Tacking
March 23, 2010 5:17 PM
One summer I took Hoofers sailing lessons. The sailing didn't stick, but I did learn about tacking, and that's served me pretty well over the years.
Tacking is moving the boat back and forth to actually sail into the wind. I thought of that this morning when the Edgewater Hotel project cleared a big hurdle by passing the Plan Commission. That followed approval at the Urban Design Commission earlier this month. It's on track to get to the full Common Council on April 20 for its final approvals. The project has taken more than one step back along its long and twisting road and it has been evolving to meet all kinds of challenges. But while it would be a mistake to believe that the outcome is a foregone conclusion, the recent developments are certainly very positive.
Similarly, the new Central Library project is moving forward. While the first plan for a new building on West Washington Avenue didn't work out, we're moving forward quickly with plans for a total reimagining of the current building across from Overture. We believe we can get that project done on roughly the same time frame and at a lower cost.
Sometimes the wind blows in our faces, but we can still find a way to move toward our destination. At the end of the day, I'm becoming increasingly confident that we will have two great additions to the downtown landscape while creating jobs just when we need them most.
