Kent State Community Service Looking For Projects...

Where People Are Choosing To Live...

A new report came out predicting which parts of the country are going to be the winners in the real estate game and which are going to be the losers.  I’m less concerned about the specifics of who wins and who loses than I am interested in their premise because if we understand the logic maybe we can change the outcome.  The authors conclude that traditionally cities are places where “productivity” occurs because of the presence of employment opportunities. But a sweeping paradigm shift is already under way. Now, cities will also have to measure their importance and their attractiveness in terms of “consumption.” Simply put: Is the city in question a place where people, especially highly skilled workers, consumers, will want to spend their time and money? Only those cities and regions where the answer can be an unequivocal “yes” should expect significant growth.  Is Kent one of those cities?

Published: June 28, 2006 in Knowledge@Wharton

The greatest future growth in the United States is likely to take place in the West, the Sunbelt and along the I-85 corridor between Raleigh, N.C., and Atlanta, Ga. In a literal sense, Americans are following the sun, since factors such as the number of “bright” or “sun” days in January and the absence of winter heating costs are significant aspects of this anticipated redistribution of population.

The areas that can expect the largest drop in population, or a slow-down in their rate of growth, are mostly in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. “Americans are rapidly leaving cold, damp, and snowy areas for sunnier and drier climates,” note Wharton real estate professors Peter Linneman and Albert Saiz in their study, “Forecasting 2020 U.S. County and MSA Populations.”

One notable exception is the city of New Orleans, which the authors found to be in a steep population decline, even before factoring in the impact of hurricane Katrina.

According to the researchers’ predictions, the hardest hit area will be the city and county of Baltimore, Md., which is in a no-growth pattern that could cost them 100,000 residents, or roughly 15% of Baltimore’s 2000 population, by 2020.

On the opposite side of the country — and the scale — is Clark County, Nev., including the city of Las Vegas, which is due to experience the greatest regional growth as a percentage of its metropolitan population. By 2020, that desert hub of “good weather, gambling, tourism and an easy lifestyle” should see a metro population cresting very close to three million. That works out to a gain, as a percentage of total population, of just over 85%, or 1.35 million new inhabitants.

“Prospective real estate developers had better buy a good pair of sunglasses and some sun block,” the researchers suggest.

Cities in Competition

“Cities will have to start thinking of growth in a more competitive way,” says Saiz. “To an extent, this is already happening. The strategy used to be that if you wanted to attract jobs and nurture growth, a city would try to attract the big firms. That isn’t enough now.”

As the authors see a new United States taking shape, many variables come into play. The kind of amenities that a city or region has to offer emerge as key ingredients in the high-growth formula. “Growth today,” Saiz notes, “is based on quality of life, prevailing trends, the availability of parks and recreation, the character and variety of the architecture, the climate, taxes … and, above all, the quality of education available in any given location.”

Of all the demographic, economic, political, geological and weather-related growth indicators, the authors single out education as the most compelling and permanent factor. “Growth means more than jobs, jobs and more jobs,” Saiz cautions. “The brightest, most highly-skilled, most sought-after workers

are going to be attracted to the cities with the most amenities. Increasingly, the jobs are following the workers,” rather than people following the jobs. These workers “have to be sure that educational opportunities are going to be there for them and their children. In short, smart cities grow faster. We find the same to be true on the county level.”

A New Paradigm for Growth

Traditionally, cities and metro regions are places where “productivity” occurs because of the presence of employment opportunities. But, as the authors point out, a sweeping paradigm shift is already under way.

Now, cities will also have to measure their importance and their attractiveness in terms of “consumption.” Simply put: Is the city in question a place where people, especially highly skilled workers, consumers, will want to spend their time and money? Only those cities and regions where the answer can be an unequivocal “yes” should expect significant growth.

The authors caution that measuring and interpreting these demographic and economic factors can only account for about 75% of the population growth that is likely to take place. This reasoning is based on the success of past forecasting and also on observation in the field. “Growth surprises do occur,” they write. “In the 1950s, who could have predicted that Benton County, Ark., would emerge as the center of the biggest commercial empire in world history?” Benton County, of course, is the headquarters of Wal-Mart and makes just about anybody’s list for population growth. Or, as the researchers put it, “Statistical analysis cannot predict who the next Sam Walton will be, and where he or she will be based.”

Still, even at 75% accuracy — which seems substantial enough — the uses of forecasting county and regional growth through 2020 are myriad. No economic sector is more enthralled by this information than real estate, because population growth always drives real estate development opportunities.

Winners and Losers

County by county, the top 10 most likely locations for population growth are: 1) Maricopa County (Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.); 2) Los Angeles County (Los Angeles-Long Beach, Cal.); 3) Clark County (Las Vegas, Nev., including parts of Arizona); 4) Harris County (Houston, Tex.); 5) Orange County (Orange County, Cal.); 6) Miami-Dade (Miami, Fla.); 7) Riverside County (Riverside-San Bernardino, Cal.); 8)Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.); 9) Dallas County (Dallas, Tex.); 10) San Diego County (San Diego, Cal.).

