Sketchhhhh

I have to agree. There is quite a bit of ambiguity in this post. I try not to be a grammer and spelling boffin, but they were both atrocious. Anyway, I think Mayor Ness has done an excellent job thus far. A 6.9% unemployment rate is pretty good, comparativley. It is a sign of the times and will more than likely improve along with the rest of the nation. We are a little ahead of the game, which is great! I am in full support of all things green and solar. I feel this is the future for America if we could get our collective shit together and focus. We are still bickering about the validity of global warming while China is making massive headway on a major solar program. There are many inevitable patents out there I fear we will lose because of the lack of maturity of some of our leaders. I know Mayor Ness is a big advocate for green technology and I hope his colleagues around the state will follow suit. Although with the Republican take over and eventual randsacking of the legislature, this will be at least a 2 year hinderance for any progress. As for the city's role for solar energy.......lead by example please!

ease up people.
http://www.dyslexia.com/famous.htm

frank, i hope you don't(and i don't expect you would)take this criticism to heart. (also, not trying to say you are dyslexic, just trying to make a larger point. also, i myself believe you are a genius.)

I appreciated your point, and would also like to see Duluth become more of an Environmental Leader. 
Also, I stray from divisive generalizations such as 
"Although with the Republican take over and eventual randsacking (ransacking) of the legislature, this will be at least a 2 year hinderance (hindrance) for any progress", because with mindsets like this, we are magnetizing paralysis not progress. 

Anyway, Gobble Gobble.

Frank Nichols! :)

I fully support green ideas and sustainability, but I personally get tired of saying we should "do it!!!", but it seems there is little in the way of specific ideas....especially in regard to encouraging the free market and/or Joe Citizen want to do it (as opposed to being forced to do it).  Kind of like everyone talking about the weather, but no one doing anything about it.  Just my two cents.

Here is a small thing that could be tried. Most of us pay 3.50 cents for electricity for street lights. Take one intersection haveing one street light. Going to the middle of each block you have about 15 residences each paying 3.50 a month or 42 dollars a year times 15 equals 630 dollar a year. A company named Enertia Engineering has an advanced type of solar street light. I am going to use prices  and operating facts from their fact sheet. This is just one company I just pulled them up, never heard about them before, whether they are the best or worse I don't know. They are more expensive up front 3000 dollars versus 400 for standard light. But installation cost are minimal vs a new standard light . No trenching no wires on the pole or in the ground  These are their fiqures. Total one time costs installed. 6100 for standard st light vs 3100 for the solar . Further saving are accrued because you don't have  to buy electrity with the solar light, maintenance is cheaper . In their analysis a regular street light cost about 500 dollars a year to operate vs 75 for solar. 
    You could try a test intersection using the 630 dollars we are paying for our street light. In five years you have recouped your investment and now you only have minimal maintenance costs and you are not buying electricity from the Dakotas or someplace. This is a small example of sustainability as to some degree you are now in control of your own lights.Their are places doing this with the main resistance to this coming from power companies. I'm not saying do the whole town just one intersection as a test. Do diligent research as to who has the best light for your money. Not a real big thing but a step in right derection. The intersection I would pick would be Lake and Suoerior.

The unemployment rate IS NOT how many people are unemployed, it is how many people are currently collecting unemployment money.

Millions of people have run out of their unemployment money and still are not working.

Duluth's real unemployment rate is closer to 40% when you factor in people colecting welfare and social security and those that have run out of unemployment money.

Fraud,

Before putting your misinformation out there so strongly, you should understand basic economics.

The unemployment has nothing to do with those collecting unemployment.  The rate is determined by the number of people in the labor force compared to the number looking for work.  You can run out of unemployment benefits, be collecting social security, or be a full time college student AND be looking for work and you would be counted in the statistic.

Unemployment is calculated the same across the country.  I don't think Duluth's rate is anything to celebrate - but it has been better than both the state and the nation for the last two years.

Though Frank's comments approach hyperbole, I have to agree with a lot of the sentiments.  Duluth is well known for misappropriating resources.  A common joke in Colorado was along the line of, "We build malls, eateries, and tech centers that work, where in Minnesota, they build hockey rinks and Christmas drinks."  No offense, just saying.

I think Duluth needs to regain its long-lost entrepreneurial spirit and especially access to private capital before its citizens day dream about green jobs that will never come here.

Paging Phillip Falcone....

I guess I'll have to do some more research on the light poles, but for now my concern would be with no back up source of power (as was stated no wire trenches and none in the poles), what happens in Duluth when we have a blizzard for a couple of days, or even typical short overcast weather for days or a week at a time? How would these solar lights be beneficial? Like I said, I myself plan on researching them tomorrow. It's a great idea if there is a way to have a seperate power supply, i.e. a deep cycle battery, connected to the grid, something, for when we just dont see the sun around here at all or very little. As far as wind, all I've heard is that the wind turbines are huge and noisy. Anyone have first hand experience? I do like Solar and have been wanting to expand my knowledge/use of it. I started with using a couple freeloader chargers to keep my cell charged. Anyways that's my ramble for now.

Found a 2 year study done by UMD Prof. Taek Kwon  in 2006 for the Transportation Data Research Laboratory on using a solar/ wind street light for rural use. They  actually built one and tested it for two years. I think it's at the DOT compound by The Mesabi- 6th ave intersection. Also looked into using solar powered lights for making storefront displays and oh LED'S were expensive but then I found that you can get a string of 100 LED  Christmas lights with solar panel , battery backup, and sensor to come on at dark and shut off for like 15 dollars. Might have to try and make something.