About Enviromental Community Advocate
and
Enviromental Journalist
Louis Rodolico
Each year that we do not build the Regents Road Bridge generates about 15 additional major accidents involving property damage, injury and death. Also delayed ambulance service times proves fatal for 7 of us each year, given the additional time it takes to get to the emergency room. Not building the bridge requires us to build an additional fire station. When we add it all up: additional fire station, rush hour man hours, fuel, needless deaths, property damage and medical costs, not building the bridge costs us about 14 million dollars a year, while adding 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere annually. The math: 1.4 billion a century if we do not build a 35 million dollar bridge.
The same can be said of the two locations Citygate has proposed for the University Fire Stations. Only one is necessary. Here we must insist on the work of good governance and work to place a Fire Station central to University City. One Citygate location is at Stresemann & Governor or extreme western UC. This location provides 9 minute service times to east UC, where 6 minutes is the standard. The other Citygate location is on Nobel and also has poor times to east UC. See Clairemont Times: University City One Fire Station or Two?
I was a Licensed California Architect. I retired in 2015. I worked mostly on hospital projects but was also a Project Architect for the renovation of the Grant Hotel in San Diego and brought the complex Viejas Gymnasium to completion. I worked on the Treehouse at the Philadelphia Zoo and the New Terminal F for the Philadelphia International Airport. I moved to California in 2001. I live in University City. I am married with two children, one in middle school and one in high school. I have 5 siblings and have been appointed legal guardian of both of my parents. In 2008 I built a legal companion unit for my parents to live in behind my house.
As a Licensed Architect and pro-bono community advocate in Pennsylvania I provided designs and/or contract documents for: a 300 million dollar transportation center, gymnasiums, a women's shelter, commercial stores/storefronts, playgrounds etc. In College I was President: Society of American Military Engineers. After College: I was on the Board of Frankford United Neighbors Community Development organization, Treasurer of Frankford Young Women's Christian Organization, Frankford Transportation Committee, Bridge-Pratt Businessman's Association, Vice President Deni Playground Advisory Council and coached juniors baseball for 7 years. I am currently Vice President University City Fire Safe Council a non-board member of UCCA & UCPG. My volunteering includes donating blood which I have done about 130 times. I also build houses in Mexico with a church group. My wife, Katie, grew up in UC and attended Curie elementary in the 60’s as a native of San Diego. Katie and I have deep ties to the community.
I have been involved in community issues here in California as well with presentations and published position papers on: Fire House locations and Regents Road Bridge, mitigating the train in Rose Canyon, the EIR Traffic Analysis and tying an underground Coaster into a UTC transit center.
Frankford Transportation Center - $300 Million Project: I have the patience to steer community projects to optimize benefit. For example, in Philadelphia in the early 90's there was a very dangerous 5 point intersection underneath the elevated Bridge-Pratt train terminus. With sharp acute angle sunlight, steel pylons, water dripping and ice melting from the tracks above and road ice the intersection was extremely dangerous with an inordinate amount of fatal and near fatal accidents. When I heard that the Terminal Station was to be upgraded, I jumped on the opportunity to relocate the train. Moving a train track is a really big deal and at first I was not taken seriously, maybe more of a gadfly. Over time I continually pressed the case and was able to graphically demon-strait the advantages of moving the train. My proposal showed the 5 point intersection converted into a standard cross street, but not under the Terminal, the Terminal and tracks were eventually moved off the street and onto SEPTA property. My proposal also showed an additional 3 point intersection. An extremely dangerous 5 point intersection was mitigated. It was this experience that drives me to see the Regents Road Bridge completed. I am willing to tolerate ridicule if it saves lives.
The same can be said of the two locations Citygate has proposed for the University Fire Stations. Only one is necessary. Here we must insist on the work of good governance and work to place a Fire Station central to University City. One Citygate location is at Stresemann & Governor or extreme western UC. This location provides 9 minute service times to east UC, where 6 minutes is the standard. The other Citygate location is on Nobel and also has poor times to east UC. See Clairemont Times: University City One Fire Station or Two?
I was a Licensed California Architect. I retired in 2015. I worked mostly on hospital projects but was also a Project Architect for the renovation of the Grant Hotel in San Diego and brought the complex Viejas Gymnasium to completion. I worked on the Treehouse at the Philadelphia Zoo and the New Terminal F for the Philadelphia International Airport. I moved to California in 2001. I live in University City. I am married with two children, one in middle school and one in high school. I have 5 siblings and have been appointed legal guardian of both of my parents. In 2008 I built a legal companion unit for my parents to live in behind my house.
As a Licensed Architect and pro-bono community advocate in Pennsylvania I provided designs and/or contract documents for: a 300 million dollar transportation center, gymnasiums, a women's shelter, commercial stores/storefronts, playgrounds etc. In College I was President: Society of American Military Engineers. After College: I was on the Board of Frankford United Neighbors Community Development organization, Treasurer of Frankford Young Women's Christian Organization, Frankford Transportation Committee, Bridge-Pratt Businessman's Association, Vice President Deni Playground Advisory Council and coached juniors baseball for 7 years. I am currently Vice President University City Fire Safe Council a non-board member of UCCA & UCPG. My volunteering includes donating blood which I have done about 130 times. I also build houses in Mexico with a church group. My wife, Katie, grew up in UC and attended Curie elementary in the 60’s as a native of San Diego. Katie and I have deep ties to the community.
I have been involved in community issues here in California as well with presentations and published position papers on: Fire House locations and Regents Road Bridge, mitigating the train in Rose Canyon, the EIR Traffic Analysis and tying an underground Coaster into a UTC transit center.
Frankford Transportation Center - $300 Million Project: I have the patience to steer community projects to optimize benefit. For example, in Philadelphia in the early 90's there was a very dangerous 5 point intersection underneath the elevated Bridge-Pratt train terminus. With sharp acute angle sunlight, steel pylons, water dripping and ice melting from the tracks above and road ice the intersection was extremely dangerous with an inordinate amount of fatal and near fatal accidents. When I heard that the Terminal Station was to be upgraded, I jumped on the opportunity to relocate the train. Moving a train track is a really big deal and at first I was not taken seriously, maybe more of a gadfly. Over time I continually pressed the case and was able to graphically demon-strait the advantages of moving the train. My proposal showed the 5 point intersection converted into a standard cross street, but not under the Terminal, the Terminal and tracks were eventually moved off the street and onto SEPTA property. My proposal also showed an additional 3 point intersection. An extremely dangerous 5 point intersection was mitigated. It was this experience that drives me to see the Regents Road Bridge completed. I am willing to tolerate ridicule if it saves lives.
