeed do infinitely much more to help the Atlanta Region break its very severe addiction to auto-overdependency and sprawl as the state slipped in a rather substantial poison pill that will require local governments in regions where the T-SPLOST is defeated to pay three times as much to fund road construction projects as they do currently by requiring local governments to pay a 30 percent match on state transportation grants instead of the 10 percent match that they currently pay.

Since so many local governments will have to pay three times as much to fund road construction projects, that will likely put the brakes on most roadbuilding by local governments for the foreseeable future, which should delight many hardcore transit and land-use reform advocate.

From page 23 of the Transportation Investment Act:
“(d) In the event a special district sales and use tax election is held and the voters in a special district do not approve the levy of the special district transportation sales and use tax, the local governments in such special district shall be required to provide a 30 percent match for any local maintenance and improvement grants by the Department of Transportation for transportation projects and programs for at least 24 months and until such time as a special district sales and use tax is approved.”
http://www.it3.ga.gov/Documents/HB277-BreakdownbySection.pdf

Comment on Atlanta’s arts community at a crossroads — is the curtain closing? by Burroughston Broch

Burroughston Broch — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:31:49 +0000

@muckrakelabs @MBW
Go back to 1962 when the plane carrying the core of the Atlanta arts supporters crashed at Orly, and compare the support that was lost there versus the almost non-existent support from the public trough at the time. Then lecture us about mythology.

I do have an agenda – there should be no, i repeat NO, public funding of the arts. I don’t want my taxes subsidizing what has no value to me. And don’t bother equating it to paying taxes for roads on which I don’t drive – it’s not the same thing at all. Arts are the frosting on the cake, but it’s my cake and I should pay for it. I gladly and generously support the arts that have meaning to me, but don’t you or government force me to support those that do not have meaning to me.

I support mine and you support yours – simple and equitable.

Comment on Piedmont Park Conservancy cancels 2012 ‘Screen on the Green’ film series by Have an issue with Piedmont Park events? Sound off! | Midtown Atlanta

Have an issue with Piedmont Park events? Sound off! | Midtown Atlanta — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:52:01 +0000

[...] According to the SaportaReport, the total expansion would cost in excess of $72 million. The initial $44 million phase is almost completed, but more money is needed to complete new access points to Ansley Mall and Monroe Dr. [...]

Comment on Atlanta’s arts community at a crossroads — is the curtain closing? by muckrakelabs

muckrakelabs — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:05:58 +0000

@MBW @Burroughston Broch it is that simple in the mind of those who say such things. not really wanting to be so skeptical here, just saying. i’ve yet to see/hear anyone who demonstrates such an antagonistic view of publicly supported arts and culture have their mind changed. they have an agenda, and they’re not about to let facts or logic get in the way.

Comment on Atlanta’s arts community at a crossroads — is the curtain closing? by MBW

MBW — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:42:04 +0000

@Burroughston Broch You’re engaging in a little bit of mythology here. Arts have long been supported by a mix of private donations, public funds, and ticket sales. This is not a new concept.

In this particularly bad economy, however, private contributions, corporate/foundation sponsorships, and ticket sales tend have dried up just as fast or faster than government funds. Arts organizations are being squeezed from all directions, so it’s not as simple as you suggest.

Comment on Transportation sales tax campaign needs to target voters likely to vote yes by The Last Democrat in Georgia

The Last Democrat in Georgia — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:50:15 +0000

@inatl
If you want to see a prime example of the phenomenon of Induced Demand, look no further than the example of Houston, Texas which has seemingly paved over every last bit of land that can possibly be paved with nine toll roads (some converted out of busy streets) and some freeways with as many as 26 lanes in width like the I-10 West/Katy Freeway, which may possibly be the widest freeway on the planet.

But even though Houston has virtually maxed totally and completely out on road infrastructure investments, the infamously road-crazy car-worshipping Texas city is still seriously considering implementing commuter rail due to severe traffic congestion on its notoriously built-out freeway network.

Some of thoroughly car-crazed, car-fanatical Houston’s plans for commuter rail: http://www.hgaccommuterrail.com/docs/HGAC%20Commuter%20Rail%20-%20Relative%20Demand%20Potential_2.pdf

If a car-crazed and fanatical town like Houston, which has a much more built-up road infrastructure than topography-challenged Atlanta could ever hope for or dream of, admits to the pressing need to compliment its ultra-built out freeway system with increased rail transit options and regional commuter rail service, then it’s more than obvious that Atlanta, which overall has only a fraction of the road infrastructure of Houston, is in extremely-critical need of increased rail transit options, ESPECIALLY commuter rail.

Comment on For Mother’s Day, honoring the singular toughness of Rochelle Bozman by SusanSeabury

SusanSeabury — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:49:05 +0000

Lovely story about a wonderful human being. I hate to pick a fight to Boz since I believe her to be in a place to play endless pratcial jokes on me for disagreeing. However, I believe she was there the first time Ben’s heart got broken, or at least for the beginning of it. This, because that first time was when he lost the person who loved him with her whole heart and more than anything or anyone else in the world. The first time his heart broke was the day he lost her.

Comment on Transportation sales tax campaign needs to target voters likely to vote yes by The Last Democrat in Georgia

The Last Democrat in Georgia — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:00:10 +0000

@inatl
“I fear that because the region has not come to grips with adopting and enforcing sound and sustainable Land Use and Development policies subsidizing and thus hiding the cost of driving by funding roads with a general sales tax (that exempts gasoline no less) is not a sound long-term policy. And thus I am convinced that future growth would happen in a better and more sustainable manner without this regressive TSPLOST sales tax.”

As you are well aware, I’m a maximum multmodal infrastructure guy (way moreso than most around these parts can even imagine), which means that not only do I think that we should max totally and completely out on building rail transit infrastructure (like making massive upgrades and targeted expansions to MARTA, implementing light rail and streetcars on selected high-density corridors and building a comprehensive regional commuter rail network with extensive reach around North Georgia and even into Middle Georgia and surrounding states like TN, SC & AL), I also think that we should max-out on making targeted road infrastructure investments (like making GA Hwy 6 West/Thornton Rd/C.H. James Pkwy/Camp Creek Pkwy and the Sugarloaf Pkwy Extension, both road projects that appear on the T-SPLOST list, into toll-roads as well turning US Hwy 19-41 South/Tara Boulevard and US Hwy 41 North/Cobb Parkway into super-arteries with free local surface lanes and tolled express lanes, turning South Fulton Pkwy into a toll road that also serves as a South Bypass around Carrollton and an alternative route to I-20 West to Birmingham and turning GA Hwy 316 into a controlled-access expressway built to Interstate standards and funded with tolls to get it completed quicker), a point on which we are both diametrically opposed on this transportation issue, even though we both very much solidly agree on the critically-pressing need for dramatically-increased, if not maximum, investments in rail transit infrastructure.

You were correct in everything you said as even a maximum road-infrastructure guy like me agrees that this region has not come to grips with reality and how the world is changing when it comes to the need to encourage sustainable land-use and development policies over the long-term.