The top 10 losers, county by county, are predicted to be: 1) Baltimore County (Baltimore, Md.); 2)Oswego County (Syracuse, N.Y.); 3) Herkimer County (Utica-Rome, N.Y.); 4) Cayuga County (Syracuse, N. Y.); 5) Chautauqua County (Jamestown, N.Y.); 6) Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.); 7) Cambria County (Johnstown, Pa); St. Charles County (New Orleans, La.); 9) Terrebonne County (Houma, La.); 10) St. Bernard County (New Orleans, La.).

The authors point out that while the major metro areas of the Northeast will experience considerable growth in terms of numbers, it is likely to be pretty slow and new residents as a percentage of populationwill lag. Only a relatively small number of major metro areas are predicted to lose overall population. They include New Orleans, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Youngstown-Warren.

Some other cities will experience mild growth in their suburbs, but will generally not keep up with prevailing U.S. population growth patterns. These cities include: Cleveland, Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee, New Haven and Saint Louis.

Rapid growth will be concentrated in warm, sunny locations like California, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida and the greater Seattle metro area. Other places where new arrivals will add to the overall population in a significant way are Salt Lake City, the Denver North-South corridor, the state of Texas, the Atlanta-Charlotte-Raleigh corridor, and the Chicago-Madison region.

What the authors term “substantial population inflows” can be projected for Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, New York, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando and Denver.

By 2020, the total U.S. population is expected to reach 336 million people. That factors in an anticipated increase of 53.7 million new Americans between 2000 and 2020. (The U.S. population is projected to reach 300 million this fall, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau earlier this week.)

While most statistics point to continued long-term urban population growth, the specific urban areas that will benefit from that growth could have a major impact on the society and culture of America by mid-century. Between now and 2050, immigrants and their offspring will account for approximately half of the total growth in the U.S. population. Americans of European and African origin will find themselves part of a country increasingly populated by Mexican-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Korean-Americans, Indian-Americans and Filipino-Americans, as well as many other diverse immigrant groups.

Another key finding in their forecasts is that “immigrants tend to concentrate wherever previous immigrants have settled.” These “immigrant enclaves” are attractive to newcomers because of “kinship ties, shared language, the existence of common amenities and public goods.” In their data mining, the authors measured each county’s share of foreign-born population as far back as 1980.

They also discovered that very young and very old populations tend to grow more slowly. Areas where there are large populations between the ages of 25 and 65 seem to grow the fastest and appear to hold the most attraction for newcomers. Because these also happen to be the peak earning years, it is reasonable to surmise that the economies in those areas will also be robust enough to lure new inhabitants.

Red vs. Blue

Over time, Republican-dominated counties have tended to grow faster. Does this add new substance to the “red” state versus “blue” state debate? Not according to Saiz: “Population growth is not necessarily associated with politics,” he suggests.

“Other variables have to be taken into consideration.” Many of the metropolitan areas in “red” states have geographic attributes that are associated with growth. “There is no causality between growth and political orientation,” Saiz adds. “You have to keep in mind that the growing states are attracting very diverse populations. Over time there will be a definite process of change and conversion. What’s thought of as a ‘red’ state now may look just like the rest of the country in 30 years.”

Among the researchers’ other key observations is that counties adjacent to the coastlines of the Atlantic, Pacific and Great Lakes grow more slowly than inland counties. In contrast, mountain areas are generally popular. Also, the age and character of the housing stock in an area has an impact. “All things being equal,” the authors write, “areas with older housing stocks experienced slower decline than expected.” The reason for this might be associated with the fact that the very old housing stock that has survived was generally built for high-income families and is of good quality. That counts as a very desirable amenity in the competition among cities.

Reflecting the essentially uncertain nature of forecasting, the authors note that “many unexpected places will be winners or losers in the game of future local real estate development.”

Passing the Walk Around Test...

Kent’s Haymaker...

In the category of be careful what you ask for you just might get it, Kent asked for help in the 1970’s from ODOT with the train traffic downtown and they got the Haymaker Parkway which did indeed help cars get over the upper tracks but it also lived up to its name dealing a haymaker blow for downtown Kent.  And just to rub salt in the wound I’m told that shortly after the new Haymaker crossing was built, the train traffic on the upper tracks dropped back signficantly.  It figures.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-Haymaker Parkway, actually it’s a great facility and it carries a lot of traffic quickly across town but it’s a bit unusual having a limited access highway cut right between the downtown on one side and Kent State on the other leaving both a short distance but long way apart — which isn’t good for either.

I’m actually a fan of highway bypasses, they’re a great way to avoid getting caught up in downtown traffic jams but they usually go around the outside of the city rather than up its middle splitting it in two.  Again, the city was asking for help so I understand how the Haymaker facility came into existence but it remains a very real physical barrier to cross today separating the student body with the downtown.

