Downtown Flint River landscape to change as part of $36.8M project

[Cripplecreek]

FLINT, MI -- A $36.8 million project is expected to change the landscape of the Flint River in downtown Flint.

Major pillars of the project, designed in 2010 by Wade Trim, include removing the Hamilton Dam, greening Riverbank Park and the former Chevy in the Hole site, building a walking bridge over the Swartz Creek and Flint River to connect the statewide Iron Belle Trail and softening the banks of the river with rocks and native plants.

The project is headed by Genesee County Parks and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Work will begin this summer and wrap up tentatively in 2019, although some aspects of it will be finished and usable before then.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2017/05/downtown_flint_river_landscape.html#comments

Its not like Flint doesn't have more important issues to deal with than making kayakers happy.

[truth_seeker]

FLINT, MI -- A $36.8 million project is expected to change the landscape of the Flint River in downtown Flint.

Major pillars of the project, designed in 2010 by Wade Trim, include removing the Hamilton Dam, greening Riverbank Park and the former Chevy in the Hole site, building a walking bridge over the Swartz Creek and Flint River to connect the statewide Iron Belle Trail and softening the banks of the river with rocks and native plants.

The project is headed by Genesee County Parks and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Work will begin this summer and wrap up tentatively in 2019, although some aspects of it will be finished and usable before then.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2017/05/downtown_flint_river_landscape.html#comments

Its not like Flint doesn't have more important issues to deal with than making kayakers happy.

With 53+ percent blacks, I would think civic revitalization/beautification according to the "broken window" theory would be a good thing.

Of course alternatives would be giving them more welfare, housing, food stamps, and prison time.

I think the former is a more "compassionate" long run application of public funds, assuming no private investor is donating money for kayakers.

[Cripplecreek]

With 53+ percent blacks, I would think civic revitalization/beautification according to the "broken window" theory would be a good thing.

Of course alternatives would be giving them more welfare, housing, food stamps, and prison time.

I think the former is a more "compassionate" long run application of public funds, assuming no private investor is donating money for kayakers.

Aside from the fact that they're wasting millions that could be better spent on things they need, Flint just doesn't have anything to sustain it. Downtown Detroit is amazing in its rebirth but it actually has a basis to build on and it shows. Between the tech boom, being the only city with all the major sports teams within a few blocks, finance, and a smaller but still vital automotive industry. In the space of about 5 years all those empty buildings in downtown Detroit have filled up and new buildings are being built.

Still plenty of dangerous places in Detroit and complaining about "Gentrification" but at least a tax base is being built. Not so with Flint.

[truth_seeker]

Aside from the fact that they're wasting millions that could be better spent on things they need, Flint just doesn't have anything to sustain it. Downtown Detroit is amazing in its rebirth but it actually has a basis to build on and it shows. Between the tech boom, being the only city with all the major sports teams within a few blocks, finance, and a smaller but still vital automotive industry. In the space of about 5 years all those empty buildings in downtown Detroit have filled up and new buildings are being built.

Still plenty of dangerous places in Detroit and complaining about "Gentrification" but at least a tax base is being built. Not so with Flint.

So what is your suggestion for the best use of an investment in Flint Mich.?

Where exactly is the money coming from, for this proposed investment? How does it pay back?

[Frank Cannon]

It's their money and they can piss it away any way they see fit, but it seems like a dump like Flint could probably use that cash for more important things than a river walk for drug dealers to conduct open air transactions.

These "revitalization" rarely bring the benefit that is touted and in some cases end up turning into another blight after the money runs out.

[truth_seeker]

It's their money and they can piss it away any way they see fit, but it seems like a dump like Flint could probably use that cash for more important things than a river walk for drug dealers to conduct open air transactions.

These "revitalization" rarely bring the benefit that is touted and in some cases end up turning into another blight after the money runs out.

Seems to me, your advice is just spend the money on more cops and prisons.

First and foremost is one fact: You can't really change the residents very much, which brings to fore the saying "you can't make chicken salad, out of chicken sh!te."

In actual fact, revitalizations have often been successful. My entire county is an example of various methods of renewal. Some tore down and started from scratch, some retained old structures. All involved money.

But we don't have the 53% problem.

[Cripplecreek]

So what is your suggestion for the best use of an investment in Flint Mich.?

Where exactly is the money coming from, for this proposed investment? How does it pay back?

I don't know what to do with Flint. It was an automotive town but those days are long gone. They can clean the place up and beautify it till the cows come home, if no industry comes in to sustain it its pointless.

Virtually any new industry will be in tech and in Flint you have a pretty much un-trainable population.

[Frank Cannon]

Seems to me, your advice is just spend the money on more cops and prisons.

And maybe some infrastructure.....like lead free piping.

As for revitalizing, people are leaving MI as fast as they can. You think some damn waterfront bird path is going to raise property values?

As for your revitalization projects being successful. How can something be considered successful when 5 million people left your state over the last decade and the state is in a massive debt hole to the tune of $400 billion dollars?

Let me amend that $400 billion. I just looked it up and total debt is $1.3 Trillion.

http://californiapolicycenter.org/californias-total-state-local-debt-totals-1-3-trillion/

[truth_seeker]

And maybe some infrastructure.....like lead free piping.

As for revitalizing, people are leaving MI as fast as they can. You think some damn waterfront bird path is going to raise property values?

As for your revitalization projects being successful. How can something be considered successful when 5 million people left your state over the last decade and the state is in a massive debt hole to the tune of $400 billion dollars?

Let me amend that $400 billion. I just looked it up and total debt is $1.3 Trillion.

http://californiapolicycenter.org/californias-total-state-local-debt-totals-1-3-trillion/

I have no responsibility for California. We gave the nation Ronald Reagan. My county has grown from 200,000 to 3.2 million during my lifetime. My congressman was Tea Party from his Reagan staff days.

With both Hispanics and Asians outnumbering Blacks, I might add. I have somewhat different life experiences compared with many of you. I may be too old to leave. If I did, it would be for someplace like Prescott Arizona, the or coast of San Luis Obispo County, etc.

BTW the medium sized farm town my family left when I was a kid is now home to Somalis imported by Bush and continued by Obama. But the residents love the ethanol income, from replacing free market sugar beets with subsidized corn.