Thursday, October 20, 2011
No more regulations! The Tea Party mantra
Watching the news coverage of the 'exotic' animal escape in Zanesville, Ohio gives us a look into our future. In the new economy, job killing regulations, like controlling ownership of dangerous animals, will be eliminated and the free market will reign. The convicted felon who kept this animal menagerie should not be impeded in his quest to recreate the Wild Kingdom in his yard. When this idiot decided to unleash his animals and blow his brains out, shouldn't his rights be protected? I doubt that too many people in Zanesville would vote for less regulation when they woke up with a black bear munching on their pet Yorkie. Yes, lets eliminate all the regulations that these tree huggers have slipped by us real Americans. Oh wait, I hear something in the back yard. I'll bet its nothing! God Bless America.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
How about a "Cities" Jobs Plan?
With every politician talking about jobs, I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to propose the "Cities Jobs Plan". In traveling throughout the United States, I have a good opportunity to see a lot of places where cities can use an investment of new jobs that will have a lasting impact on the lives of most Americans.
I think the failure of the original Stimulus Bill was that the money was too light on infrastructure. Another problem was that very little was done to address the huge housing bubble that caused much of the financial decline. Its not to late, but we can't let another opportunity pass us by.
How about a revitalization of our cities. Rebuilding streets, sidewalks, retaining walls, bridges and the like will put millions of people back on the employment rolls and provide our children with a legacy for decades to come. On the housing front, lets assess housing in our cities and demolish dilapidated structures. This would remove dangerous structures and make way for a rebound in the housing market.
With these two simple ideas, we can put millions of people to back to work and provide a ready market for new and improved housing. This really isn't that hard. We can put this together and start on the road to economic recovery immediately.
I think the failure of the original Stimulus Bill was that the money was too light on infrastructure. Another problem was that very little was done to address the huge housing bubble that caused much of the financial decline. Its not to late, but we can't let another opportunity pass us by.
How about a revitalization of our cities. Rebuilding streets, sidewalks, retaining walls, bridges and the like will put millions of people back on the employment rolls and provide our children with a legacy for decades to come. On the housing front, lets assess housing in our cities and demolish dilapidated structures. This would remove dangerous structures and make way for a rebound in the housing market.
With these two simple ideas, we can put millions of people to back to work and provide a ready market for new and improved housing. This really isn't that hard. We can put this together and start on the road to economic recovery immediately.
Jim Hunt
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Changing Face of Journalism
I had the opportunity to guest lecture at a journalism class today. It was an interesting experience and one that I will not soon forget. I asked the class of twenty or so students how many had read the morning paper. Guess how many? One. I then asked how many had watched the evening news last night. Guess how many? Again, one.
This is the new face of journalism. Social Media, Twitter, Four Square and You Tube are replacing the traditional ways that we get information. Does this shock you? Will this lead to a generation gap between the 'new' media and the 'old' media? And what about the people stuck in the middle.
I don't know where this is heading and I am not sure that anyone else does either. So in the meantime, I'm blogging, reading the morning paper, spending too much time on FaceBook and generally feeling like I'm more disconnected than ever.
This is the new face of journalism. Social Media, Twitter, Four Square and You Tube are replacing the traditional ways that we get information. Does this shock you? Will this lead to a generation gap between the 'new' media and the 'old' media? And what about the people stuck in the middle.
I don't know where this is heading and I am not sure that anyone else does either. So in the meantime, I'm blogging, reading the morning paper, spending too much time on FaceBook and generally feeling like I'm more disconnected than ever.
Article on Dealing with Abandoned Properties
Clarksburg, W.Va., used low-interest state loan to demolish 300 homes
Sunday, September 18, 2011
CLARKSBURG, W. Va. -- There is a landfill in this town where nothing but the remains of abandoned houses are buried.
Nearby sits the Department of Public Works heavy equipment that put the debris there as part of an aggressive demolition program to control the blight of a half-century of industrial decline.
During the past decade, the program demolished buildings and cleared land on nearly 300 properties to reduce blight, increase housing values and advance the city's post-industrial recovery.
A once-booming glass and coal center, Clarksburg experienced a population increase from 4,050 in 1900 to 32,014 in 1950. Hazel-Atlas Glass was one of several companies that employed thousands of workers who traveled to North Central West Virginia to find work. The manufacturing floor of Hazel-Atlas alone took up a full 15 acres.