The worst part is the students need the stores, restaurants and entertainment options and the stores, restaurants and entertainment options need the students – they both need each other — they just can’t seem to really get connected they way they should be in a small town like ours.

I think that’s what’s so frustrating; the Haymaker Parkway feels out of place — it feels like a big city solution to a small town problem — and as a result it’s taken a toll on our small town sensibility and character.  Here we all are in comparatively small town, which favors walking and biking, but we have a thoroughfare that cuts our heart right out.  Ok, perhaps that a bit dramatic but I’d bet you know what I mean, the Parkway just doesn’t fit with everything else we have on both sides of it.

There’s been a lot of great ideas to tunnel under or cross over the parkway to allow students to easily walk from campus to downtown.  I’ve also heard talk of dropping the roadway down below grade so that there can be a pedestrian crossing at grade (which is my favorite idea).  We can talk a lot about options but to be honest all of these options are very pricey which is why none of them have been done yet.

Forever the optimist I’m hopeful that whatever we end up doing with the downtown redevelopment we can begin to bridge the Haymaker Gap either structurally or perceptually by adding enough destinations downtown to help people forget about the traffic separation.

All this rambling started because Gene Roberts was responding to a request for information from a resident who wondered about the history of the Parkway and it got me thinking.  In classic Gene form, I thought he offered great insight with his comment that by building the Haymaker Parkway we solved our East – West disconnect (caused by the railroads) only to create a new North – South disconnect.

Here’s Gene’s comments:

Jon,

Mr. Ruller asked that I respond to your email regarding the SR59 (Haymaker Parkway) questions. The improvement plans are dated 1973 and the construction of the project was not by the City of Kent but by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The project was developed to relieve the traffic congestion of SR59.

Prior to the project SR59 ran through downtown Kent on East and West Main Street. Having grown up in Kent I’m sure that you are aware of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad tracks (a.k.a. “upper tracks”) which run north and south through downtown. During the sixties the rail traffic was heavy and interrupted the flow of vehicle traffic along the SR59 / Main Street corridor effectively cutting the City in two. The problem for Kent was not only vehicular traffic congestion but emergency response by both Fire and Police. At the time Kent’s Police Department and main Fire Station were both located on the east side of the tracks. Although Kent had a second fire station (where it is currently located today at the corner of Rockwell and Mantua) the station could respond to a fire or other type of emergency call the primary response came from the main station on Depeyster. What happened, on an all too frequent of a basis, was the Fire Department response to a west side emergency was blocked by train traffic. This problem also hampered the Kent Police when they needed a large contingent of officer response to the west side of Kent they were blocked by the rail. What had happened over time was what had developed Kent as an important railroad town was now creating traffic congestion and emergency response problem for the City.

I was not employed by the City of Kent during the discussions of this problem but I do remember from reading the newspapers and my personal experience of the traffic congestion daily as I drove between Cuyahoga Falls and Ravenna, it created a lot of debate as to how the City would resolve this problem. As a good starting point I would refer you to the Record Courier and possible KSU archives to review the newspaper articles during this time period (1971 and 1972). Regarding the cost of the project I need to refer to ODOT as the project was built by the state. In my 15 years with the City I have not uncovered any documents in the City which discussed the cost of the project and to be honest given the thirty plus years since construction I’m not sure how much information would be available at ODOT but it may be worth a try. Although the City does not have any records regarding the cost for land acquisition what we do have is a copy of the original plans for the project from which the number and locations of the properties taken for the project can be investigated.

As you complete your background for your paper please contact me as possibly I can point you in the right direction to find additional information and I’ll provide you with a place to work at the Service Department to review what information is available in the City’s Engineering Division. What I would ask in return is a copy of your completed work. You would be providing a great service to the City if you can gather all the information that might currently be available and a copy of the found documents for archive with the City’s Engineering Division will be a great value.

The reason that this issue is of major importance is as much as the City needed Haymaker Parkway as it corrected the problem of cutting the City in two, east and west, it in no small way cut the City in two, north and south. As the City continues to redevelop itself we will need to revisit the Haymaker Parkway corridor in an attempt to open it up for better access and crossings for both vehicles and pedestrians, to bring the City together.

The Business Side of Main Street Kent...

Next Steps For Downtown Redevelopment RFQ...

In response to the Downtown Redevelopment RFQ, the City received submissions from three development companies.  The companies include Fairmount Properties (out of Cleveland), Cambridge Venture Partners (out of Pittsburgh) with Portage Venture LLC (out of Kent) and Testa Properties (out of Akron).  Each of these firms are established and successful developers who have specialties and expertise that they bring to the Kent project — which is great.  The question now is — which firm provides the best fit and which firm would make the best partner?  To help answer that question we’re putting together a Stakeholder Review Team who will interview the firms, evaluate the RFQ submissions and make a recommendation to City Council on how to keep the downtown redevelopment project rolling forward.

