Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Tips for Roamie

The undocumented tips of working with a robot in the house.

When we bought this house, I asked the distaff how often she wanted to vacuum the 6500 square foot area. When her eyes started spinning I knew we’d get a Roomba robotic sweeper.

So we got it. It has been a wife-saver; as she does the majority of the cleaning in this house. [Note: I do the majority of the cooking.]

Well, of late, Roamie, as we refer to it, has been acting up. Shying, like a horse before a jump it doesn’t want to take. Going in a partial circle, trying to go forward again and, once more, shying back. As if he were suddenly surrounded with sheer drops that would dash him to pieces.

More...

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Old Buildings Never Die…

...they just get wrecked to pieces.

Today’s Chieftain carried an article about a school in Las Animas that was demolished this past week.

This is a prime example of why Pueblo has an Historic Preservation Ordinance and why it needs to be enforced. This school, Columbian Elementary, was on both the State and National Registers for historic landmarks. It was demolished by the owner, the local school district, because the land “may need to be used in the future for expansion.” Being listed on the State and National Registers does not prevent demolition. Pueblo’s ordinance, however, WOULD prevent demoliton in a case like this, if all the officials are paying attention and doing what they’re supposed to do.

What is surprising is that this school building has almost assuredly belonged to the school district ever since it was built, which means it was owned by the school district when it was added to the Historic Registers and the school district had a part in applying for the listings. What made the district change its mind? What was once a source of pride, something that was a major landmark in the community, suddenly lost its value for unknown reasons and was torn down.

What is also a little surprising is that the school district presumably teaches history and civics. If they’re teaching students to value what has gone on before, to learn from it, to develop from it, they just destroyed a major piece of realia for that process. And if the accusations mentioned in the article are true, the demolition also gave students a sad civics lesson.

My final comment is that studies have shown that students aren’t just learning as well as they used to. Are new school buildings part of the problem? I went to school in an important looking building (Carlile Elementary) and learning seemed important. Are the new, shapeless, pod buildings part of the learning problem?

Monday, May 30, 2005

Own an Older Home? Free Masonry Workshop

No, there’s no secret handshake, just information on what to do about your crumbling mortar.

If you own an older building in Pueblo, you might be interested in the FREE workshop on Historic Masonry and Stone Repair to be held on Saturday, June 11, 2005, from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm at NeighborWorks of Pueblo, 1241 E. Routt Ave. This wil be a hands-on Restore and Rehab clinic for area contractors, city officials, owners of landmark properties, and residents hoping to gain a better understanding of historic improvements. After lectures and lunch on your own, a hands-on product testing demonstration will be held.

The workshop will be led by Chris Koziol, Susan Quinnell (both of CSU—Ft. Collins’ Architectural Preservation Institute),  Dave Woodham (Atkinson-Nolan & Associates) and David Cockrell (Staff Planner, Historic Preservation Commission).

For more information, or to register, call Sandra Daff at Neighborhood Housing Services, 544-8078.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Masonry & Stone Repair for Historic Buildings

A message from Dave Cockrell of interest to anyone who owns or lives in a building more than 50 years old.

Dear Friends of Pueblo’s Old Houses & Buildings—

    Neighborworks of Pueblo and the Pueblo Historic Preservation Commission are teaming up to sponsor a series of technical assistance workshops for those who care about old houses and commercial buildings!  The workshops will be for owners, contractors, city officials, and anyone who cares about protecting our architectural heritage and the quality of our older neighborhoods.

    The first workshop is on Historic Masonry & Stone Repair, with a focus on foundations.  It will be presented by Chris Koziol and his colleagues at the CSU—Ft. Collins Architectural Preservation Institute. 

The workshop will be Saturday, June 11, 2005, 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM at Neighborhood Housing Services (Neighborworks), at the corner of Northern and Routt in Pueblo.  Questions and registration should be directed to Sandy Daff at Neighborworks of Pueblo, 544-8078.

    Please feel free to spread the word to anyone you think might be interested!  Hope to see you there.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

More Evidence of Dysfunctional Business Efforts

If you want to attract business to downtown, don’t put government offices in prime real estate locations.

I understand that the City and County Public Health Department is looking for new, or rather different, office space. I can appreciate that need. However, since we’re on the topic of apparent dysfunctional efforts to attract business to Pueblo, let’s talk about this activity.

It seems that there are five locations on the short-list for Public Health’s new digs. One of which is the old Holmes Hardware building. A very nice old building with lots of history, lots of space, lots of parking and lots of useful years ahead of it. Strategically situated at the intersection of Union and B Streets, on the corner of the restoration effort of the historic Union district, it has a commanding presence that many a major retailor would covet, like an anchor location in a major mall.

So, tell me….what is the logic of putting a government agency there? Will it enhance the retail activities of the district? Hardly. So why are the City Fathers not saying, “No way!” As it is, I have not heard a peep out of them about this.

Chuck Green, in today’s editorial, touched on dysfunctional efforts to attract good business to Pueblo. He also mentioned the city’s apparent disregard for historical structures. Here, with the Publich Health Department’s interest in Holmes Hardware, we see both of these fused in perfect synchronicity. Let’s make a government building out of a perfectly good business opportunity.

What we REALLY need in the old Holmes Hardware building is a retail magnet that will draw consumer business to the historic Union District. Not a government agency that will do nothing for commerce in downtown. Something like Borders. I’ve called Borders about the possibility. And although I didn’t do lunch with their CEO, I got the distinct impression that they’d look at the idea.

I mean, Circuit City is okay. So is Barnes and Noble. But they are not Borders. We could use a bit more serious competition in that segment. More attractive shopping opportunities scattered about the city, especially in downtown. And whereas we cannot do well without the Public Health Department, could they not do their work just as well in one of those big vacant buildings along the southern stretch of Santa Fe?

I think so. But I’m just a grunt. I could run the logistical activities of a heavy brigade in contact with an ‘enemy’ out of a trunk in the corner of a rat-infested, abandoned rail car. Along with the rest of the brigade staff crammed in there with me. I had a roof over my head to keep out the rain and my feet were dry. But I’m easily pleased…when it comes to where I work. Not when it comes to where I live.