But after 1950, those manufacturers slowly began to decline. People lost their jobs, and Clarksburg's population fell. Today, just 16,550 people live in Clarksburg.
The result was widespread vacancy and the risks that often come with it. After sitting vacant for 20 years, the Hazel-Atlas plant burned to the ground in 2007, the last embers smoldering for five days before firefighters could extinguish them.
"When we demolish buildings, that's exactly what we're hoping to avoid," said Adam Barberio, Clarksburg's code enforcement supervisor.
The problem of vacant buildings in Clarksburg has been high on city government's priority list for more than a decade. City council members have chosen a simple strategy to contend with problems related to blight: prioritize, demolish and clear away.
But addressing vacant and abandoned properties was not always a government priority, said Jim Hunt, former mayor and current Clarksburg councilman.
"With city budgets, you almost never gain any traction with big demolition projects," he says. "Everyone talks about it and everyone knows that vacant properties are a problem, but there's no continuing reward when you tear a building down, so it's tough to get council to support it."
So he came up with a plan.
In addition to his duties as councilman, Mr. Hunt managed the Clarksburg Field Office of the West Virginia Housing Development Fund, established to increase the state's supply of low- and moderate-income housing.
Mr. Hunt argued that the fund also should be used to prevent blighted properties from diminishing the value of low-income housing. And the fund made low-interest loans available to municipalities to help cover the cost of demolishing vacant houses.
"It was a leap of faith, but the thinking was that if cities would have these vacant lots, adjoining houses would rise in value, there would be room for new housing, and these places would rebuild and revitalize," he said.
Four cities took advantage of the Housing Development Fund's demolition loan -- Shinnston, Clarksburg, Fairmont and Salem.
Clarksburg officials identified more than 300 homes -- all of which had been unoccupied for at least three years -- that seemed ripe for demolition based on complaints from neighbors, observation and other information. Houses were chosen after it was decided that large buildings, such as the Hazel-Atlas plant, were too big and expensive to demolish first.
They rated each house using criteria such as the value of the lot, whether the house was ready to fall down, whether it attracted crime, contained asbestos or other hazards, or had historical value.
Owners were identified and letters were sent asking whether they had plans for the houses, offering low-interest loans and warning they would be fined if they failed to upgrade their properties. Fifteen homeowners responded and were offered low-cost demolition and payment plans. The city charged about half of the $30,000 it typically costs to tear down a house.
"Destruction isn't our goal, but you've got to realize that in the private sector no one's going to do anything about these buildings unless there's money to be made," Mr. Hunt said. "So what the city's stuck with are all the remainders -- houses that are almost valueless that can't be feasibly fixed up or sold."
By the end of the decade, the demolition project helped reduce the number of vacant houses in the city to 919 and lower vacancy rates from 14 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2010.
From the city's perspective, it was a citywide cleanup program, said Mr. Barberio, the code enforcement supervisor.
"These vacant properties can be dangerous and bring the prices of other homes down. So getting rid of them is like an investment into the future."
Nearby sits the Department of Public Works heavy equipment that put the debris there as part of an aggressive demolition program to control the blight of a half-century of industrial decline.
During the past decade, the program demolished buildings and cleared land on nearly 300 properties to reduce blight, increase housing values and advance the city's post-industrial recovery.
A once-booming glass and coal center, Clarksburg experienced a population increase from 4,050 in 1900 to 32,014 in 1950. Hazel-Atlas Glass was one of several companies that employed thousands of workers who traveled to North Central West Virginia to find work. The manufacturing floor of Hazel-Atlas alone took up a full 15 acres.
But after 1950, those manufacturers slowly began to decline. People lost their jobs, and Clarksburg's population fell. Today, just 16,550 people live in Clarksburg.
The result was widespread vacancy and the risks that often come with it. After sitting vacant for 20 years, the Hazel-Atlas plant burned to the ground in 2007, the last embers smoldering for five days before firefighters could extinguish them.
"When we demolish buildings, that's exactly what we're hoping to avoid," said Adam Barberio, Clarksburg's code enforcement supervisor.
