NoiseInsideMyHead
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Everything posted by NoiseInsideMyHead
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Try again, Sport. I ain't saying this is scientific, but on Google Maps, at zoom 1" = 500', from the Southeast entrance of Alerus to farthest point of paved lots south of arena, it is 3". From the main entrance at REA, that barely gets you to the southern end of the Med School building, not the south lot at the med school. The parking ramp and A-lot north of Memorial Stadium are equidistant at approximately 4.5" (as the crow files). The Memorial Stadium lot is at least 5.5". The only lots I can find within 3" of REA are the REA lots (all reserved for games), the lot at 6th & Princeton (student housing), and the Wellness Center. I am mildly amused that until this year, UND used to promote ramp usage on game nights by flashing on the electronic sign along Columbia "NO PUBLIC PARKING AT REA". So the truth was apparently okay when it was used as a means of generating parking revenue (or, GASP, serving the public!), but I haven't seen that message up there this season, and I'm pretty sure nothing has changed in the way of parking at REA. Can we please avoid the useless comparisons to other venues without some meaningful qualifications? Alerus = football = mostly afternoon games during summer and fall. Totally worthless. Besides, I know I'm going to pay $5 there and if I get there early enough, I'm literally a few feet away from the big-time donors. No such option at REA. The mall is open during the day, every day, is served by mass transit, and is ringed with free parking all within short walking distance (and I have NEVER seen those lots full). Whatever the arrangement between the University and the state regarding the operation of the buses, those aren't "North Dakota Dept. of Transp." markings on the sides, and I'm fairly sure that President Kelley chose the "unlimited local miles" and "loss damage waiver" options when he checked them out. Ownership/possession of the buses is a FIXED COST. Anybody care to speculate how the daily (all-day) operation of free campuswide shuttles does from a strictly dollars and cents standpoint? Every opinion on this thread should start with your hockey parking arrangements (i.e., whether you have a permit) and the number and ages of young and/or elderly people you take to games. If you're already parking on-site, or if you are one of the childless tough guys who don't seem to mind the brisk walk in -20 wind chills on a regular basis, I'll be happy to disregard you. Frankly, I have more respect for the anti-hockey red-stater railing against government-subsidized anything than for the coddled donor who frankly has no dog in this fight. And as for the government subsidy BS, give me a break. EVERYTHING the University does is subsidized by the State. If you want to take the short bus to Utopiaville, where that isn't the case, send me a postcard and let me know how things are. If the University cannot negotiate a fair share of athletics/gate/concession revenue to cover modest shortfalls on things such as parking and shuttles, the problem is squarely on the University. Killing the shuttle to mask fiscal incompetence is shameful. -
North Dakota vs Sacramento State Predictions
NoiseInsideMyHead replied to WeAreNorthDakota's topic in Football
Since it's October, maybe the University can auction off the coach's pink slip for breast cancer research. ND Strong. -
North Dakota vs Sacramento State Predictions
NoiseInsideMyHead replied to WeAreNorthDakota's topic in Football
Looks like Pathways to Success DO NOT lead to the Alerus Center. Student section is a ghost town. Maybe they raised the admission standards a bit too much? -
Okay. You just won the Internet. Congratulations. Close down the forums, shut off the boards. It's over, Johnny. 1. You yourself getting online to complain about other people who are complaining online is an interesting tactic. Let us know how that works out for you. 2. When you say that this thread has not been productive, I disagree because if nothing else, it informed people of the decision within hours of being made public and gave people a forum to share their views and perhaps realize that they were not alone. Please note that I led with the facts (as reported by the legitimate media) in a timely manner and then presented an opinion. A robust discussion ensued, and I was taken to task by none other than Gramma (a/k/a Sioux-cia), whose gender and overall crankiness I shall never forget. 3. You need to understand that many of us do reach out to the appropriate people. We just come on here first to float various arguments as trial balloons. For example, if someone like 82SiouxGuy either doesn't like or doesn't understand what we have to say, or doesn't care, we know it is perfectly safe to then use that same argument in dealing with sane and rational human beings.