At the last City Council Committee meeting we talked about the process options for the review/evaluation of the 3 RFQ redevelopment submissions. From that discussion, it appeared that Council preferred to have me work with a small stakeholder group to review the submissions and make a recommendation for Council to consider in selecting our development partner.

If one firm stands out above the others for experience and capabilities then that recommendation would likely be to begin working with that partner to design the project and develop the financials that we will need to negotiate in a development agreement.

If two or all three firms are too close in experience and capabilities to make a recommendation solely based on those critieria, I would think the stakeholder team would recommend asking the firms to start working on design and cost elements so that a leading partner could be identified through that process.

In an email this week, I offered Council the following recommendation for the composition of the reveiw team.

Possible Stakeholder Review Team:
(1) Representative from Main Street Kent
(1) Representative from the Downtown Kent Corporation
(1) Representative from the Chamber of Commerce
(1) Representative from the Environmental Council
(1) Representative from Kent State University
(1) City Council Representative
(2) City Staff (City Manager, Development Director)

Council members have been offering their thoughts and suggestions to this list but overall it appears that Council thinks this is a good start.  My next step will be contacting the respective organizations and finding a representative to serve on the team.  I’m hoping to have that done by January 31st so that we can start convening the Stakeholder Team in February.

Once we bring the Team together I suspect one of the first things we’ll do will be to invite the prospective development partners in to meet with us and review their RFQ submissions with us.  Experience and credentials are critical but so is chemistry so I think it would be good to have the Team members get a chance to meet with the development partners in person which I hope we can get done in the first couple of weeks in February.

Looking down the road, here’s my working draft of a timeline for the redevelopment project that I thought might be worth sharing.

Redevelopment Timeline

Main Street Kent Events...

I wasn’t sure if people knew that Mary Gilbert, Executive Director of Main Street Kent, provides a weekly update on Main Street Kent events and activities that anyone can sign up to receive.  I get it each Friday and it’s a great way to stay current with happenings in downtown Kent.  Even this time of year Main Street has got a lot going on.

Here’s the latest email news from Mary:

Hello everyone,

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and a wish you all well in
2008. This promises to be an exciting year for downtown Kent! Here are a
few updates for you:

1. Don’t miss the 5th Annual Standing Rock Independent Short Film Festival
on Friday, January 25, 2008 at the Kent Stage. Scroll down for more info or visit www.standingrock.net.

2. Bill Evans SoulGrass is playing at the Kent Stage on Saturday, January
26, 2008. Scroll down for more info or visit www.kentstage.org.

3. The Promotions Committee will meet Monday, January 21, 2008 at 12:00
noon at the Kent Stage. Hope to see you there.

4. Mark your calendar – Standing Rock Cultural Arts and Downtown Innovate
Community Events (D.I.C.E.) is sponsoring the Annual “Make Mine with Ice”
Ice Carving Event at Home Savings Plaza on February 9, 2008 1:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m.

5. Mark your calendar – Kent State University is hosting Dr. Spenser
Havlick, a national expert on transportation planning to speak about
sustainable transportation. A public meeting will be held on February 7th
at 6:30 p.m. in the 3rd floor Collaborative Classroom of the new Franklin
Hall. All are welcome.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mary Gilbert
Executive Director
Main Street Kent
330-677-8000

To sign up for Mary’s weekly news you can email her at mary@mainstreetkent.org And while you’re at it, join Main Street!

Friday, January 25 — 8:00 PM

There are three parts to the festival:

1) Independent short films from around the world. This portion includes documentaries, animation, short comedy, collages, music videos, and short drama. It features work by filmmakers from as close as Northeast Ohio and from as far away as Australia, England, Ireland, and Canada.

Among the submissions are works by award winning filmmakers such as Grace Channer (who spent 15 years on a series of animated paintings for her film “But Some Are Brave”), Jeremy Mayhew (who created a unique music video by animating antique engravings), and Aube Giroux (whose socially conscious documentary takes on the world of genetically modified food).

2) Featured filmmaker Dustin Grella. Last year’s “Best of Fest” and “People’s Choice” award winner Dustin Grella returns as our featured filmmaker. He will be previewing his latest work as well as discussing the techniques behind his incredible chalkboard animation titled “Glimpse.”

3) Two silent films by Mike Hovancsek, with live musical accompaniment by Root Doctor’s Revenge.

INFO: 330-673-4970 or write to info@standingrock.net

Tickets: $10.00

Students and Seniors: $7.00

Tickets available at the Kent Stage, Woodsy’s Music,

The North Water Street Gallery, and SpinMore Records.

Or at the door.

