Submitted by angel_urban21 on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 13:10.
Hi, I'm Angelica and I'm a Greensboro florist. It's unfortunate that support for floral shows have been waning. I hate to think that we'd have to wait until the recession's over for floral shows to come back. To whoever thinks that flowers are now irrelevant, you're so wrong.
Today's 5/23/2010 Plain Dealer* chronicles the story of the debt-ridden Botanical Garden. The fate of this venerable institution hangs in the balance, because this town continues to let out-of-town charlatans run the show.
Poor Natalie Ronayne. She is left holding the bag on this mess. I attended meetings while Brian Holley was brought to this town to glamorize the Botanical Gardens. I watched one long-time CBG supporter condemn the plans with tears streaming down his face. Holley was played like a pretty puppet and then whisked out of town. Now, another great institution is likely to see itself gutted in this town.
My only hope would be that folks brought in to make "change" to a major Cleveland institutions will look to this story** and not follow down the same path of fiscal mismanagement and not be swayed by scam-mongers out to pillage our endowments and our cultural heritage.
The article in today's Plain Dealer mentions the once-wonderful library at the Botanical Garden--well, here's your access point:
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 05/23/2010 - 10:41.
When I lived on Hessler Street and the weather was nice I used to walk my daughter through the Botanical Gardens all the time - and then they locked the gardens and made everything different and it no longer interests me at all, at any price.
I stopped going after they locked the gardens, but they no longer offer me anything inside either. What events and activities they do hold that may interest me are always too expensive.
My wife is a member and goes for some events and talks
I don't think any of us like the Costa Rica and Madagascar exhibits - I at least think they should go entirely.
I would close that CBG facility and sell off all the tropicals and have the CBG return to its roots in a different location and facility, free to the public again (perhaps merge with and expand the Rockefeller Gardens Greenhouse, and build some new bright green assets in the parks).
Do not think of CBG as part of the local foods movement or any such diversion, now or ever - no more green sprouts - there are farmers and there are gardeners and the Botanical Gardens should serve the 100,000s of gardeners and plant lovers in general in the world - not farmers of any sort.
Sell the facility to CMA, CIA, Case, UCI and other area cultural institutions as a hub facility - even find a way to add more parking under the lawn - move UCI and the visitor center and everything else ANCHOR there - it could make money through various relationships and sponsors - has good meeting and event space - it can be reengineered.
The CBG can be better repurposed elsewhere, or even virtually.
No matter what, in the financial planning CBG needs to factor for increases in heating costs as UCI goes off coal in the coming years, and the facility must go green, so they may as well start getting real about their future costs now... costs will go up unless they shift paradigms completely.
Look at the tags--should have included Ronayne...etc.
I still hold out hope that Chris and Natalie Ronayne will not turn into fine young cannibals. We've had our fill of them. This town takes attractive, young idealists and turns them into blood sucking leeches.
Chris and Natalie can still redeem themselves. I am grateful that Tim McCormick is running as an independent for County Executive. I will help him. He's not an idiot. And, he didn't suck up to the greedy, fat cat interests in this town. I don't know how many fancy cars and estates in Geauga County help to make people feel good about themselves, but we don't need those folks anymore.
Plain Dealer should also look at the finances of the Cleveland Natural History Museum. Look who they are hiding over there.
This town is fast becoming known as an international destination for rip-off artists.
"Look at those rubes in NEO--we rob them blind and they build shrines to worship us!"
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 05/23/2010 - 12:37.
It has taken 5 years of living in the University Circle area and planning and interacting with 1,000s of stakeholders here, but I finally have a good understanding of the big picture all around the circle now, and pretty much across the board the current strategies aren't viable in today's economy, and won't be viable any time in the forseeable future. They are not founded in reality, and are missing dozens of spreadsheets per institution.
I've gotten to the root of one of their major disconnects from reality - MCCO - and that problem will now be worked through. That will change the economics of all the UCI-MCCO insititutions and it is time to plan through that - I have not met a planner in town willing to accept that truth, but I have found people away from here ready to enforce consequences. I don't want to get into the details here and now other than to ask...
The Botanical Garden muckety-mucks won't fault their high-priced outside consultants for their woes--just as the school board won't fault the outside consultants they paid to put together the BOLD Transformation Plan...ad nauseum.
Perhaps the new director of CMNH will clean house over there--she does not appear to be a fraud.
Regional Economics Action Links North East Ohio
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support floral shows
Hi, I'm Angelica and I'm a Greensboro florist. It's unfortunate that support for floral shows have been waning. I hate to think that we'd have to wait until the recession's over for floral shows to come back. To whoever thinks that flowers are now irrelevant, you're so wrong.
I love flower shows
It's great to see flower shows making a come back.
