Tom,
I enjoy your blog very much. I feel like I am strolling through a virtual Forum listening to engaged citizens debate the future of their city.
After reading through the many interesting comments on your site, I had a few thoughts that I wanted to share.
We can spend a great deal of time debating what happened in the past, or what didn’t happen in the past, or what should have happened in the past. And perhaps that is a debate that should happen, and could be useful, down the road. But now, all that is likely to result is the sort of finger-pointing unlikely to move us forward.
I expect that within a week a number of parties to this debate will have a chance to sit down and discuss the possibilities for compromise. Preserve Lexington has committed to a good faith conversation with Mr. Webb. And I believe that Mr. Webb will approach these discussions with the same good faith.
So, for the next week, it might be best to focus on what we have in common, rather than what separates us. We all respect and applaud the considerable accomplishments of Mr. Webb and of the Webb Companies, we all want what is best for our city, we all welcome a significant development on this block. I think that we can even agree in principle that significant new development can co-exist with, and more important, can complement existing historic architecture. To illustrate this, Preserve Lexington has compiled a considerable portfolio of major developments across the U.S. that successfully marry the historic with the new.
Let us all take a deep breath.
Let us reflect upon these commonalities.
Let us see if conversation can lead to compromise.
Sincerely,
Hayward Wilkirson
President of the Board of Directors
Preserve Lexington
April 5, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Hayward,
Very good point. You all have done a great job. Moving forward with respectful conversation will almost always create the best outcome for all involved. Kudos to you and all involved.
April 5, 2008 at 7:02 pm
[...] read Hayward’s e-mail of yesterday, found it very conciliatory and thank him for [...]
April 6, 2008 at 9:19 am
my comments are for tom eblen. your article on the front page of the herald-leader smacks more of a gossip column than news. what purpose do your opinions serve other than to stir up controversy? that is all fine for a blog but the herald-leader continues to be an embarrassment for lexington as it simply fails to report worthy information. i am still waiting for an informative article on what LEED-certified means. but instead of accurate and researched information you would rather suggest that mr. webb et al tried to sneak this project up on lexington. it is sad that our newspaper has resorted to similar tactics as OK magazine to sell papers.
April 6, 2008 at 10:34 am
K-Rock,
I’m sorry you didn’t like the column. Traditionally, newspaper columns are different from news stories. They are often personal essays of analysis and commentary. They are labeled with the writer’s photograph and the word “columnist” in the byline to distinguish them from regular news stories. Of course, columns should be grounded in fact, and I think this one is.
On your question about LEED certification, the Herald-Leader ran a short story the day after CentrePointe plans were announced giving an explanation of LEED and what it involves. (Because Herald-Leader news stories move to the paid online archives after a couple of weeks, I’ve copied it at the bottom of this comment.) I’m sure the newspaper will be writing more about it as CentrePointe’s plans evolve and more details become available.
Also, here’s a Web site where you can find out more about LEED construction:
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19
Here’s the article from the March 5 Herald-Leader:
By Beverly Fortune
Bfortune@herald-Leader.Com
The CentrePointe development would be the largest LEED-certified project in the state, said Charlie Barnhart, architect with Sherman/Carter/Barnhart Architects.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
It is a way of rating buildings to ensure they are environmentally friendly. A LEED building must meet environmental standards pertaining to water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials and innovative design.
As many materials as possible, such as brick, wood flooring and timber supports, will be recycled from the buildings being razed instead of going to the landfill, Barnhart said. New construction will use as much recycled material as possible, he said.
LEED standards favor infill projects rather than building undeveloped areas, Barnhart said. “You’re concentrating people in urban areas where there is already transportation and infrastructure in place.”
The U.S. Green Building Council, a national organization that promotes development of energy-efficient buildings, certifies LEED projects.
April 8, 2008 at 8:09 am
My husband and I are very confused by Hayward Wilkersin’s latest comments.
PreserveLexington was a norganization in which we were both interested, at first . It seemed they had clearly come out against the CentrePoint development and its developer. Now Mr. Wilkirson seems to be applauding the accomplishments of the developer. My husband and I feel the developer is using this column to manipulate public opinion with comments that the preservation organizations need to “pick their battles carefully.” It also seems the developer is threatening those who disagree with him by calling their posts slanderous and libelous.
We are looking for leadership to preserve our downtown. Now we are receiving mixed messages.
April 8, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I work in downtown and shop there and go to the Farmers Market. I think the block in question is unkept, ugly and old - and not a bit historic. Come on - this is all about stopping progress, keeping jobs from our downtown and sheer jealousy of people that are actually working to make our economy better. Sheme on the naysayers.
April 8, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Tom Eblen and Dudley Webb are both cute!