"downtown leaders who don't always get a chance to sit down and have an extended conversation." For my money, actions speak louder than words, but it should be interesting. You've definitely got four gentlemen with contrasting styles and motivations.

Mr. Reineman, how has Weaver's managed to survive all these years?

Why is rent so high downtown that small businesses struggle to stay there?

Mr. Compton (oh so many questions, but I'll be nice), what is the plan for the vacant lot just north of the Arts Center

How does the loss of longtime fixtures like The Palace, The Bayleaf and Round Corner Drug affect downtown?

Send some of those around the table.

Any plans for the vacant Borders Building? Can we get a grocery store? Trader Joes would be nice. Checkers would work as well.

Can we get some bike paths or sidewalks big enough for strollers?

Why can't we close Mass for pedestrian only traffic (like Boulder)?

How much more corporate welfare in the form of taxpayer subsidies do you intended to suck out of the local economy to protect your downtown investments? We didn't receive any thank your notes for your fire sprinklers that tax payers helped pay for, did they get lost in the mail?

Why do you always talk about "Our Downtown" when you need tax payer dollars for your businesses, yet the taxpayers never see our share of downtown profits from your "privately owned" businesses?

Generally what happens to vacancy rates when you lower rents?

Just how much equity did the average downtown landowners cash out with new loans when the economy was good and interest rates were low, and just how far underwater are they now? Which local bank do you think has the most exposure to bad loans downtown?

How many shoppers, and how many dollars, do you think the EmpTy brings to downtown Lawrence? Would you oppose a more rational routes for the EmpTy if that meant fewer buses used downtown as a hub?

For Commissioner Schumm, you recently gave the City Staff raises for their invaluable service, so why after this excellent staff recommends the Olive Garden project do you oppose it? Is it because you own a downtown restaurant and don't want the competition or is it because you own downtown commercial property and oppose anything that draws traffic to the South Iowa shopping district?

Finally, just how invaluable is Chad Lawhorn and the Lawrence Journal World as an advocate for your both political and commercial interests? If the World Company needed to cut back further on personnel and he was let go, just how much could he make as a private PR guy?

We strolled downtown tonight. I hadn't had time to do that for years. My impression was that there are way too many places to eat and KU shops. It was disappointing.. The property values have been inflated by years of speculation. Any effort to plan the downtown has to address its problems and develop guidelines, so here are my topics:

1. What should the downtown look like in10-20 years? What customer base are we looking for?

2. Could we consider a plan with ratios of use? ( a percent for eating establishments, a percent for clothing, ...)

3. How could we address the inflated property values? Local businesses cannot afford the costs downtown .

4. What should the skyline look like? Decide before development?

Here are the private businesses who got corporate welfare for their fire sprinklers:

Tellers, 746 Mass: George Paley Lawrence Masonic Temple, 1001 Mass: Consolidated Properties, aka Doug Compton Buffalo Bob's, 719 Mass: Bob Schumm Goldmakers, Peter Zacharias The Bayleaf, 725 Mass: Anne Yetman The Casbah, 803 Mass, David Millstein Hobbs, 700 Mass, Mark Swanson Silverworks and More, James & Cara Connelly http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/apr...

Recently there was $300,000 reduction in what the city spends each year to replace aging fire equipment despite the infrastructure sales tax voters approved in 2008 and the city agreed to spend about $500,000 of sales tax money each year to purchase new fire equipment. http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul...

Does the recent cut to the fire protection in the City of Lawrence, in spite of the the clear intention of the voters and promises of the Commissioners, concern downtown landowners less because they have taxpayer subsidized sprinklers? Do Commissioner Schumm, Mr. Paley, and Mr. Compton favor a special tax on all their properties to pay back those subsidies to mitigate the recent $300,000 reduction all of Lawrence now face in 2011?

Would it be possible to reduce the focus on alcohol consumption in downtown Lawrence? Some towns and cities require any new alcohol licenses require 60% of sales dollars be for food. Certainly, we have as many bars as we need downtown. I understand, the sale of alcohol is the most profitable use of space; but, when it begins to affect livability, and quality of the downtown experience the profits are very short-term.

If food and shopping were the focus, later hours throughout the week, which might better serve working people, might be more attractive to merchants.

We just returned from Asheville, where a couple of large store spaces have been turned into art markets. There were no 'dead during the daytime' bar spaces we walked by as we shopped the attractive shops from large to tiny. There is a weekly downtown Art Market in the summer, as well as a several active theater/dance/music performance venues located off of alleys, at the edge of downtown, and up stairs. Of course, there are were more tourists downtown on the Saturday we were there than locals. But, wait...tourists are good, right?

As for that lot by the Art Center...how about planting some trees and having weekly Art Fairs there?

sylviejr (anonymous) says… "Would it be possible to reduce the focus on alcohol consumption in downtown Lawrence? Some towns and cities require any new alcohol licenses require 60% of sales dollars be for food."

What a wonderful idea! That way current downtown investors, like Commissioner Schumm, who already have liquor licenses can more effectively prevent competition and keep their prices and profits high. Even better, we could restrict any new bars or restaurants from tearing down any old dilapidated empty buildings and constructing new ones anywhere in town (What? That would be illegal? Since when?). OK, let just keep all of our tax incentives and subsidies focused nearly exclusively on downtown and screw everyone else even though staff unanimously approve other projects. I wonder which Commissioner's we can get to go along with that?