Midtown Plaza Alive Again

Midtown Plaza Alive Again
What a sight it was. On December 2, 2006, Midtown Plaza looked like it used to every holiday season. Thousands visited the downtown Rochester, NY retail center. Over 2, 000 people alone attended the annual tuba concert. Various other performances followed that concert while cultural tables were set up around the center. It looked like old times at the beleaguered downtown center.

The plaza has been neglected for years now due to an owner that seems to have little interest in reviving the property. Consequently, events that draw people have disappeared. And, with rumors of possible demolition, it has encouraged disinvestment as businesses have fled. One business owner told me that he struggles to get any sort of information from the current owner; they're not even responsive when asked about lease renewals. The current owner has done virtually no maintenance to the center.

Despite these facts, a core of stores and restaurants have remained. And, their cash registers were singing while some performers in the lobby were doing the same. A Peebles employee told me one employee rung up over $2, 000 in sales in a modest time period. A business owner told me it was the busiest he has seen the center in over eight years. The City of Rochester did a wonderful job with the event, which concluded with the lighting of the Liberty Pole.

What this did was prove the center can be viable. Of course, it'll take significant investment and effort. But, with more and more people living downtown and the Renaissance Square plans, it seems like there's hope for a modest size retail center like Midtown. The City of Rochester may purchase the property. If they do, I hope they'll move as quickly as possible to determine Midtown's fate. That way, if it'll remain, businesses can feel comfortable investing in their location (or new ones) once again. Mixed use space (residential/office) for the office tower sounds interesting, although it won't be inexpensive.
Source: brettdaly.blogspot.com

RIT Hockey Defeats Cornell 4-1

Congrats to the Tigers for beating #18 Cornell 4-1. RIT played the game at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester, and a program record 5, 142 fans attended--with 80% or so cheering for RIT. The Tigers dominated in special teams play with two power play goals and seven successful penalty kills, and that was the difference. Ultimately, it was a defining moment for this third-year Division 1 program: a lot of people got exposed to the team for the first time locally and it made a statement nationally.
Source: brettdaly.blogspot.com

Two Sides Of The Coin Of Refinancing Posted By : David Mayer
The article asks when it makes sense to renegotiate the length of the repayment term on your mortgage or the amount of the monthly instalments. This may be because you have more disposable income now, or because an adjustable rate mortgage is about to increase the rate.
Source: www.articlesphere.com

Street Gang Real Estate Fraud Posted By : Josh Sloan
Over $9 million was deposited into an account controlled by Bell. This complex scheme resulted in charges to 24 co-conspirators for bank and wire fraud, money laundering and corrupt racketeering activity. They had participants from real estate, title insurance, appraisal and notary public.
Source: www.articlesphere.com

Free Parking in Downtown Rochester
That's right, from November 24th to January 2nd, the City of Rochester will be offering free downtown parking at night and on weekends. It's a move to encourage area residents to attend downtown events. It's a good move that should help boost attendance for events and help downtown businesses. The city may want to consider expanding this program in an effort to continue to encourage business at non-peak times.
Source: brettdaly.blogspot.com

Home Mortgage Refinancing, How Could It Be Useful To Your Plans? Posted By : Lara Sawyer
If you had to resort to a home mortgage to purchase your property, and you are in an advanced stage of repayment, thinking about a home mortgage refinancing may give you extra money to count within your monthly budget. Many times, after a while living in a property, there are certain repairs that happen to be done. A broken roof or old plumb cannot stay that way forever, but we are always thinking about something else that has to be paid first and we leave our properties to loose bright and value with the pass of the years.
Source: www.articlesphere.com

Volunteering in Rochester
This past Friday, I had the privilege of visiting a third grade class at School #41 in Rochester. It was the most rewarding volunteering experience I have ever been a part of. It was put on by Junior Achievement in cooperation with RIT's Saunders College of Business. The program allows individuals from the community to go in and teach a class for a day. If you get a chance to get involved with this program, I highly recommend that you do so.

Additionally, Rochester Cares is a great local organization with a wide array of activities. The City of Rochester School District has additional opportunities. So for those that are looking to get involved in Rochester, there are a number of great ways to do so. My experiences in the Rochester City School District have been very positive. While challenges exist, it's definitely not the picture that many stereotype it to be. I recommend that you get involved and see for yourself.
Source: brettdaly.blogspot.com

My excuse(s)
So, my blog has been pretty quiet of late. I have a few excuses. I got married on May 17th and we went on our honeymoon to Ireland right after the wedding. Click here to see a few pictures--Ireland is beautiful.

I'm also back on the Internet at home, which is helpful when it comes to a blog. We went with Clearwire, primarily because we don't plan on getting cable and they mark up the Roadrunner rate for non-subscribers, and we don't plan on getting landline phone service, which rules out DSL. I was a little nervous based on a few Internet comments that I found, but I've been impressed with their service and support so far.

That's about it from here. I'm looking forward to getting out to a Rhinos game soon. It was evident that they improved food and added some enhancements to PAETEC Park at the Rattlers opener. Attendance has been modest by their standards, but that's not surprisingly given the bumps this past off season. Hopefully they'll win a few games and gain some momentum. The off-the-field moves have certainly been helpful.
Source: brettdaly.blogspot.com