The issues 1 and 33 of Metropole Le Magazine do a complex number

 In communication, is Angers Loire Métropole goes all out or does it derail? The inhabitants received in their letterbox recently the magazine simply denominated Métropole published by the local authority. Its front page indicates number 33 october-november-december 2011. But at the same time, dozens of advertising spaces in Angers annouced the number one of... Métropole published in october 2011 : "The news in large : october 3rd, the new magazine gives you rendez-vous order to meet you". What to believe?

Some of the contents of the publication and the poster are the same : "Ideas ahead of time" as well as "News of towns". These overabundant publications is the result of a visible will to accelerate the fame of the city and to enhance the self-confidence of the inhabitants. That's good but, take care with the risk of an over self-confidence which could become pride.
 
This is linked with another advertising campaign of Angers Loire Valley all over its territory : "Proud to be Angevins". But what is the target : the people who yet live in Angers or those who don't... presently? Of course, the inhabitants must be convinced of the assets of their city in order to promote it outside, but will it be sufficient?

The Cancerology West Institute of Angers let the mayor speak about his own cancer

The walls of the ground floor in the West Institute of Cancerology, formerly Paul Papin center, located in Angers are covered by pictures of former patients, each of them letting a message for the next sick persons having to come for care. The faces are often smiling and the words delivered are a hope for those who read them for the first time. Among the patients who have been cured here, one is well known of the Angers inhabitants, because its the mayor of the city, Jean-Claude Antonini himself.

The mayor of Angers, who was cured for a lung cancer at the beginning of 2011 when he was 71, is smiling like the others patients and points out he was a general practionner before entering in politics, so well aware of the nature of his own illness. His face is beardless (coincidentally (?), he wore beard during all the works of the trolley) and his look is the one the Angers inhabitants are familiar with. 

The lesson it could be possible to extract from such an experience is "transparency" (his own word) about cancer like a way to lighten the burden of anxiety and pain. Fortunately, the mayor came through and was able to return to his responsabilities. He remembers this transparency gave him a lot of friends and the comfort of his "Angers family".

Crack in townhall on La Rochefoucauld parking lot

Two recent issues, one politician and another urbanistic, were recently interlaced in the news of Angers : the free parking lot of La Rochefoucauld square and the reframing of the deputy mayor Bernadette Caillard-Humeau, by the mayor himself, Jean-Claude Antonini. A few days ago, the first announced that place could become not free in 2012 and a few hours later, she was refuted by her ally. 

Free or not, the La Rochefoucauld square is one of the ugliest place of Angers. Rounded by hundred-years-old plane trees, this giant square is invaded by cars all year long except during the Saint-Martin fair. The economical logic would be to end with its free in order to increase the number of the trolley's travellers. But many persons in Angers don't use the line and probably they are fed up to pay for everything. Some of them work in the hospital nearby which is the first employer of the town and a tank of votes.


A few years ago, the mayor of Angers dismissed one of his deputy mayor (Hervé Carré) after he expressed an opinion different of the one of the mayor. Mrs Caillard-Humeau could be advised to remember that fact unless she is thinking about the future local polls, but it's not sure her idea will be very popular.

Sun without sums ?

In a little royal style, the mayor of Angers granted to his subjects the possibility to take a drink on the open air terraces of cafes during that unusual lenthening of summer. "I wish the Angers inhabitants may benefit of their downtown while summer is still there", said Jean-Claude Antonini on the website of the townhall.


The measure is appropriate because the weather was quite disappointing during july and august in Angers (as elsewhere) and has been surely welcomed by the restaurants and cafes owners throughout the center district. Already weakened by almost three and a half years of work for the trolley line, most of the restaurant and cafe owners along the tracks desperately needed a profitable end of summer season. It would have been unfair to deprive the storekeepers and the consumers of pleasure... and receipts.


In fact, a part of these are destinated to cityhall, and a part of this part comes from the terraces. These equipments, when they are located in the public domain (pavements, squares, gardens), are not free. The store owners have to pay a tax for them (and their amount could increase because of the ranking of Angers in the touristic cities category) in the future.


Presently Angers city, like many others, is eager to get money in order to balance its budget. Maybe the taxes on terraces are cheap (a few euros per square meter?) in Angers, but at least they were additionnal sun... and sums.

The critics against the opening of stores on sunday in Angers are a flexible geometry

The opening of stores on sunday continues to fuel protests from the ecological movement in Angers. It was the case with the accessibility to customers of the Leclerc superstore, at Saint-Jean-de-Linières, every sunday since the beginning of september. After the critic from Jean-Claude Antonini, the mayor of Angers, it's the turn of the "Europe écologie les verts" to harshly criticize the decision of the superstore, considering the case as a "intolerable social drawing back".

