Vello Ehvert suggested an alternative approach to the Madison/Broadview development to the IEC
Kommentaarid on kirjutatud EWR lugejate poolt. Nende sisu ei pruugi ühtida EWR toimetuse seisukohtadega.
VanemadUuemad
No surprises.25 Jan 2019 18:57
Those who have caught a glimpse of this project from the inside, know that anyone with real expertise and vision, has been perceived as a threat to the beautiful legacy that those within the core leadership of the project seek to build for themselves.
Other renowned architects, engineers and financing experts who have offered help, have been rejected. Ask within Majandusklubi.
This bubbling, toxic mix of egos and nepotism will not make for a strong Estonian future in Canada.
Need to be inclusive25 Jan 2019 21:07
Ehvert: “I have maintained that the Madison site is not suitable for the functions that are currently performed at the Estonian House - because of size, difficulty in access by car, parking, etc. Also, the cost of construction due to limitations of the site and the adjacency to the subway station make it an expensive location to build a large development.” From an engineering perspective Ehvert also indicated “that the design of the curtain wall in the shape of the country of Estonia (is) expensive and the U -shape created large surfaces which would be large heat loss surfaces and that there were other ways of bringing natural light into the space. Although I like the aesthetics, the design of the space appeared at first glance to be quite expensive.”

My heart bleeds for the Estonian community in Toronto. I don't need a legacy building in congested downtown Toronto. I need a home for all of my community's members. Family doesn't leave family members in the cold as the Madison build leadership has done, we need to become an inclusive community again.
Eda Sepp25 Jan 2019 23:29
Tõnu, this is an excellent article, well argued and logical.
Can we afford Madison?26 Jan 2019 05:39
Why did the Madison project leadership reject Vello Ehvert? He is an accomplished expert in his field. He should know if the project will be too rich for the community's pocketbook, as he seems to indicate.

Could it be because the Madison team has already invested millions in their present plans and now feel it would be too embarrassing to turn back? So it's full steam ahead?

Here is a video about Vello Ehvert and his company:
https://vimeo.com/62377754
Leaves a good impression, but26 Jan 2019 09:08
we can't say that the video tells us much that's obviously and specifically relevant to our needs.
Where has Vello been to date?
We have no reason to question his technical expertise but, could he steer such a project through our City Government and past the kooks in the neighbourhood, like Meiusi's friend Matthews, who objects to developers "who are only out to make a buck"?
To good impression27 Jan 2019 20:32
These are good questions. I'm glad that we have someone (Ehvert) this experienced in our community.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Can we afford Madison? (05:39), CWAM? (05:54)
CWAM?26 Jan 2019 05:54
... and another Ehvert video:
https://vimeo.com/51608291
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Can we afford Madison? (05:39)
lugeja28 Jan 2019 06:21
What a depressing article, but better to know than not to know.

I've known Vello on and off for almost 50 years myself and his track record speaks for itself. His offer to donate his company's resources is an incredibly generous one and his idea of creating a development corporation to support re-development of our properties sounds like a brilliant one!

Is seems like an incredible opportunity has been missed here and I'm already mourning what could have been. What a sad story this is turning into.
Vello appears...28 Jan 2019 08:07
...late in the day.
Redevelopment plans have been discussed for years. Where has be been for all this time?
Can't blame him, if he wishes to avoid the politics of the matter.
Busibodies and conspiracy-mongers are a big nuisance, in this matter, as they sit on the side-lines and criticise. Allan Meiusi, Jaak Järve, among others, have plenty to say, but little to do. I wish they'd establish their credibility by listing some accomplishments.
lugeja28 Jan 2019 08:59
Perhaps you'd like to comment on what Ingrid Tanner has been saying? In case you missed it, she claims she was elected to the Esto House board but she hasn't been invited to meetings. I suppose that she is also guilty of as you say, "plenty to say, but little to do"?