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Gramma it is. And Gramma, because you (most clearly) genuinely care about how UND treats its fans, I welcome your continued participation in this discussion (which I started, for whatever that's worth). But please realize that when it come to parking, there are haves (the landed gentry, so to speak) and have-nots (the rest of us). I will therefore continue to defend the honor of well-meaning posters on this thread who have called out the 'bigwigs' and 'corporate elites' for having neither expressed empathy for, nor given due consideration to, persons directly impacted by UND's decision. 'Save your money, work harder, donate to UND and get yourself a parking permit' (a statement which I am attributing to no one) is not, in my opinion, a constructive response. Enjoy the privileges your efforts have afforded you. I certainly won't tell you how to spend your hard-earned money, but I will tell the University of North Dakota how I think it should spend its less-hard-earned money. After all, he's a big boy now, and I'm sure he can take it.
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Don't pull the "traveshamockery" card and then act all innocent.
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It's on, Grampa. 10,593 posts...hasn't anybody taught you what a winking smiley emoticon means? If you are insulted by anything I've said, tough. Read carefully, and don't go getting defensive...the only party that needs to be defending itself here is the almighty U of ND.
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So you think we're overreacting? Fine. But are you defending the decision? Are you buying the 'transportation costs and lack of utilization' justification? What are your parking plans this season? Do you have small kids? Are you in good health? Take a stand and have a point!
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What about service on the construction debt or electricity to power the lights? Hell, that thing is ALWAYS losing money. Where's the outrage?
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You are coming dangerously close to suggesting that ramp parkers are shiftless and lazy. In all seriousness, though, this is not about pitting STH/club donors against everyone else. My criticism of the former has been to the extent that there is a collective lack of empathy or consideration for the latter. For fans who cannot afford season tickets, or simply do not want them, the ramp and shuttle were ideal. Frankly, when ice and snow are falling, I'd gladly trade the proximity of the UND Champions Club executive platinum supreme lot for the shelter of the parking garage. Scraping a quarter-inch or more of solid ice off my car windows is not what I have in mind after the final horn blows. If you are an REA permit holder/Champion Club donor, bully for you. Same for the 'North Dakota tough' folks who seem to think nothing of exposure, frostbite, and hypothermia. But please don't take a position on this issue because your nonconstructive opinions are meaningless. Consider this an invitation to step away gracefully. I'd prefer to keep this between the ramp users, the UND administrators/bean counters, and anyone who genuinely cares about how UND -- a supposedly "exceptional" institution -- treats its fans.
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That was my initial fear when I started this thread. And until proven otherwise, I think it's a plausible explanation. Which is sad.
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My understanding is that UND Parking took the concession and engaged UND's Transportation department to utilize the existing campus shuttles and drivers as an adjunct to make ramp parking feasible on game nights. UND Parking provided the workers to place cones, guide traffic, take money, etc. Paying $5-10 bucks to park that far away without the shuttle was probably never even an option. Even in real metropolitan areas, the further you get away from the venue, the cheaper the parking. The costs were therefore labor (Parking staff and drivers), and fuel/maintenance on the buses. Maintenance was probably negligible because the buses already run in continuous loops. The off-set was the incoming revenue from game-night parkers. UND could either operate the shuttle at a loss (which they appear to have been doing, by their own self-serving admission), increase revenues to break even, or try to actually make money. The question for me is, what was the extent of the loss? Not everything has to make money. Do the daily, campuswide student shuttles run in the black, for example? There are some things you can't measure on a balance sheet: customer satisfaction, doing the right thing, not having people slip-and-fall or worse in traffic or adverse weather. Not only that, the ramp is a resource that is already being underutilized. Why have it sit empty on game nights, when the shuttle for years seems to have been a good (if not perfect) complement to game night operations. I have heard it said that there were legitimate proposals to save the shuttle, and that they fell on deaf institutional ears. Maybe some enterprising sort would like to pursue that from an open records angle.
