Friday

I was at the City Council meeting last Tuesday and was voted into the CDA (Community Development Authority).  Basically the city planners.  The vote was 4-1 in favor

Read my City Council blog here. 

Here is the link to the council - the vote is at about the 5:00 minute mark. Four all in favors and one slightly too loud NOT IN FAVOR!!   That is fine.  I think he votes against ALL of the Mayors appointments.

My view and the view of the many books I have read on city development for the 21st century (thankfully we agree) is the way to make a city prosper is not through spending all of your energies into gaining business but by making your town a place people want to move too.  Especially in a bedroom community like Columbus.  

It seems in the past city leaders assumed if you build a hardware store people will move here.  People move to towns because of the quality of life, not the quality of business.  The PROBLEM is that many citizens just do not see the benefits of sidewalks and playgrounds but they can see the benefits of a hardware store.  It's something they can see and touch.  Like advertising, you can not SEE the results of a new sidewalk or swimming pools and so forth.
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OH - there are now 22 children that use the sidewalks on Vista Circle. Would you want them walking on the road?  Sidewalks are so important to transportation. The city dropped the ball on Avalon and other streets without sidewalks.  It's not IF there is a horrible accident, but when.  
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Speaking of business - Hydro Street Brewing is installing new equipment.  Take a look at these bad boys!  State of the art temperature controlled fermentors.    

The nice thing Aaron has pointed out are the little nozzle's on the upper right part of the cone - tasting valves.  Freaking handy!

 
  At that's not all, to go with them are the boiling and mashing units.

Any idea how hard these are to come buy?  Most breweries are on at least  a year+  long waiting lists!  There is a HUGE shortage of stainless steel brewing equipment world wide.   But Sandye and Aaron can talk their way to anything.

These are prototypes, the company that makes these normally sell larger equipment for the Macro Breweries and these are the first of a kind.   So Aaron goes from a 1 barrel system to a 4 barrel system.

The vision is to brew 500 barrel next year compared to 175 the previous year.  With over 90,000 pints of craft beer served last year the old system was maxed out.

In other news Chef Alex Drudges has graduated and is now an actual Chef and I tell ya - his food at Hydro is really outstanding - seriously.    Hydro Street employees 16 people now and is becoming the center of activity in Columbus!  A catalyses for growth and coolness.   

West James Gallery is NOT closing.

OH - check this out - IT'S GETTING FIXED.   Lot of grumbling and complaining but there is progress.  He is blaming the city - something about trucks I think.

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Last Art Fair of the summer Saturday in Sun Prairie in Cannery Square.

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With the big win in Denver last night there was talk about how the opposing team was sucking wind because of the high altitude so I looked and Denver is 3-1 in the last 10 years with the opening game at home and 5-3-2 in their 1st home game.   

I only had the kicker for Denver and got 7 points the hard way - ALL PATs!!  argh!

OK - gotta get matting!

Cheers
Rod