The Observation Deck

We wanted ours buried too, but it would require an engineering feat to do it. They would have to be completely sealed from flooding and require a pneumatic mechanism to raise and lower them. The fact is they have to be accessed fairly regularly. They also house the land line telephone boards, so they are somewhat delicate.

Love the cozies, and the wayfinding might work, but your point about urban graffiti is well placed.

AT&T needs to retain the services of AGS to provide the covering. The covering cannot impede access to the box, but an inventory of replacements need to be available for the occasional destructive imagery for quick swap outs. Also, a fine spray of silicone over the final vinyl application can help reduce graffiti paint from sticking.

The urban camo is not "following." We discussed this option along with the pop art approach 2 years ago. I think the urban camo would be the bomb and really the easiest to create and maintain, IMHO.

The boxes could also serve up a venue for some nostalgia - they could use images of vintage Lakewood.

Dustin James wrote:Love the cozies, and the wayfinding might work, but your point about urban graffiti is well placed.

Dustin


If I understand the progress here, and I know neither you or I could ever actually cut a place for us in the
specialized field of signage, graphics, wayfinding or urban planning.

Problems
1) Ugly boxes that were invited in with no real understandinh how big or how many.
2) A city that is filled with lost people and more arriving everyday.
3) Graffiti is a problem, as is clutter.
4) The very real need of not just the city but everyone to get info out.
5) Versatility and easy of maintenance
6) Something different that sets us apart
7) The need for public art
8) $$$$$$$$$$$$ Cost is the biggest issue.

So this is what I came up with.


Send some of Judge Carroll "inmates" out with rollers and blackboard paint.

Allow citizens to use chalk, and post their messages.

Done!


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Blackboard paint is an awesome idea. It will even wash clean in the rain, no need to have flyers littering the streets. Could we do this with the unsightly railroad boxes too? Why stop at the ugly at&t boxes?

Although I will admit, I am partial to tea cozies, they are so darn cute, that would certainly set us apart.

Jim said:
Problems
1) Ugly boxes that were invited in with no real understanding how big or how many.
-----> Yes, but the cat seems to be out of the proverbial bag on that one. There would not be much chance of them going away, correct? So realistically, you may want lemonade from lemons.

2) A city that is filled with lost people and more arriving everyday.
-----> I hear the frustration with this and the wayfinding thing seems to have it's own solar system and orbiting bodies. Again, not sure if that genie goes back in the bottle at this point.

3) Graffiti is a problem, as is clutter.
-----> It can be a very big problem and cheapens property. Obviously I know your post was facetious, but that is the exact look that would be worst case.

4) The very real need of not just the city but everyone to get info out.
------> Not sure if these boxes are the vehicle for bulletin boarding. Hmm, I think the LO would be waayyy better:)

5) Versatility and easy of maintenance
------> Adhesive printed Vinyl would probably fit this bill the best.

6) Something different that sets us apart
------> Covering them in a way to make them less industrial looking is definitely better than if they are plain grey. It would get publicity for both the City and for AT&T (for underwriting the expense of doing it -see below)

7) The need for public art
------> Again this may be a separate issue, or there may be instances when both public art and re-purposing the look are solved with a mash-up approach of doing a little of both.

$$$$$$$$$$$$ Cost is the biggest issue.
------> Last time I checked, AT&T was doing pretty well for themselves. If cost is the biggest issue, I would think they would embrace the publicity of solving a community problem about blight, created in part by not being able to cost justify the incredibly expensive engineering of burying all of these things.

By generously underwriting the transformation of industrial boxes into integrated pieces of modern architecture, they could share in the positive public relations of solving the problem and look like heroes instead of heels.

By any conservative estimate, to create fully water sealed units, that elevate, retract and lock - and the time and material it would take to install or retrofit them all, it could go to $20,000 a piece very easily.

In contrast, the cost to create, install and maintain the creative covering of them, might average only 500 hundred dollars each. Clearly a wise business decision would be the latter, considering the city most likely already let the first choice slip right by.

DL said: ...maybe vintage photos.... Could work. Here's a quickie of what that might look like...

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Rhonda loje wrote:And what are you implying Charlie??????

Rhonda - these boxes are huge eyesores. I don't think anyone thinks otherwise, except the AT&T people. I'm sure at some point in Lakewood's history there were outhouses in use. Since Jim mentioned hundred year old homes, outhouses came to mind almost immediately as these were probably considered an eyesore back then...much like the uverse boxes are now. I certainly wasn't implying anything derogatory about Lakewood's housing stock.

KFC gave two Indiana cities $7,500 to advertise on City fire hydrants. Maybe we could do the same with the ATT boxes? I don't think the City owns them but we could work something out with ATT.

The Root Cafe, Beck Center, Lakewood Hardware, Melt, Geiger's and other local businesses. Get some good creativity going that won't be just the same old billboard type stuff. Get some inspired Virginia Marti students involved like they helped a few businesses on Madison re-design their window displays. Let's make some lemonade and get paid for it!

http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertisi ... ants_N.htm

Lakewood isn't the only city complaining about these things. It's happening across the country.
http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/more ... 2009-02-12

Hey, Jim, Charlie's on a roll.

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Charlie Page wrote: Let's make some lemonade and get paid for it!

Charlie,

Opening a real can of worms there.

Maybe you do not remember...

stephen davis wrote:Hey, Jim, Charlie's on a roll.

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OK

Charley brought it up, not me

and I am only posting the heavily edited version that was finally allowed.





.

OK

Charley brought it up, not me

and I am only posting the heavily edited version that was finally allowed.

Seriously, Jim WHAT the heck is this image?

Thanks Charlie for that clarification. I still think your idea is great!

Dustin James wrote:

OK

Charley brought it up, not me

and I am only posting the heavily edited version that was finally allowed.

Seriously, Jim WHAT the heck is this image?

Dustin

I thought you might have been here during the fracas over that image.

But then I realized that as in Jeopardy all answers must be in the form of a question and this is
a AT&T Lightspeed thread, where we are talking about them spending money taking care of
their equipment as they have in the past after making billions on us, I had not answered in
the form of a Lightspeed/Uverse Box

So...




Charlie's lemonaide stand Lightspeed/Uverse box.


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Ahh yes, ATT&T's answer faux wood paneling.







.

Dustin James wrote:

OK

Charley brought it up, not me

and I am only posting the heavily edited version that was finally allowed.

Seriously, Jim WHAT the heck is this image?

I can't find the thread, but it was an adult selling lemonade on what looked like milk crates covered with garbage bags on Detroit, apparently. The subject of the post was "New Restaurant opens on Detroit" and it was the funniest thing I've ever read here.