Parade for Our Lady of Guadalupe

West Side Latino Catholics approach the end of their 3.7-mile procession in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, considered the patronness of Mexico and the Americas.

Rain, then snow. Many people took a weather day and stayed home Sunday, Dec. 12, in Columbus.

But not several hundred immigrant Catholics on the West Side. They celebrated a feast day for the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Mother of the Americas. She is said to have appeared to an Indian peasant, Juan Diego, between Dec. 9 and 12, 1531 in Mexico. Within a few years,  millions of  Aztecs converted to the Catholic faith, and the practice of human sacrifice ended. For Mexican Catholics, the three important religious holidays are Dec. 12 in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Christmas Day and Easter.  

I missed last year’s West Side parade for Our Lady of Guadalupe. This year I was determined to see it. As it turned out, my timing was off. The only way I could ensure a glimpse of it was to position myself near the end of the route. Waiting from the comfort of my car, in a residential driveway, I called a friend to catch up on some old business.

Then I heard the drums and horns. The parade was coming, but where was it?  Unexpectedly, it was on my right. I jumped out of the car, took a couple of pictures, put my camera in my pocket. I made eye contact with some of the marchers. They were glowing.

In another minute, they had passed. 

Just a few more steps before mass on Clime Road - and a feast.

Do you believe in Complete Streets?

You may have heard there’s a row on the Hilltop about “bike lanes vs. parking.” Well, it’s really about Complete Streets.

In other words, will West Broad safely and comfortably accommodate all users, or will it continue to be unhealthy, unsafe, uncomfortable and environmentally and culturally stuck in the 1970s?

If you support Complete Streets, you have a lot of company. Federal, state and local policy now embraces this design concept. Did you know the National Association of Realtors is one of the partners of the National Complete Streets Coalition?

Here’s how the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission defines Complete Streets:

Complete Streets are roadways designed to safely and comfortably accommodate all users, including, but not limited to motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, transit and school bus riders, people with disabilities, delivery and service personnel, freight haulers, and emergency responders. “All users” includes people of all ages and abilities.

What can I do? Tonight, from 6 to 8 p.m., the City of Columbus and its Division of Mobility Options will conduct a public meeting at 2300 W. Broad St. to discuss a recent parking study. Officials will solicit opinions on various designs for restriping West Broad after it’s resurfaced this summer between Hague and Central avenues. It’s not a debate. Rather, it’s set up to allow you to “vote” by placing sticky dots on your preferred – or not preferred option. If you can’t make it, send a note to the city at PRgrove@columbus.gov

The city is listening to the naysayers and putting enormous amount of staff time into considering their concerns about parking, which currently far outpaces customer demand.

The process has taken so long that we’re at risk of losing the chance to have a Complete Street for the central Hilltop section of West Broad Street.

This would be a serious setback for everyone in central Ohio, as Broad Street in its entirety is a crucial regional corridor that deserves thoughtful planning to accommodate all users safely. What’s more, without a Complete Street, we’ll miss a chance to bring the Ohio to Erie Trail bike route through the Hilltop section of West Broad, a move that would bring thousands of bicyclists and spending dollars to this part of town.

So much is at stake. We can be a leader or we can be stuck in the 1970s.  And that’s not groovy.

Casino madness the new normal

It’s a new day. Hollywood Casino Columbus is coming to the West Side.

Yesterday, the voters of Ohio decided the West Side will have a casino at the former Delphi auto parts plant at Georgesville Road and West Broad Street. The absurdity of amending the state constitution for a monopoly turned into the absurdity of amending the state constitution for an address change to suit business interests opposed to a casino in the Arena District.

So, now our families will have a casino in our back yard.

Here are my predictions:

During the construction phase, the casino will deliver mostly positive economic activity. Construction workers and the curious will need to eat,  fill up their gas tanks, get sundry items and maybe have some fun.

Many West Side residents, as well as people from throughout central Ohio, will land jobs at the new Hollywood Casino Columbus. Experience in karaoke is a plus.

The casino will define the West Side. When we tell someone from Cleveland we live on the West Side of Columbus, the response will be, “Oh, yeah. You live near the casino.”  It will be harder to bring attention to the area’s true assets, such as our early 20th century architecture.

Some commericial properties nearby will redevelop. It will be hard to pin this directly to the casino. Westland Mall is a prime location and underused relative to the rooftops nearby. The economic recovery will dictate the pace of redevelopment more than the casino fate decided yesterday.

Penn National Gaming will build a windowless casino designed to keep patrons inside and spending money. Those patrons will have little interest in tourism or shopping. The core customer is a single, retired woman. Visitation spikes when Social Security income arrives. 

Two years after the casino opens, gas stations and car washes nearby will say the casino has helped their business.

Three years after the casino opens, two or three houses in my neighborhood will foreclose due to gambling addiction. I will hear reports of this foreclosure trend from people in other West Side neighborhoods and elsewhere in Columbus. 

Four years after the casino opens, two to 10 homes in my neighborhood will be owned by someone who works at the casino.

Five years from now, the casino will be a hotly debated local issue, with many defenders and critics. The defenders will say it brings jobs and people to the West Side. The critics will say it leads to gambling addiction or overspending that harms families, neighborhoods and work places. They’ll say it harms nearby business because casino visitors have no interest in anything outside the casino.

Six years from now, I will be among the many West Siders who have yet to spend a dime at the casino.