The problem of vacant buildings in Clarksburg has been high on city government's priority list for more than a decade. City council members have chosen a simple strategy to contend with problems related to blight: prioritize, demolish and clear away.
But addressing vacant and abandoned properties was not always a government priority, said Jim Hunt, former mayor and current Clarksburg councilman.
"With city budgets, you almost never gain any traction with big demolition projects," he says. "Everyone talks about it and everyone knows that vacant properties are a problem, but there's no continuing reward when you tear a building down, so it's tough to get council to support it."
So he came up with a plan.
In addition to his duties as councilman, Mr. Hunt managed the Clarksburg Field Office of the West Virginia Housing Development Fund, established to increase the state's supply of low- and moderate-income housing.
Mr. Hunt argued that the fund also should be used to prevent blighted properties from diminishing the value of low-income housing. And the fund made low-interest loans available to municipalities to help cover the cost of demolishing vacant houses.
"It was a leap of faith, but the thinking was that if cities would have these vacant lots, adjoining houses would rise in value, there would be room for new housing, and these places would rebuild and revitalize," he said.
Four cities took advantage of the Housing Development Fund's demolition loan -- Shinnston, Clarksburg, Fairmont and Salem.
Clarksburg officials identified more than 300 homes -- all of which had been unoccupied for at least three years -- that seemed ripe for demolition based on complaints from neighbors, observation and other information. Houses were chosen after it was decided that large buildings, such as the Hazel-Atlas plant, were too big and expensive to demolish first.
They rated each house using criteria such as the value of the lot, whether the house was ready to fall down, whether it attracted crime, contained asbestos or other hazards, or had historical value.
Owners were identified and letters were sent asking whether they had plans for the houses, offering low-interest loans and warning they would be fined if they failed to upgrade their properties. Fifteen homeowners responded and were offered low-cost demolition and payment plans. The city charged about half of the $30,000 it typically costs to tear down a house.
"Destruction isn't our goal, but you've got to realize that in the private sector no one's going to do anything about these buildings unless there's money to be made," Mr. Hunt said. "So what the city's stuck with are all the remainders -- houses that are almost valueless that can't be feasibly fixed up or sold."
By the end of the decade, the demolition project helped reduce the number of vacant houses in the city to 919 and lower vacancy rates from 14 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2010.
From the city's perspective, it was a citywide cleanup program, said Mr. Barberio, the code enforcement supervisor.
"These vacant properties can be dangerous and bring the prices of other homes down. So getting rid of them is like an investment into the future."
This story was produced by Pittsburgh Today, an online regional indicators project. The article and more information on vacant properties can be found at Pittsburghtoday.org.
First published on September 18, 2011 at 12:00 am
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11261/1175588-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml#ixzz1ZJWKEbup
The debut of the Amazing Cities Blog
Today is a big day for me. Starting the Amazing Cities Blog is an adventure that I have thought about for a long time. After 27 years in local government, I have seen a lot and met some amazing people who have helped shape many of my thoughts and ideas.
Why Amazing Cities? I believe in the power of cities. There is no other entity in the world that houses the innovation, diversity and intelligence than in America's cities. When America emerged as the most powerhouse economy in the world, it was on the backs of it's cities. Would we have an automotive industry without Detroit? A steel industry without Pittsburgh? A tire industry without Akron?
Why now? This is 'the' time for cities to step up. With record unemployment, a failing economy and a dysfunctional national government we have an opportunity to reenergize our cities. We have a ready labor force and scores of infrastructure needs that will take leadership to begin the great transformation of America's cities.
Please join me on this exciting adventure. I hope that this can be a collective effort and one that will advance local government as an agent of change and innovation.
Why Amazing Cities? I believe in the power of cities. There is no other entity in the world that houses the innovation, diversity and intelligence than in America's cities. When America emerged as the most powerhouse economy in the world, it was on the backs of it's cities. Would we have an automotive industry without Detroit? A steel industry without Pittsburgh? A tire industry without Akron?
Why now? This is 'the' time for cities to step up. With record unemployment, a failing economy and a dysfunctional national government we have an opportunity to reenergize our cities. We have a ready labor force and scores of infrastructure needs that will take leadership to begin the great transformation of America's cities.
Please join me on this exciting adventure. I hope that this can be a collective effort and one that will advance local government as an agent of change and innovation.
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