It seems you're only allowed to "do" if what you want to "do" is to donate money and keep your mouth shut. Sad but that's how it appears.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: lugeja (06:21)
rkomendant@studiok.ca28 Jan 2019 09:40
*heraldic flourish*. . . and on the horizon Hark Yea All!, a WHITE Horse with a rider named Vello Ehvert *Cheering* and )))metsik aplaus((( Whoa, nothing on Netflix comes close to this exciting Series . . . what will happen next?!?? *munch-munch munching on popcorn*
to Vello Appears28 Jan 2019 14:00
...yes it is late in the game. The Madison leadership should have been aware of Ehvert's accomplishments, yet they did not act upon it, it would seem because they were not open to it. We could have avoided much grief in the community had they done so early on.
Väino V. Keelmann28 Jan 2019 15:37
Mind valiti Eesti Maja juhatuses vaid Raivo Remmel vastu ei võtned.
Väino V. Keelmanni Parandus28 Jan 2019 15:47
Mind valiti Eesti Maja juhatuses vaid Raivo Remmel vastu ei võtnud.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Väino V. Keelmann (15:37)
----29 Jan 2019 16:57
Kommentaar on kustutatud EWR toimetuse poolt.
This comment has been deleted by EWR
a comment on Ingrid Tanner29 Jan 2019 19:30
Readers can decide for themselves if Ingrid Tanner is a suitable candidate for a Board.
She has posted many comments here in EWR and they could be retrieved from the archives. They speak for themselves.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: If not, why not? (18:22)
Enough already!28 Jan 2019 09:04
Readers should visit the Eest Elu web site, where they can read about the Ants Toi and Glen Leis families pledging $100,000 to the Estonian Centre development on Madison Ave.
These people are examples to us all!
How is it that such news isn't reported in the EWR? Here, only read Allan Meiusi's allegations of incompetence and malfeasance, none of them, substaniated.
Jaak Järve often reinforces them with cynical comments alluding to our gullibility.
As often as not, a reader expressing doubt or rebuttal, has his comment erased!
It's disgraceful!
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Vello appears... (08:07)
*28 Jan 2019 09:50
Individuals can throw money at anything they want.
This issue is about throwing the Estonian House proceeds at a project that has no vestige of a family orientated Estonian House.
Really! - to Enough28 Jan 2019 12:11
Well, that's rich!
EWR gets criticized, but there isn't a problem with the Vello Ehvert article not appearing on the Eesti Elu website.
As to rebuttal comments, Eesti Elu doesn't even allow comments on most of the Madison project articles.
Makes for a very convenient narrative!

Thank goodness for alternate info sources... for both sides.
Correction!30 Jan 2019 08:44
Tõnu Naelapea has published an article on Vello Ehvert in 'Eesti Elu'.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: on pledging (07:24)
To Correction... corrected30 Jan 2019 11:06
Absolutely correct.
Naelapea's article on Ehvert appeared in the paper version of Eesti Elu (buried in the back)
BUT...
as stated, it mysteriously has not been posted.on the EE website.

And even if it was, it conveniently wouldn't allow comments to be posted!
To: Enough Already28 Jan 2019 12:38
Most if not all articles about the Madison Project that are in E.Elu are on EWR. There is a protocol that E.Elu follows before those articles are released to EWR, and so they usually appear slightly later on EWR. The question remains is why Eesti Elu does not include "Lisa Komentaar /Add a Comment" to articles related to the Madison Project. Perhaps the M.P. supporters (4 Orgs ) are afraid to let the uhiskond hear the truth and how people really feel.
Meri seletas parklaga seotud28 Jan 2019 15:26
probleeme.

In Estonian and English from
Värskeid tuuli Tartu College’is
Eestlased Kanadas 25 May 2007 Elle Puusaag

“Komitee jälgib, hindab ja annab soovitusi TC majandusliku juhtimise ja projektide osas . . . .