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Most people already were paying for the shuttle...by parking in the ramp. In fact, a couple of years ago, the fee literally doubled and the University started offering a pre-paid plan. The only free-riders were (a) people who got themselves to the ramp via other means, and (b) UND ramp permit holders -- who, for what it's worth, were already paying for the privilege many times over. (But that's a different issue entirely.)
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Let's be honest and objective about this. If you're going to compare other schools, you're going to have to look at (1) climate/weather, (2) traffic and pedestrian dynamics, and (3) availability of on-site parking in relation to capacity/attendance. Don't lump day football games in September and October together with nighttime hockey games in December and January. This is not about the ability to pay...this is about the willingness to provide an enjoyable fan experience to everyone, not just the coddled masses of big-time club donors and STH.
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First night sans shuttle, and it's pouring rain. EFF EWE, UND. Your fans deserve better. For an institution with such lofty aspirations (and correspondingly inflated sense of place), mediocrity suits you well.
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Here's a good one... "Increased Transportation Costs" According to AAA, the average cost for diesel TODAY is $3.89. One year ago -- when the buses were running -- it was $4.08. Exceptional UND? You bet.
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The ubiquitous Jan Orvik just sent this missive out... Parking changes announced for men’s hockey games Parking lots around campus will be converted into event parking to accommodate the 2013-2014 UND Men’s Hockey Season. UND will not provide shuttle service between the parking ramp and the Ralph Engelstad Arena this season as a result of increased transportation costs and lack of sufficient utilization to support the service. A "lack of sufficient utilization" clearly explains the long lines and the weekly convoy of standing room only buses. I'd laugh out loud if it didn't hurt so much. Sorry folks, UND is a joke. At least we have a first-class facility here in town to treat frostbite, right Danny? Some of the earlier posters hit the nail on the freaking head...STH don't care about the casual fans. They would probably enjoy themselves more if none of us even bothered to go to the games.
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Per the Schlossman blog in the GF Herald: The UND shuttle service from the parking ramp to Ralph Engelstad Arena has been discontinued for the 2013-2014 season. In place of the UND shuttle service, UND will provide additional paid parking options in the following new locations for the 2013-2014 season: UND Nursing School lot and the UND Medical School lot. In addition to the new paid parking options, UND will continue to provide paid parking options in all of the same parking locations as last season, including the UND parking ramp and behind Archives Coffee Shop on Harvard Street. Other than dropping the nickname, this has got to be the biggest single blunder I have seen from the University in the several years I have now lived here. I don't know when it started, but I've never not had the shuttle option. There have been nights that I wouldn't dream of having my family walk from the REA to any of the outlying parking locations, let alone the UND parking garage. Heck, waiting in line for the shuttle is borderline questionable on some nights when the temperature and wind conspire just so. This is about SAFETY, people. At least with the shuttle, you could linger in the lobby until the line shortened. The REA may have amenities out the wazoo, but abundant parking is NOT one of them. The pathetic thing about the plan as announced is that the med school lot is pretty much already full on game nights. Other than the fact that those folks are often UND permit holders, I don't see how this is an "additional" parking option. And they're STILL going to charge to park in the garage. (I wonder how much.) If this is about money, shame on everyone involved. The student shuttle drivers probably need the money the most, and they were very pleasant and personable despite the often challenging working conditions. If this is some sort of misguided attempt to drive up season ticket sales/upgraded club memberships, that is deplorable.
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GF seems destined to take a step back for nearly every step forward. This is a huge blow, and it clearly solidifies the Delta 'must-fly-east-to-go-south-or-west' monopoly, er, stranglehold. Just one more reason to drive to Fargo to fly (American to Chicago and DFW; Frontier to Denver; Delta to SLC). At least we can soon munch on Timbits while en route. Couldn't United at least have maintained token service on a less than daily basis, or is GF literally not worth the trouble?
