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Thursday, April 25, 2024 |
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Please Stop The Talk and Get On With It |
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What A City
MUSA Resident Joined: Nov 06 2009 Status: Offline Points: 115 |
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Posted: Nov 08 2016 at 8:55am |
Just popped up in the Journal where there is a story that, yet again, mentions the development of the downtown and the riverfront. The DORA runs down to the river according to the article. Need to enhance the downtown a bit and attract more people to live down there are other highlights. A few are excited, once again, at the prospect of this actually happening we are told.
Mentioned the old "Master Plan" again and the concepts that have been talked to death by the powers that be in this city. The new Downtown Middletown Director is excited. Must not know about the past suggestions I guess. Let's review what we have to date....... We saw the ideas of Bicentennial Commons and the AK Stage built and we know that they have been used to date for a few blues concerts (with more held at the city building in the past than at this location) and we have all seen the Lake Middletown fiasco with the mud hole dug out only to be bungled by the city as they prematurely opened the dike to let silt out into the river resulting in a city fine of 350 grand by the Army Corps of Engineers. The end result of that idea was the city paid this fine for a now, overgrown mud hole of no use whatsoever. Another bungled project. That is fact. We have also had discussions/proposals of a convention center located on the banks of the river by the bridge years ago. This convention center was to attract hotels and river activity, just as this story is relating to. It appears we have just re-invented the wheel so to speak. These proposals surface every 5-10 years and, as quickly as they pop up, they fade into the sunset and go into the "it's just talk" folder to be resurrected at a later date. History shows this to be true. I would venture to guess that this too, will take the same direction. What developer would sink millions into riverfront development, given the current state of affairs in this area? This would require such a large amount of money, even the city couldn't find enough phantom funds to give away to their friends as they have in the past and there surely isn't enough profit attraction for any private investment there. While we are talking about being "down by the river", how's that new building by the bike path coming along? Haven't heard too much about it since the initial announcement. |
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Vivian Moon
MUSA Council Joined: May 16 2008 Location: Middletown, Ohi Status: Offline Points: 4187 |
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More development along river part of
downtown
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Joshua
MUSA Immigrant Joined: Sep 20 2015 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 29 |
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As a proud resident of Middletown I am absolutely thrilled that past failures have not stopped the city, investors, or concerned citizens from trying to improve our city. This is a good time to be in Middletown! Lots of developments including the new schools...I for one am very excited!
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VietVet
MUSA Council Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008 |
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Joshua, it is great to be optimistic about anything that occurs in this city. I don't want to rain on your parade but the reality of the situation is that while we will have more new schools to admire, the fact is the new schools are only a façade to what is transpiring from within. Using an analogy here, we are all viewing a nice shiny vintage muscle car from the outside, but under the hood, we have a rusted, underpowered four cylinder engine with a leaking transmission to power that same vintage car. Looks good on the surface but take a gander at what is happening in your schools behind those nice pristine walls. Go to Google and call up the proficiency scores for the Middletown school district and take a look at the indicator count since the inception of proficiency testing. Go to any year, doesn't matter, as any year will reveal a real problem with the performance in the education of the kids. Low scoring, bottom dwelling system, each year....every year. New schools are not making any difference on improving performance. New elementary schools, built years ago, have had no effect. The proof is contained in the pages of the proficiency scores. It is what it is Joshua. Question for you.....are we sending the kids to school to be effectively educated to prepare them for life or are we sending them to school to attend a nice modern new building with a failing ability to prepare them for life? I've been a "proud resident of Middletown" for 68 years now but in the last 30+ years, the city leaders have made me "just a little less proud" by dragging the city down toward ghetto status and a tad less desirable than it use to be. |
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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Vivian Moon
MUSA Council Joined: May 16 2008 Location: Middletown, Ohi Status: Offline Points: 4187 |
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Hmmm...Where does the Manchester Inn fit into this new plan?
