Harry Davis letter to Mayor Duffy to fix ren square aftermath

Hello,

On May 15, 2009, I wrote the below letter to Mayor Duffy asking the Mayor to invite green consultant, Gil Friend, to Rochester to perform a charrette where ALL of the community comes together to come up with the best solution for downtown. I have been told the Mayor's scheduler will be in touch with me to talk about this with Mayor Duffy. We are now 3 months past the date of this letter with no positive response from the Mayor's office.

But now, Mayor Duffy has invited all the developers to a meeting this Monday, August 17 but he has not invited Gil Friend or Bill Reed! This is the beginning of another 1,000 fast ferries fiasco!

As Neil Bauman says:
"Now the mayor is saying he is going to call a meeting of private developers to get ideas for the corner. I cannot help feeling perplexed by this. Despite a well thought out plan, despite several meetings with the Mayors office, and a complete presentation to the entire City Council, there is still no mention of my plan. It is as if there is a reluctance to acknowledge me and my efforts. My fear, of course, is that the Mayor has his own ideas, and his own group of buddies, that he would like to see do this instead."

Neil Bauman Blog Post 8/6/09
http://norensquare.com/

To his credit, Mayor Duffy did do what we asked at last month's epic city council meeting http://harry2009.com/node/123 with the RGRTA and told city council they should HIRE A CONSULTANT to help with the aftermath of ren square. Bill Reed is the partner of Gil Friend and I have asked Bill to come to Rochester if Gil is unavailable. Bill Reed, "For Rochester" http://harry2009.com/node/102 has also called Mayor Duffy's office asking for an invite.

We think the time is ripe THIS SUMMER to once and for all decide what we are doing with Main & Clinton.

Please call Mayor Duffy's office at 585-428-7045 and ask that either Gil Friend or Bill Reed be invited by Mayor Duffy to help Rochester. Thank you.
...........................................................................................................................................

May 15, 2009

Ms. Angel a Guzzetta
Executive Staff Assistant to the Mayor
Mayor’s Office
City Hall, Room 201A
30 Church Street
Rochester, NY 14624

Dear Ms. Guzzetta,

It was a pleasure to meet you at the Democratic Convention on May 14, 2009. I wanted to extend my sincere congratulations to Mayor Duffy and his nomination to run for a second term. I wish him the best of luck!

As you may know, I am a candidate for one of the five At-Large seats on the City Council. A major platform plank for my candidacy is the opposition to the building of the Renaissance Square Project. It is our belief that the Renaissance Square Project, as proposed, is not advantageous to the environment or the people of Rochester. However, I want to applaud Mayor Duffy’s new compromised position on this project. I may not be in complete agreement with Mayor Duffy’s position, but I believe his new vision is a step in the right direction.

As a concerned constituent and candidate, I am apprehensive about the environmental damage of an undertaking as large and involved as our Renaissance Square Project. As an environmentalist, I have had the opportunity to work with many great people and companies, but was most impressed by Gil Friend and his company Natural Logic. Natural Logic (http://www.natlogic.com) delivers strategic sustainability consulting to communities, with integrated, results-focused programs that build profit and competitive advantage while reducing the community's environmental footprint, waste and risk.

I would like to propose a meeting with the Mayor, myself, and Natural Logic’s CEO Gil Friend at the Mayor’s earliest convenience to discuss the environmental impact and solutions to the Renaissance Square Project. We understand the Mayor’s busy schedule and we are happy accommodate his schedule. Thank you for considering this meeting request.

Sincerely,

Harry Davis