Ned said, "Don't give up!"

The Cleveland Landmarks Commission are a board of professionals ( lawyers, historians, planners, architects) who genuinely and wholeheartedly support the moral virtue of preservation. But, what comes with the territory is a little bit of jadedness. Not necessarily at any one direction, but most directly at the wonky foundation of inter-departmental City politics.

Now, preservation has shown itself as both an economic and community development tool. It sustains the existing built environment, and encourages its community to utilize this building stock before simply tearing down and starting fresh.

With the current buzzword being green, it is to wonder why preservationists are still repeating the same banter about preservation being necessary and a benefit to the community. While new architecture clambers at LEEDS and is gaining funding through sustainable initiatives, preservation is shaking its head saying, "this is what we have been doing for fifty-some-odd-years"! Somewhere along the lines, there was a break down of communication between preservationists and their community.

Ned said, "Don't give up on preservation!" He said this after the Commission learned about amended ordinances that, if left as is, could give the precedence for back-stepping preservation's legal grounds.

Ned is cool. Ned has that wisdom that most of us seek as we go through our lives. Most people sidestep talking about issues. Ned always seems to be direct about what is going on, while offering a little bit of encouragement that gives that guidance we need to continue.