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Joshua
MUSA Immigrant Joined: Sep 20 2015 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 29 |
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When it comes to Middletown City Schools don't worry about raining on my parade. I've got two students in Middletown schools (8th & 6th) so I know exactly what's going on. My son plays three instruments, is taking Algebra I (I took as a Freshman) and has always scored either accelerated or advanced on the various standardized tests he's taken over the years. My daughter plays one instrument (first year band student), has been invited to speak at a school board meeting, was honored with the Middle Pride award, and also has scored advanced or accelerated on the state tests. The point is not to brag about my children (whom I'm very proud of) but to let you know what I see, "happening behind those nice pristine walls." I don't take much stock into these standardized tests (which is a topic in and of itself). The tests are currently set up to see public schools fail. Take a look at how the "desirable" public schools in our area scored on the recent tests...not good. It's a bad system and it's constantly changing. At any rate, any parent who cares about their child's education and is willing to support them and provide them a stable learning environment will see them flourish in Middletown Schools! So to answer your question, my Middies are being prepared life and a college education if that's what they choose to pursue.
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VietVet
MUSA Council Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008 |
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"The tests are currently set up to see public schools fail."
It is, none the less, Joshua, the game that is before the schools and they are expected to perform, no matter what obstacles are before them. Excuses are unacceptable and this is a classic excuse used many times by the school supporters/personnel. Not cutting it. Your comment is typical of those closely connected with the school system here. The suggestion that the state is against the schools for making the tests too difficult and the notion from teachers, administrators and superintendents that "we can't succeed because the bar is too high for us to achieve the goals presented to us" are time worn and old news. We, the taxpayers, paying for these Taj Mahal schools they are building and paying for them from our wallets, have lost patience with the constant excuses from school personnel about why they can't do the job. Let's just see what the recurring comments are coming from the board of education, the "yes" levy people, and the superintendents the last three decades....... 1. The bar is too high and we can't accomplish what the state is asking 2. We just can't do it without new schools and modern technology in those schools 3. You taxpayers need to pass the operating, emergency, renewal, new or continuing levies for us to carry on our plans to educate the kids. 4. Just give us more time and we will start turning things around 5. We have a new plan that will replace the old plan and we know this new plan will show improvement 6. We made some progress on the proficiency tests as our numbers have risen from last time (even though the new "improved" numbers are still at the bottom of the totem pole as compared to the surrounding school districts) (and have been since the inception of the proficiency testing) Voodoo magic number perception game here. 7. With our new changes we will see progress on the next round of testing.... ALL CRAP with no real meaning coming from the school people. If the school people were in private industry, and they had to satisfy a CEO and a Board of Directors controlling the majority stocks in the company, all of these people in the Middletown schools would have been fired years ago. A company just can't see repetitive failure and stay in business. The controlling stock members would have cut their loses and shut down the company long ago if the company performed like the schools. Because the schools are in the public domain, they remain open and we all live with the nonsense we are seeing year after year with no upward progress in sight. A waste of money to put one more penny in the Middletown schools at this point based on their performance. Let the state take over. The people in Columbus couldn't do any worse. You have kids that produce and are successful. Congratulations. They are in the minority. The majority are, at best, average or below. The testing gives us that picture. The tests, right or wrong, are the games to be played. Adjust and adapt to them to achieve success. No excuses, no repeat poor performances. Find the answer and improve. Otherwise, we are all wasting money and time with the current way of doing things. That is the harsh truth of the matter. The Board of Directors (the taxpayers) have had enough excuses. I would imagine, if it were allowed, most would want the school personnel gutted from Superintendent on down and replaced with people that can produce and if they can't we would keep trying until we did find the right people to man the ship. Right now, the Middletown Titanic is just drifting at sea with no direction, an inept crew and a failed Captain/Superintendent/School Board giving the orders. It is doomed to continue to hit the iceberg if actual changes are not made. It just can't be "business as usual" if we are to see any positive progress. This has lingered far too long. JMO |
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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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ACCaudill
Outsider Joined: Dec 21 2016 Status: Offline Points: 2 |
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Wait till the pot houses open. That's when things will liven up. Nothing like mom'n'pop opportunities to boost a town.
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