Jaan Meri sõnul leiab AMC (Asset Management Committee), et „cash on kuningas“. Seda põhimõtet rakendades ongi juba saavutatud kokkuhoidu. Ta selgitas seejärel pikemalt TC juurde kuuluva parklaga seotud probleeme, mille osas on tekkinud linnaga vaidlus. Praegu kehtiva lepingu alusel tahab linn parkla enda valdusesse saada, mis talle võiks anda potentsiaalset sissetulekut 150.000–200.000 dollarit. Asjaajamiseks on tulnud palgata kõrgema kvalifikatsiooniga advokaate, mis on väga kulukas. Asi võib isegi minna kohtusse.

Teiseks soovitab AMC asuda renoveerima garaazhi, kus esineb korrosiooni. Selle töö maksumuseks on hinnaguliselt $300.000. Umbes sama palju võib maksma minna soovitatav fuajee ja peakorruse büroo renoveerimine. Ka VEMu ehitamise mõtet pole maha maetud, hr. Meri näitas selle eskiisi.

Läbirääkimiste osas selgitas Elmar Tampõld Välis-Eesti Muuseumi rajamisega seotud probleeme, öeldes, et „vaip tõmmati alt ära“, viidates parkimisplatsi murele. Meelt ei tasu aga heita, sest hr. Tampõld töötab selle projekti viienda variandi kallal!"

According to Jaan Meri in 2007 the newly formed Tartu College Asset Management Committee “finds that ‘cash’ is king”. Applying this principle has already brought about savings. He explained at greater length problems related to the parking lot attached to TC, over which a dispute has arisen with the City. Under the terms of the current agreement the City wants to take possession for itself of the parking lot, which could bring it a potential income of $150,000-$200,000. Dealing with this has required hiring lawyers with higher qualifications, which is very expensive. The thing may even go to court.

In addition the AMC recommends getting going on renovating the garage, where there is corrosion. The cost is estimated at $300,000. About the same amount would be required for the recommended renovations of the foyer and main floor office space. Nor has the idea to build VEMU been buried, Mr. Meri showed the sketch.

In discussion Elmar Tampõld explained the problems related to founding the Museum of Estonians Abroad (VEMU), saying „the rug was pulled out from underneath it“, referring to the concern about the parking lot. It is not worth despairing, though, since Mr. Tampõld is working on the fifth variant of this project!“

https://www.eesti.ca/varskeid-...
Salauudiste Udu30 Jan 2019 10:18
TC designs on the parking lot were long-running and the assumption on their part was that they could either renew the long-term lease or better yet, purchase the property from the city at the end of the original lease term. The quoted article came soon after the city advised that it would do neither and instead take over the lot and run it as a green P parking lot.

TC made quite a bit of cash money on that lot before it reverted to the city, but it is probable that its greater importance to the TC governors lay in their future plans for a museum/archive facility, itself founded on the (not unreasonable) expectation that 50 years from now "meie Toronto Eesti ühiskond" would be a mere historical curiosity - all but forgotten, if we didn't go ahead and build a memorial shrine or mausoleum for it now, while we still can... "püstita hauakivi omale nüüd..."

Quite possibly there was also a calculation that active professional curation (as opposed to the traditional amateur do-it-yourselfism) might actually extend the life of our community, even if it was thus transformed from a participation sport to a spectator amusement...

For whatever reasons, this discussion was not held in public and while parts of the subsequent implementation campaign have unavoidably garnered public attention the whole thing is probably a socially engineered "fait accompli" - consequences unknowable.
It's about Choice28 Jan 2019 16:45
Tartu College Asset Management Committee (above) vs. Community Development Corporation:

"Rather than sell Eesti Maja to an outside developer, an Estonian community redevelopment corporation could redevelop Eesti Maja and use the operating cash flow and/or development profit from Broadview to finance the purchase of land adjacent to Tartu College and redevelop that property on a smaller scale."

Sounds like an excellent idea, in light of all that we've learned about urban development and the needs and potential of the Estonian community. Certainly worth considering.

Are we getting the choices we want?

