Oh Yeah. How You Gonna Square This Mess?

From the Community Free Press website:

In an e-mail yesterday, when asked if the media would be allowed to attend the meeting, Department of Public Information Special Projects Coordinator Mike Brothers wrote, "The meeting about the Square is a staff meeting and is not an open meeting."

Read all about it and also on Jackehammer's blog.

Here is the SN-L story. Money quotes:

The meeting was not open to the public because no elected city officials would be attending it, according to city spokeswoman Louise Whall.

The city also had no plans to record the meeting or keep a written record of what was discussed, Whall said.

The square was built by Lawrence Halprin & Associates. Lawrence Halprin is a renowned landscape architect noted for his sunken plaza designs and water features.

The city believes the square wasn’t designed by Halprin himself, but one of his employees, bringing into question whether the square is eligible for historic listing.

Who is driving this city bus? Elected officials or staff? Dang! I forgot the article, insert it yourself, afterall it seems that we citizens should be getting used to having stuff inserted by staff.

Was there anyone at this meeting who is actually able to be held accountable?

What?

We don't know?

Oh yeah, because there wasn't any record of the meeting kept so we will never know what was said and who said it.

Why wasn't there a record kept of the meeting? Surely SOMEBODY present took notes. Isn't that what committees do? Waste hours and save minutes?

Jeez, where's that turnip truck picture? I don't see anybody falling off of it, do you? Call me Ishmael, but I kinda thought that if The future of Park Central Square’s latest renovation hinged on a meeting today where city, state, federal and historic preservation representatives met, that somebody shoulda kept minutes, especially since us regular folks were told, basically, that we weren't welcome at the meeting.

Inquiring minds want to know how many other meetings have taken place where no record was kept?

Sort of begs questions like is this how Mediacom knew it was ok to have a sign painter paint the new signs. Did Someone on staff meet with them and give them the ok? (Staff recommends approval?)

From the SN-L: "Larry Peterson, Mediacom regional vice president in Springfield, said the new signs are almost finished and will be unveiled Tuesday morning at both facilities."

Uh, Larry, it might look a little bit better, from a PR standpoint,if you let City Council pass the ordinance ok'ing the naming rights first before you started talking about the signs. It sort of makes it look like City Council just does what staff tells them to do.

What?

Oh Yeah. It's not an ordinance, it's a resolution?

Uh, Larry, it might look a little better from a public relations standpoint if you let City Council have their little show next Monday night and pass their resolution before you started bragging about your signs.

But maybe Dad doesn't have enough money to redo the signs.

Ok, hide the damn things, quit talking about them and how tasteful they are.

Don't you get it? City Council hasn't approved the resolution yet! Isn't your excitement a little premature? Bus Note: this is sorta connected to the square business, as is the quarry sinking, but is the Springfield Wagon Company factory site where Harry Cooper Supply is located today?