Kent Stage Upcoming Events

BILL EVANS SOULGRASS

Special Edition with Sam Bush, Richard Bona, Joel Rosenblatt, Christian Howes, and Ryan Cavanaugh Saturday, January 26

8:00 PM

Bill Evans, saxophone — website

Sam Bush (New Grass Revival & Sam Bush Band), mandolin — website

Joel Rosenblatt, drums — website

Richard Bona (Larry Coryell, Brandford Marsalis), bass — website

Christian Howes (Randy Brecker, James Carter, Jack DeJohnette), fiddle — website

Ryan Cavanaugh (Merlefest & RockyGrass champion), banjo — website

Bill Evans Soulgrass Special Edition is a summit of all-stars, combining the top jazz and bluegrass musicians in the world. Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi- Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk.

Advance discount tickets: $20.00

Day of Show: $25.00

SOULGRASS Info

Bill Evans Biography

Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi- Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles.

Bill Evans started playing piano before switching to tenor sax in high school. After one year of studying music at North Texas State University he transferred to William Patterson College in New Jersey in 1978 and also began private studies with sax great and former Miles Davis sideman, Dave Liebman. Through Liebman’s recommendation, he was tapped by Miles in 1980 , at the age of 22, to play a key role in Miles celebrated comeback band. Bill became Miles right-hand man and soloist foil in concert and on a series of recordings — 1981s The Man With The Horn, 1982s We Want Miles, 1983s Star People and 1984s Decoy. After leaving Davis band in 1984, Evans joined John McLaughlin in a reconstituted edition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, appearing on 1985s Mahavishnu and 1987s Adventures in Radioland. He also toured and recorded through the 80s with the band Elements (with keyboardist Cliff Carter, bassist Mark Egan and drummer Danny Gottlieb) and through the 90s with Petite

Blonde (an all-star fusion band he formed which was comprised of bassist Victor Bailey, drummer Dennis Chambers, guitarist Chuck Loeb and Evans on tenor and soprano saxes) and also with former Police guitarist Andy Summers. More recently, Evans has toured Europe and the States with the Soulbop band, which he co-leads with trumpeter Randy Brecker.

Bills solo debut came in 1984 with Living in the Crest of a Wave and he followed up in 1985 with Alternative Man. In the early 90s, he was one of the first to blend hip-hop and jazz in a musical way on a triumvirate of recordings — 1993s Push, 1994s Live in Europe and 1995s Escape. He followed those groundbreaking recordings with 1997s Starfish and The Moon, 1999s Touch and 2001s Grammy nominated Soul Insider, which featured a guest appearance by soul-jazz legend Les McCann. Bill followed that success with 2003s groove-oriented Big Fun, which featured a cameo spot by country star Willie Nelson. In 2005, BHM Records released the exhilarating Soul Bop Band Live, which captured the all-star group fronted by Evans and Randy Brecker and featuring drummer Steve Smith, guitarist Hiram Bullock, bassist Victor Bailey and pianist Dave Kikoski in full stride during a whirlwind summer tour last year. His daring collaboration with Bela Fleck and Nashville session aces Sam Bush,

Stuart Duncan and Jerry Douglas on Soulgrass is Bill’s latest exploration in an ever-evolving career.

The ground-breaking Soulgrass recording was nominated for a Grammy in 2005. Because of his respect and adulation among fellow artists in the music world, Bill was able to call upon the stellar musicians who appeared on the recording. Joining the great saxophonist on this pioneering effort, which was recorded entirely in Nashville, was banjo legend Bela Fleck. Bela was so taken with the project that he not only played on but also co-produced 6 of the 10 tracks. Also joining Bill were progressive bluegrass greats Sam Bush on mandolin, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Jerry Douglas on dobro and Pat Bergeson on acoustic guitar and harmonica. Other special guests includes Bela Fleck Flecktones band mate Victor Wooten on electric bass, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Mark Egan on electric bass, Bruce Hornsby, Clifford Carter and Dave Kikoski on keyboards, David Charles on percussion and John Scofield on guitar.

Evans says that the idea of exploring an adventurous and unlikely hybrid of bluegrass and jazz was actually something he had in mind for years. Ive been an Americana fan ever since my Miles days. I liked the sound of mandolin, banjo, dobro and fiddle and I thought that music had a very cool rhythmic approach, even though I never really knew the names of the players or the tunes. But I just connected with that music in some way. So it had been in the back of my mind for years to do a project like this. I had been listening to some Americana and bluegrass stuff. I had some Bill Monroe Cd’s at home and also listened to recordings by Bruce Hornsby, the Flecktones and that project that Bela did with Mark OConnor and Edgar Meyer, Appalachian Waltz. So I was doing a lot of listening, just immersing myself in all of this Americana music to inspire me in that mode. And once I got in there, I just started cranking out the tunes, keeping these instruments in mind. Then when we all

got together in the studio to record, I was pleased to see that it all fit like a glove.