Who exactly has had a say in the matter at strategic points along the way?
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Meri seletas parklaga seotud (15:26)
Silent Majority29 Jan 2019 11:00
I can only hope once Madison is up and running that we can bid farewell to the likes of Vaino, Ingrid, Jaak, and all the others who have absolutely nothing useful to contribute anymore. The project's completion will provide a much needed and welcomed community enema.
rkomendant@studiok.ca29 Jan 2019 11:38
OK "Silent Minority" . . . your diatribe today is from 1940's Estonia (shudder). Madison will never be up and running because . . . wait for it . . . The Madison Project IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. 1. This project should NOT have been conceived with political intent, an agenda of consolidating monies which has poisoned everything and everyone. 2. The Madison Site has too many restrictions and therefore limits ESTONIAN innovation and creativity and does serve ALL our programmatic needs (+ it's a dark hole under all the rising towers (is this what we bled out for, for hundreds of years???) 2(a). An outdoor courtyard to "share"/allow access to the rest of Toronto? since when were Estos so magnanimous? we wouldn't even consider "sharing" a Community Centre with the Latvians on their big plot of land, at least over there Taimo Ilves would have his Volleyball court! 3. The design is what? an outline of Estonia's coastline . . . lame-o, that is a First Year Architecture Student Project, Estonians design Big 'A' architecture, Bach, who designed Petri Kirik was a GENIUS. 4. The PROCESS has been a botched, control-freak sideshow lacking a lens of a bigger world view and an intimate appreciation of "our journey" thus far. There is ONE artist in the group KNOWS how GOOD architecture really works, it is born out of magic, a spirit, LOVE! and that's why THIS project should have been hatched out of a competition. Maya Lin's Vietnam War Memorial in Washington . . . 1500 entries, and the judges kept coming back to her panel. THAT is how it is done. We CAN get this right and thrive into the future, but not by getting "rid" of the thinkers with your bathroom humour. You are better than this, I KNOW you are. The 'Madison Complex' now that we've officially snagged the Parking Lot, will make a nice chunk of development property to unload completely. Salut!
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: rkomendant@studiok.ca (09:40)
To Silent Majority30 Jan 2019 07:45
Stop and think for a moment. Why should you have been put in the position to state such a sad statement of good riddance to community members?

You are better to point your finger to the authors of this mess ... people who were short sighted and perhaps already quite exclusionary to begin with (perhaps elitist?) who turned their back on the community as a whole and put their narrow interests first.
Great news from 'Eesti Elu'!29 Jan 2019 15:00
The families of Ants Toi and Glen Leis have each pledged $100,000 to the Madison Ave. development.
I wonder why the "Estonian World Review" has made no mention of this magnificent example of generosity?Could Allan Meiusi have a role in this oversight?
Great News?29 Jan 2019 19:24
Hey Great News, in your witch hunt against Meiusi, you seem to conveniently ignore the fact that Eesti Elu doesn't post the Vello Ehvert story.
I wonder who has a role in this oversight?
Markus Alliksaar10 Feb 2019 22:19
EWR has mentioned this development.
If not, why not?29 Jan 2019 18:22
I wonder how much Allan Meiusi is willing to pledge?
To - If Not...29 Jan 2019 21:08
Why not? Why should he (or anyone else), pledge anything, if they don't like it.

Next you'll probably have anyone not pledging wear the scarlet letter. In the tradition of the best totalitarian systems.
on pledging30 Jan 2019 07:24
We know that Meiusi is working hard and, some say, mischieviously to promote the refurbishing of Eesti Maja.
We don't know if he's willing to pledge even one dollar to that cause.
to Salauudiste Udu30 Jan 2019 11:41
Interesting response. Professional curating has been a boon. Disturbing complications have come about through outright amateurish "fundraising".
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Meri seletas parklaga seotud (15:26), It's about Choice (16:45)
Ehvert to Madison30 Jan 2019 13:40
The Madison Steering Committee discredits itself re Naelapea. Ehvert has reportedly said no to selling Estonian House to an outside developer. This is a crucial point of difference, shared all along by others. His offer and proposal represent an expert challenge to the whole ‘Estonian Centre’ model of construction, design, and funding - another possibility - and as such, a decisive Estonian response to the common situation of urban pressures on community and urban potential. Respect is warranted.

