Like Hal Heiner did earlier, Greg Fischer has also released a plan for Louisville.
Four ideas in the plan, which he touted in a press release, are:
- Business in a Box, an idea to literally package the basic elements of business formation in a kit and make it readily available for pick-up at government centers. This business-in-a-box will contain information on all the public and private resources available to start-ups. It will also include templates for basic formation legal documents, leases, consulting, loans, and investment, and a listing of local firms who will agree to finalize these documents at discounted prices. The box will include information on city loan programs, as well as possible office space in open city-owned properties. Business-in-a-Box is not just an open-door policy, it is a focused and proactive outreach program meant to make Louisville the easiest city in the country to get started in business.
- Every 1 Knows, a program to get parents more involved in education by encouraging employers, churches and community organizations to conduct parent educational sessions at the work place. This Parent Training Program would be supplemented by an online site providing information such as where to find after-school programs, how to mentor, available internships or community service opportunities, college access programs, and school performance data. Every 1 Knows kiosks at the work place would increase website access and create public awareness. By giving parents the tools in easily accessible places to get information about their children and their children’s performances in school, Every 1 Knows would help parents stay engaged in students’ success in graduating high school and transitioning to college or a career.
- The Red Line is an idea for a rapid transit pilot project from the airport to downtown using branded, rubber-tired vehicles instead of the more expensive light rail. Transit stations would feature retail and concessions, real-time arrival information, and advanced fare collection. Vehicles would be equipped with WiFi and employers would be encouraged to allow workers to punch-in early for work by logging in during their commutes. The Red Line would be built out to expand into other corridors – the Blue Line, Purple Line, etc. – and developed as a comprehensive regional transit system for Jefferson and surrounding counties. The Red Line would mark the start of a new era in public transportation in Louisville.
- Islands in the Ohio, an idea to create a new Metro Park by assembling already owned public land: Shippingport Island, Sand Island, Lewis and Clark Island, Six Mile Island, and Twelve Mile Island. The idea also envisions working with private companies and developers to make Towhead Island part of the park. A water taxi and paddle sport livery would be developed to bring people to the islands for hikes, picnics and exploration. An Ohio River Interpretation Center would be developed; and new waterway and bike path links would be developed connecting Islands in the Ohio to existing riverfront parks, museums, the new McAlpine Locks and Dam visitor area and overlook, and the Portland-Shippingport Bridge. Islands in the Ohio would mark an unprecedented return to our Ohio River heritage, Fischer said.
He hasn’t yet put the plan on his website, so click here (Warning: PDF Link) to download it from us.
The 30-page document contains a lot of information and some pretty good ideas. But it’s light on the specifics of enacting those ideas with real numbers and real plans.
14 responses so far ↓
1 what? // Oct 7, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Very impressive.
2 Jeff Gillenwater // Oct 7, 2010 at 1:08 pm
When confronted with facts that dispel his own self-created myths, the Fischer camp just lies again. There’s nothing impressive about that.
It really doesn’t matter what’s in his plans when what’s in his head is deceit.
3 chip // Oct 7, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Can he get his “friends” to finish their projects along Main Street, River Road and the Museum Plaza, so that the views from his water taxi or street-way will be pleasant ?
4 tbrauch // Oct 7, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Sweet baby Jebus, can’t we please get people in Kentucky rto recognize that “Every1″ is not the same as “everyone.”
Or are we just teaching txt in classrooms now? Maybe I’m old fashioned and out of date.
5 tbrauch // Oct 7, 2010 at 2:51 pm
And, a typo (rto instead of to), but I blame that on a certain someone who was sending me messages on facebook as I tried to type that message.
6 Billy Taylor // Oct 7, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Interesting document, I missed the section where he says how he will pay for all of this, and parent training kiosks at the work place?
How is this guy ahead in the polls?
7 Education Voodoo // Oct 7, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Oh. My. God. I am so sick of hearing about Every 1 Reads – a literacy program that uses a misspelled word. Come on, can we just call it Everyone Reads?
Now Every 1 Knows? Fischer deserves to be hammered for this alone.
8 gigi // Oct 7, 2010 at 6:40 pm
I have to confess I am not real fond of G.Fischer, but “Islands in the Ohio” made me do a double take. I run the 2nd Street Bridge and Waterfront Park almost daily and spend a great deal of those runs daydreaming about turning those islands into parks. This should happen, regardless of who gets into office. As for The Red Line, meh. Light rail is better in the long run. I wonder how many bridge opponents could be won over with the addition of a light rail element?
9 JeffNClifton // Oct 7, 2010 at 6:52 pm
I’d support the Red Line initiative but wasn’t Islands in the Ohio Jerry’s idea for Towhead?
10 James R. // Oct 7, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Seems like a great idea to me. How to finance it is another question, but everything starts with an idea and this is a new idea, or at least the first time I have heard it.
We all know what the Great Lawn has done for downtown. Parks bring business. Give Portland some love too!
11 Janie Miller // Oct 7, 2010 at 8:04 pm
I love the Islands and Red Line ideas. The others don’t catch my imagination as much.
12 Stadtguy // Oct 7, 2010 at 8:36 pm
I’ll give credit where credit is due. The Fischer plan looks good and feels great. It hits all the progressive hot buttons—bus rapid transit, green everything, love for the creative class, bike lanes—it’s an urban planner’s dream. The problem, as Jake pointed out, is that it’s light on specifics and heavy on the “let’s get a blue ribbon task force together to study the issue.” Translation: Let’s get all my pals who have been blue-ribbon panel members for the last 25 years to develop another plan that will sit on an esteemed shelf within the hallows of the Chamber of Commerce. I want to know how Fischer plans to prioritize and fund his ideas.
Heiner’s playbook is more limited in scope. I think that’s a good thing. Given current and predicted economic conditions, I think each plan needs to be taken with a lump of salt. In reality, neither candidate is going to radically change the economy of this city in the short run. The first order of business is regime change which might (and that’s the key word “might”) alter the composition of the aforementioned blue-ribbon task forces that have engaged in a campaign of benign neglect for decades.
13 Steve Magruder // Oct 8, 2010 at 5:57 am
Interesting periphery ideas. But shouldn’t we get out of the boutique and deal with the city’s core issues before anything else?
14 blowin' in the wind // Oct 8, 2010 at 9:18 am
“Ribbons and bows, ribbons and bows, Greg’s all mine in ribbons and bows,” but I really prefer simplicity–and where IS the beef?
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