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Sioux Sports Season Ticket Holder Allotments
NoiseInsideMyHead replied to ibleedgreen's topic in Men's Hockey
Based on the scant availability of single-game hockey tickets upon release this morning, I'd say they sell a few too many season ticket packages. What a joke. -
Reconsider? What's to reconsider? The OP inquired about the state of the Mall IN LIGHT OF the local economy and the crush of Canadian dollars being infused into the area. Given those two factors alone, Columbia Mall is a huge disappointment. Never been to malls in WY or CO, but let's pick a few comps closer to home. Fargo? Check. Duluth? Check. Sioux Falls? Check. St. Cloud? Check. And most of those places do not boast the robust economy or influx of tourist dollars enjoyed by GF. I will gladly concede that your examples are utter, complete, and total dumps. (Sorry to the hardworking men and women in those towns who call the malls 'home'.) But would you care to refute any of my contentions with actual observations? Can anyone not drinking the Chamber of Commerce Kool-Aid honestly state that GF's mall is commensurate with the strength of the economy or with the legions of Canadians who come here with shopping as their raison d'etre. Even the staunchest anti-Fargo people on this board have to admit that Fargo is winning the retail and restaurant wars. It seems like one can't even rant without the nice cops raining sunshine on the gloom.
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Columbia Mall is a blight on the city of Grand Forks. Seriously. How on earth we can have the amount of retail traffic from up north combined with the cold weather and ZERO investment in the mall on the part of its owners and tenants is beyond me. I don't have a hard occupancy number, but a quick stroll through would tell you all you need to know. Food Court - F Interior updates and quality of materials - F Variety of stores (other than Food Court) - D+ (gotten marginally better over the past few years, but we still lack a number of big names) Parking lot - FFFFFFFFFF (sorry...I was typing when I drove through one of the myriad potholes on the southeast corner of the lot) I know that retail is a fickle subset of the economy, and that the notion of a 'mall' is rapidly changing (huge outdoor complexes with upscale stores are infiltrating traditional cold weather locales), but we should have AT LEAST the caliber of mall that Fargo has. Heavily leased, bright, airy. Heck, I think West Acres has put more money in its play area in the past five years than has been spent at all of Columbia. Not to mention the perimeter, which also has a long way to go. The strips northeast of the mall are hardly awe-inspiring, and Space Aliens is still vacant. And more strips are being built along the 32nd corridor (see former Golden Corral) even though existing strips are not fully utilized. There is still prime space available between Noodles and Erbert & Gerbert. Lots of new, higher-end apartments on the property should translate into new and exciting retail and dining venues. Relying on Scheels to save the day is a questionable strategy, although I am optimistically counting down the days. We definitely deserve a bigger and much better store, replete with coin-op shooting range and life-sized statues of presidents. GF and Columbia Mall need it to. Something has to shake the cobwebs loose in that abysmal, Soviet-era, depressing heck-hole.
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To commemorate the demolition of the Old Ralph, I would like to share some pictures taken just prior to her demise. http://s1365.photobu...eshow/Old Ralph
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In the immortal words of Jules Winnfield, "allow me to retort." Taking a shot at Grand Forks? Of course! Who anointed you Protector of Civic Pride, anyway? Besides, I think the old girl can take it. Bison fan? Nope. Gopher fan? Not even close. (Look again. The photograph reads "Gopher Liquors [Lickers]" -- why is it that so many people on here have such trouble with phonetic equivalents? NDSU education working for y'all?) Troll? Why the name calling? Dealt with accordingly? Oooh...please elaborate. (I think I just got a tingle.) Now, can we please stay on topic? Where do I sign the petition for a Long John Silver's, or a fourth Taco John's?
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Panera is coming! Panera is coming! Welcome to the mid-1990s, Grand Forks! http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/261431/