Bill Evans has assembled another powerhouse touring band, featuring some of the most in-demand musicians on the scene. Bill Evans Soulgrass includes Joel Rosenblatt, who toured with Spyro Gyra for 11 years, multi–genre improviser on fiddle, Christian Howes, and young banjo phenom Ryan Cavanaugh. Bill Evans now brings Soulgrass to the US audiences who have been writing him for years to tour the states. Bill says, Its amazing to see the ecstatic response from people every night who have never heard banjo, fiddle and saxophone together in this context. Bill Evans Soulgrass has been described by the newspaper El Mundo from Madrid Spain as the most energizing and fresh sounding blend of Americana and Funk, but Bills innovative music and high-energy live shows speak for themselves.

More currently, Bill finished his new and latest CD titled ” The other side of something ” featuring, once again, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, Sam Bush, Pat Bergeson, plus the addition of musicians like Dennis Chambers, Richard Bona, and his current working band of Chris Howes, Joel Rosenblatt and Ryan Cavanaugh, etc.

The CD was released in Europe Nov 26 and is planned on a USA release for spring 2008.

RICHARD THOMPSON

1000 Years of Popular Music

Monday, February 4 — 7:00 PM

Richard Thompson might be the quintessential cult artist. Mention his name, and people either scratch their heads, wondering why the name is familiar, or turn out to be fans who try to convert you.

Fans will tell you about his phenomenal guitar playing. They’ll rave about his expertly crafted songs, delivered with the throaty voice of a modern troubadour.

Born in West London in 1949. His family was very musically diverse, and he grew up listening to everything from jazz to early rock and roll. Artists like Buddy Holly and Les Paul intermingled in his record collection with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.

As a teenager, Richard became the guitarist in several bands throughout the 1960s, including now legendary folk rockers Fairport Convention (his “breakthrough band”). He remained with the band for three more years, eventually touring America with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Traffic in 1970.

In 1971, Richard released his first solo album, which was followed by his marriage to folksinger Linda Peters, with whom he made several albums as a duo in 1974-78. Richard and Linda’s children Teddy Thompson and Kamila Thompson are both involved in music.

Regular Fairport reunions have since peppered a career dominated by blistering solo albums acoustic, electric and live. After nearly forty years and fifty albums Richard is still writing and performing his poetically crafted songs in his distinctive style. He’s collaborated with folks like Peter Filleul and Tim Finn of Crowded House, and has been covered by artists from REM to Bonnie Raitt, to Del McCoury.

Rolling Stone magazine listed Thompson as #19 on its list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

In 2006 Richard Thompson was presented with a Lifetime Achievement prize at the BBC Folk Awards and the Fairport Convention album which most bears his mark, Liege & Leif, was voted the Most Influential Folk Album of All Time.

Official Richard Thompson Website

The witty and Welsh Judith Owen is summed up by the New York Press “as a brutally sardonic, keenly observational, jazzier, chanteused-out version of Tori Amos without the suicidal tendencies.”

Owen’s live performances brim with humor and theatrics, distinguishing her from other female singer/songwriters. Her new CD “Lost and Found” is filled with literate storytelling, and Owen’s arresting voice guides her exceedingly personal tunes rendering them indelible. The CD features award-winning artists Cassandra Wilson, Keb’ Mo’, Tom Scott and Richard Thompson.

Official Judith Owen Website

Percussionist Debra Dobkin is a native Chicagoan who has recorded and appeared in concert with Bonnie Raitt, Was (not Was), Jackson Browne, among many others.

She has performed 1000 Years of Popular Music in London and Chicago playing trap drums, djembe, darbouka, Celtic drum, and the occasional piece of luggage.

Official Debra Dobkin Website

Advance discount tickets: $30.00

Day of Show: $35.00

THE BLIND BOYS

OF ALABAMA

Wednesday, February 13 — 7:30 PM

The Blind Boys of Alabama have spread the spirit and energy of pure soul gospel music for over 60 years, ever since the first version of the group formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. Today, founding members Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter are joined by more recent arrivals Bishop Billy Bowers, Joey Williams, Ricky McKinnie, Bobby Butler, and Tracy Pierce on a mission to expand the audience for traditional soul-gospel singing while incorporating contemporary songs and innovative arrangements into their hallowed style.

After performing together for over six decades, The Blind Boys of Alabama have enjoyed one of the more striking comebacks in recent memory. Their last several albums have earned these hipster septuagenarians the best reviews and record sales of their career, four Grammy Awards in a four year span, and a completely new, contemporary audience.

Official Blind Boys of Alabama Website

Advance discount tickets: $30.00

Day of Show: $35.00

GREG BROWN

Saturday, February 16 — 8:00 PM

Greg Brown’s mother played electric guitar, his grandfather played banjo, and his father was a Holy Roller preacher in the Hacklebarney section of Iowa, where the Gospel and music are a way of life. Brown’s first professional singing job came at age 18 in New York City, running hootenannies (folksinger get-togethers) at the legendary Gerdes Folk City. After a year, Brown moved west to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, where he was a ghostwriter for Buck Ram, founder of the Platters. Tired of the fast-paced life, Brown traveled with a band for a few years, and even quit playing for a while before he moved back to Iowa and began writing songs and playing in midwestern clubs and coffeehouses.

