The Saint Paul Condo Blog

So it's late and I decided to poke a little fun at the Billion Dollar gorilla trying to come downtown.

I was half way through a blog post about how Obama's 2011 budget includes a teaser $45 million check, when news broke that MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) was planning on suing has sued Met Council over the LRT's run down Cedar Street (Battle of the M's, get it?).  At heart is how to reduce vibrations in front of their studio on Cedar and 7th Street.  Met Council wants to lay a rubber mat under the tracks, and MPR wants steel springs under the tracks.

As a bystander in the dispute, I still don't really understand how the trains could cause so much vibration that it would make their studio unusable.  How does the vibration of a semi-truck rumbling down the street, or a snow plow shaving the street clean, or a fire truck in full sirens blaring responding to a call effect their studio?

The cynic in me asks, "Did MPR know they were building a studio in an urban environment?"  I mean this isn't exactly the same area as Paisley Park.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet that MPR wins this battle, but it's unfortunate that it has to come to this.

EDITED 2/4/2010 - MPR has now filed a lawsuit.