I love caring for orchids and it's good to see there are now more orchid shows around in my local area.
All the best,
William Cattley
Botanical Garden charlatans
Today's 5/23/2010 Plain Dealer* chronicles the story of the debt-ridden Botanical Garden. The fate of this venerable institution hangs in the balance, because this town continues to let out-of-town charlatans run the show.
Poor Natalie Ronayne. She is left holding the bag on this mess. I attended meetings while Brian Holley was brought to this town to glamorize the Botanical Gardens. I watched one long-time CBG supporter condemn the plans with tears streaming down his face. Holley was played like a pretty puppet and then whisked out of town. Now, another great institution is likely to see itself gutted in this town.
My only hope would be that folks brought in to make "change" to a major Cleveland institutions will look to this story** and not follow down the same path of fiscal mismanagement and not be swayed by scam-mongers out to pillage our endowments and our cultural heritage.
The article in today's Plain Dealer mentions the once-wonderful library at the Botanical Garden--well, here's your access point:
http://www.cbgarden.org/Library/History.html
*don't bother trying to find it online--cleveland.com does not use consisitent tags and this story is buried, if on line at all.
**SEE also: CMA, Cleveland Orchestra, Health Museum and WRHS, too
I stopped going to CBG after they locked the gardens
When I lived on Hessler Street and the weather was nice I used to walk my daughter through the Botanical Gardens all the time - and then they locked the gardens and made everything different and it no longer interests me at all, at any price.
I stopped going after they locked the gardens, but they no longer offer me anything inside either. What events and activities they do hold that may interest me are always too expensive.
My wife is a member and goes for some events and talks
I don't think any of us like the Costa Rica and Madagascar exhibits - I at least think they should go entirely.
I would close that CBG facility and sell off all the tropicals and have the CBG return to its roots in a different location and facility, free to the public again (perhaps merge with and expand the Rockefeller Gardens Greenhouse, and build some new bright green assets in the parks).
Do not think of CBG as part of the local foods movement or any such diversion, now or ever - no more green sprouts - there are farmers and there are gardeners and the Botanical Gardens should serve the 100,000s of gardeners and plant lovers in general in the world - not farmers of any sort.
Sell the facility to CMA, CIA, Case, UCI and other area cultural institutions as a hub facility - even find a way to add more parking under the lawn - move UCI and the visitor center and everything else ANCHOR there - it could make money through various relationships and sponsors - has good meeting and event space - it can be reengineered.
The CBG can be better repurposed elsewhere, or even virtually.
No matter what, in the financial planning CBG needs to factor for increases in heating costs as UCI goes off coal in the coming years, and the facility must go green, so they may as well start getting real about their future costs now... costs will go up unless they shift paradigms completely.
The CBG article is on Cleveland.com here
Disrupt IT
Fine young cannibals
Thanks Norm--the article posted at 9:00 a.m., after I wrote my post...
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/05/with_its_attendance_stagnant_c.html
Look at the tags--should have included Ronayne...etc.
I still hold out hope that Chris and Natalie Ronayne will not turn into fine young cannibals. We've had our fill of them. This town takes attractive, young idealists and turns them into blood sucking leeches.
Chris and Natalie can still redeem themselves. I am grateful that Tim McCormick is running as an independent for County Executive. I will help him. He's not an idiot. And, he didn't suck up to the greedy, fat cat interests in this town. I don't know how many fancy cars and estates in Geauga County help to make people feel good about themselves, but we don't need those folks anymore.
Plain Dealer should also look at the finances of the Cleveland Natural History Museum. Look who they are hiding over there.
This town is fast becoming known as an international destination for rip-off artists.
"Look at those rubes in NEO--we rob them blind and they build shrines to worship us!"
I have a good understanding of the big picture at UCI now
It has taken 5 years of living in the University Circle area and planning and interacting with 1,000s of stakeholders here, but I finally have a good understanding of the big picture all around the circle now, and pretty much across the board the current strategies aren't viable in today's economy, and won't be viable any time in the forseeable future. They are not founded in reality, and are missing dozens of spreadsheets per institution.
I've gotten to the root of one of their major disconnects from reality - MCCO - and that problem will now be worked through. That will change the economics of all the UCI-MCCO insititutions and it is time to plan through that - I have not met a planner in town willing to accept that truth, but I have found people away from here ready to enforce consequences. I don't want to get into the details here and now other than to ask...
Cleveland+ truth or consequences?
Disrupt IT
Consultants
The Botanical Garden muckety-mucks won't fault their high-priced outside consultants for their woes--just as the school board won't fault the outside consultants they paid to put together the BOLD Transformation Plan...ad nauseum.
Perhaps the new director of CMNH will clean house over there--she does not appear to be a fraud.