Brown’s songwriting has been lauded by many, and his songs have been performed by Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Michael Johnson, Shawn Colvin, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. He has also recorded more than a dozen albums, including his 1986 release, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, when he put aside his own songwriting to set poems of William Blake to music. One Big Town, recorded in 1989, earned Brown three and a half stars in Rolling Stone, chart-topping status in AAA and The Gavin Report’s Americana rankings and Brown’s first Indie Award from NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Distributors). The Poet Game, his 1994 CD, received another Indie award from NAIRD. His critically acclaimed 1996 release, Further In, was a finalist for the same award. Rolling Stone’s four-star review of Further In called Brown “a wickedly sharp observer of the human condition.” 1997’s Slant 6 Mind (Red House Records) earned Brown his second Grammy nomination. His latest CD, One

Night (Red House), is a re-release of a 1983 live performance originally on Minneapolis’ Coffeehouse ExtemporÉ Records.

Official Greg Brown Website

Advance discount tickets: $20.00

Day of Show: $25.00

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS @ The Kent Stage

Richard Thompson’s 1000 Years of Music: Feb 4

Up From The River: Feb 8 & 9

The Blind Boys of Alabama: Feb 13

Greg Brown: Feb 16

Ekoostik Hookah: Feb 22

The Avett Brothers: Mar 1

The Boys Of The Lough: Mar 6

David Cousins of The Strawbs Mar. 15

Richie Havens Mar. 30

The Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile of Nickel Creek Apr 2

Spencer Davis Group w/t Joey Molland of Badfinger Apr 12

The Kent Stage is located at 175 East Main Street in downtown Kent, Ohio. There is FREE parking behind the theater and on all city streets. Advance tickets are available at Woodsy’s Music and Spin-More Records in Kent, or at www.kentstage.org. Tickets will also be available at the door. Doors open one hour before concert. If you have any questions please email us at information@kentstage.org or call 330-677-5005.

Projects for 2012...

Honoring Councilman Bill Schultz...

This past Sunday the family of Councilman Bill Schultz invited the community to join them to celebrate Bill’s life.  The event drew a couple hundred of Bill’s friends, family and colleagues.  Although Bill was not born in Kent, it was clear from all the speakers who spoke so fondly of him that Kent is where he belonged, where he discovered his calling and where he found his soul mate. My time with Bill was short but I am grateful for the chance he gave me to serve as Kent’s City Manager and I am thankful for the few hours I spent learning from Bill on a hot summer day drinking lemonade and talking city business.  My only regret is that I didn’t get to know Bill the person as much as I knew him as Bill the Councilman — and as good a Councilman as he was, he was a much more remarkable person.

The older I get the harder it is to sustain that optimism of youth that is worn down by the daily tide of disappointments and missed opportunities we all face in our lives.  Somehow Bill seemed to see through all the garbage of the daily grind — and God knows he must have had a lot to grind through — but he seemed to have a knack for keeping his eye on what could be.  Despite, or maybe because of his physical limits Bill seemed to have developed a sixth sense of right and wrong.  And I don’t mean the little right and wrong stuff, I mean the big right stuff, like humanity right.  He cared about people, he helped people, he did the right things for people when they needed it most.

Don’t get me wrong, Bill wasn’t some utopian cheerleader — he was more like E.F. Hutton, when he talked people listened.  They didn’t listen because he had some great physical presence or booming voice; they listened because what he said mattered.

From the stories told at his ceremony, it was clear that Bill learned early on to not take a minute of life for granted.  In his younger years he was impulsive enough to jump in a car with his friends and ride to wherever the mood took them.  He spent time with Buddhists in Tibet, and yes, the Sherpa carried him on their backs high up into the Himalayan Mountains to get him there.  He met with an Indian Shaman in the desert to reconnect with Mother Earth.  The amazing stories of escapades went on but I felt like an intruder as I never knew that side of Bill.  And that’s perhaps the saddest part.  I knew so little about this person that I saw week in and week out.

With all the distractions we have in modern life, I wonder if we’ve let ourselves wander so far that we’ve lost our way.  Listening to the stories of Bill’s life, and reflecting on my own, I was reminded of the Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken.”  It seems to me that Bill may not have originally chosen to take the path he travelled but once he found himself on it, he lived it to the fullest.  And as the poem says that has made all the difference.

Bill exemplified all that is good in Kent.  He was part hippie, part rebel, part intellectual, part blue collar and part councilman.  And in those many parts, he was all Kent.

I will miss Bill and so will Kent.

Next week (January 23) City Council will interview prospective candidates to serve out the remainder of Bill’s 2 years on Council.

Active Downtowns…figuratively and literally ...