Response: “The Steering Committee of the Estonian Centre Project is aware that there are alternative initiatives which profess to be ‘contingency plans’ should the Madison project not proceed. However, for groups and individuals to actively campaign against the Madison project or to advance unlikely alternatives contradicts the mandate expressed by Estonian House shareholders.” We know of one alternative initiative that is a “contingency plan” (thank goodness) but the discussion of alternative initiatives has all along been discouraged. This 'leadership' felt there was no need for discussion before it rapidly pushed through its "mandate", and its appeals to unity are a mockery under the circumstances it has itself created.

The English-language ‘response’ from the Madison project should be attached to the existing English-language article by Tõnu Naelapea, so readers can judge for themselves its adequacy. Eesti Elu (Estonian Life), consistently, in print and online, should do the right thing.

Incredibly comments are not allowed. More accurately and emblematically, in a language other than the one in which the piece was written, the only response to Naelapea allowed is from the Madison Steering Committee.

http://eestielu.com/et/organis...
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Meri seletas parklaga seotud (15:26), It's about Choice (16:45), to Salauudiste Udu (11:41)
sidebar30 Jan 2019 13:59
The relationship of Tartu College and Eesti Elu/Estonian Life is a critical test for the community. Such a clear example of exploiting rather than responding decisively to a situation is the failure to maximize bilingual access, rather than exploit gaps, to community-focussed materials including signed and publicly stated diverse points of view, as well as appropriately labelled press releases, letters to the editor, true reporting, and comments. For all the best efforts under the circumstances, some kind of investigation is needed as the vehicule seems on examination to have veered more than a little from normal expectations. (Madison Steering Committee to Naelapea, etc.).
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Meri seletas parklaga seotud (15:26), It's about Choice (16:45), to Salauudiste Udu (11:41), Ehvert to Madison (13:40)
Fox Mulder30 Jan 2019 17:35
“This is a well written article”? Unfortunately, IMHO the 5Ws have not been answered!

This article is most certainly is a testament to the accomplishments of Vello's parents, Tiiu and Sven Ehvert. Perhaps I did not read the article correctly, as I didn't see examples of Vello's accomplishments nor his contributions to the Estonian community in Southern Ontario during the past 2 or even 3 decades. That's probably just a mistake by the the writer.

As, “This is a well written article”, I was also surprised to the fact that there was no connotations as to when Hr. Vello Ehvert was approached for making monetary contributions to Madison Avenue or as to to when he was approached to make a “contribution” of his firm's time and resources to upgrading the facilities at Eesti Maja?

I'm sure that I am NOT the only one to be surprised that Hr. Ehvert nor his firm was consulted during the previous THREE outside consultations for the advancement or upgrading of the facilities at 958 Broadview Avenue. Why might that be? I for one can only surmise is that Hr. Vello Ehvert might be a bit slighted. Perhaps I'm wrong as, “this is is a well written article”?

Just as a sidebar torkomendant@studiok.ca & Väino V. Keelmann, perhaps it just me, but your posts are a tad incoherent, please stop or at least TRY to clarify....

All the best!
Fox Mulder

Remember all you naysayers and conspiracy theorists (JJ, Meiusi et al) I Want to Believe and/or "The truth is out there"
Fox Mulder01 Feb 2019 15:40
I can't for the life of me understand WHY there is such discrepancies between the article that appears on this site and the the one that appears in EestiElu hard copy????

http://eestielu.com/et/organis...

There is absolutely NO mention of Vello's parents in either?

This site seems to be under the influence of ..... FAKE NEWS!!!!

Or is that just because of the handy work or influence of


Allan Meiusi
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Fox Mulder (17:35)
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