No matter how bad I might wish for a magic formula for transforming downtowns, I’ve searched the vault, and just like good old Heraldo Rivera discovered, it was empty.  The more I learn about successful downtowns the more I believe that downtowns are more art than science.  But don’t let that fool you, art isn’t about some starving artist moment of inspiration, and neither is downtown revitalization.  Art is built on a foundation of solid principles and practices, and today’s creative expression is a result of all that came before it — the same with downtowns.  Ok, ok, enough with the arts analogies what I really intended to talk about was how cities have used recreation facilities to spur downtown revitalizations to make downtowns active both figuratively and literally.

For some time Kent has had the prospect of a new Wellness facility on the planning board.  When I first arrived here 2 years ago Parks and Rec was close to sealing a deal with Summa Health systems to build a joint facility off of 261 near the Golden Crossings living center.  That didn’t work out so we’re sort of back to the drawing board.  I say sort of because land was purchased years ago on Fairchild Avenue (where the ballfields are) with the intent of someday serving as the site for a new City Wellness Facility.

There’s certainly a lot of merit to that site but seeing how some other cities have used these types of centers to rejuvenate both people and downtowns I keep wishing we’d find a spot for it downtown.  See what you think.

Sports revive downtown, Ogden, Utah
American City and County Magazine, December 2007

For many years, Ogden, Utah’s downtown floundered as developers and consumers headed for the suburbs. That is beginning to change, however, as a result of a city project to replace an abandoned mall with a mixed-use development. The first phase, a 140,000-square-foot recreation facility named the Salomon Center, opened in June 2007 and has spurred adjacent commercial, retail and residential construction.

Several years ago, Mayor Matthew Godfrey proposed a plan to purchase the mall and revitalize downtown Ogden, but residents and developers were skeptical. The city pushed forward with the idea, however, purchasing the vacant mall for $6 million in 2001 and demolishing the property. Ogden hired an urban design and planning firm to identify new uses for the site, and invited public suggestions.

Gradually, support grew, and shortly after the city approved construction of a recreation center on the site, private developers and investors committed to build neighboring attractions, including a 13-screen movie theater, two four-story office buildings, a six-story, mixed-use project containing 28 condominium units, a mixed-use project with 108 rental units and three restaurants.

The anchor attraction is the Salomon Center, which includes indoor simulated skydiving, an indoor surfing wave, a climbing wall, a Gold’s Gym, a sports medicine clinic, a nutrition center, a dance studio, a family bowling center, glow golf, bumper cars, billiards, an arcade and two restaurants. Ogden’s redevelopment agency leases the center to a local private company to manage and operate. “The city was trying to change its image from an old railroad town to a high-adventure outdoor recreation destination, and the new Salomon Center needed to be an icon supporting that new image,” says John Patterson, chief administrative officer. “The new center was designed to include some unique high-adventure attractions that would make it a regional attraction drawing people to the city’s downtown.”

Since the Salomon Center opened, a developer has announced another mixed-use project downtown consisting of a seven-story building with 63 condominium units. Also, under negotiation is a 14-story, mixed-use project that will contain 570,000 square feet of condominium and 106,000 square feet of hotel space. The development will complete the city’s plan to redevelop about 20 acres of Ogden’s central business district, Patterson says.

The cost of the center, excluding land, was $20 million, financed through tax increment bonds ($7.28 million), lease revenue bonds ($8.9 million), and $3.82 million from the general fund. The combined cost of the downtown redevelopment when it is completed in 2010 is estimated at $188 million. “The expanded interest created by the Salomon Center and the downtown redevelopment success will help attract the resources necessary to improve the tax base of the city and the lifestyle of its residents,” Patterson says.

Agencies/companies involved: Ogden, Ogden City Redevelopment Agency, Health and Fitness Holdings

I’ve grabbed a few pictures and text from the NY website but you really need to see it for yourself to believe — this place has everything. Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex

Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex is a 30-acre waterfront sports village located between 17th and 23rd Streets along Manhattan’s Hudson River. This $120 million, privately-financed project has transformed four historic, but long-neglected, piers into a major center for public recreation and waterfront access. Situated on Piers 59, 60, 61 and 62 and in the headhouse that connects them, the Complex features the following sports and entertainment venues:

• Golf Club at Chelsea Piers
• Sports Center Health Club at Chelsea Piers
• Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers
• Field House at Chelsea Piers
• PIER SIXTY at Chelsea Piers (Events Center)
• Chelsea Piers Bowling
• Chelsea Piers BlueStreak

The scope and quality of the facilities available at Chelsea Piers is unparalleled in New York City. Many of these facilities cannot be found elsewhere in Manhattan, and all are unmatched in quality.

Chelsea Piers is committed to being the best amateur sports and entertainment complex in the country, with state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge programming, first-rate instruction and a courteous, professional staff.

We are committed to making all guests feel welcome at Chelsea Piers and to providing an environment which is always CLEAN, SAFE, FRIENDLY and FUN.

Chelsea Piers aims to improve the quality of life in New York by providing a place for all–adults, children, New Yorkers, visitors–to relax, play, learn and compete.