If the opposition to such commercial activity is acceptable (even when the economy is badly damaged and need more flexibility to fuel growth and jobs), the stance of "Europe écologie les verts" is a flexible doctrine... At the same time, and in the same website, Angers Maville, another news describes the opening, all the weekend long, of the fair of biological food, an economical activity praised by the ecologists, at the center of exhibitions of Angers....
 
The biological food exhibition on sunday was never criticized by the "Europe écologie les verts", nor by the mayor of Angers who even, rent its center for the fair, making compulsory for people to work on sunday.

English on Angers front stores

Pupils are not the only population to face English words during their timetable. The revival of stores' sales after the summer break prompts the stores' owners to promote their products in English. Angers consumers have to be more and more fluent in Shakespeare's language. A health club, a hotel, garnments stores, shoes stores try to attract consumers as if the use of English words was a way to move them abroad.


We are in the "shopping days", reminds Antonelle to consumers in Alsace street while another a few meters higher points out he sells at "good prices". Others stores try to stimulate a complicity with the pedestrians in order to lead them to come in : "We love pinguins" says one in Saint-Aubin street and another confesses "No matter what season, I love wasting time with you...".


These ads make the billboards depicting teenagers "proud to be angevins" a little bit more has been. What is the goal of the advertiser (Angers townhall)? Apparently, the target is much more sensitive to English language. The use of that idiom could have been almost as efficient as the use of French which does not give to the Angers youngs the feeling they are different. Local stores owners don't hesitate in boldness : a health club located on Foch boulevard puts up "more energy, more life" near a funeral store... Oh my god!

Marathon mad

It's not marathon man, but it could be. Mr X is walking and running all over Angers almost all year long. After the training in a stadium, he comes back home, but the return seems a training too. He has not a lot of time for talking, because that would probably slow his rythm. So if a pedestrian want to interwiew the sportsman, he has to follow his pace.


The man is running since 20 years. He lives in Angers and quite regularly goes to Southern France where he is running in public competitions. His face has the traits of a veteran but the man's profile has something juvenile. Probably because of the runs he accomplished many times. One can see him crossing down town with a sports bag.


These exercises have some distorted the silhouette, constantly bent forward as if the man was attracted by his next step, the next yard till the end of his continuous run. But the discipline doesn't seems cumbersome to him. His smile appears on his face as soon as he speaks about his lifetime runner.


The discipline must be strict because, on thursday 29 september, the temperature was 30° at 8 pm, oh yes it was very hot. In spite of his long time of sportsman, he seems to enjoy semi-marathon (about 21 km). He doesn't think, even a single minute to stop running because he would be like an addict without his drug. So Angers inhabitants will see for a long time to come their marathon-mad.

Inappropriate behaviour of Angers animal's owner on the trolley lawns, a case among others

If the cleanliness is a constant worry of Angers city, some persons apparently do not know what the word means and are not very concerned by the cleanliness of public places. On monday in the evening, the proof was given by a man walking with his dog on the lawns of the trolley in order, obviously, to let the animal defecate. Some people do that but not so visibly, not so publicly.


The neglect of French people for public places is a very common behaviour in this country. If one can understand the attention the people pay to their animals, its beyond understanding these people do not pay the same attention for the other people. Moreover, these lawns are part of a urban landscape which needed a lot of work for many persons : architects, gardeners and so... So the use of that lawn for natural needs sounds like an insult to the skills which were involved in such a project.


Would a fee enforceable to the owners of animals be appropriate? Maybe the taxpayer would consider there are entrusted to do what they want just because they pay. In fact the lack of concern regarding the maintaining costs yet a lot of money to the local public authority. Recently, the Ralliement square has been completly clean up because of the gums splitted on the pavements. A kind of plastic layer will be applied to the surface, but will the behaviour of pedestrians will change?

The tram travellers face, with pleasure, technical problems to pay their tickets

The trolley line has made some people happy. In june, the Angers inhabitants travelled for free. Then, the tickets dispensers were out of order, and  since the beginning of september, they are alway out of order. Apparently the ticket collectors said nothing, so some travellers use the trolley without paying a penny. Its good for the popularity of the equipment.

The drivers of the train are powerless. Once the travellers are on board and with people behind them, they are protected by their honesty, and the word of the driver. But, thinks could change.Though, 1,40 euro is not a high price for a person who just want to discover Angers along the line. For persons who use it regularly, it could be different, almost if, like it is predictible, the price of the ticket will increase.

For people arriving in Angers and unaware of the technical problems above, the trolley free is surely a good idea. Hopefully there is coordination between trolley and bus. If an inhabitant takes the bus and, within an hour the trolley, he has to pay one time, what be the distance he has to cover. "Off we go".

The unexpected sight of Terra Botanica

 If Terra Botanica park includes a lot of gardens' sceneries whic attract numerous visitors, may be most of them, because of their desire to stay as long as possible in the compound, do note pay attention to a sight to a place located outside of the park, just a few dozen meters before the entrance. From a wooden bridge which leads the public to the entrance gates, the visitors can look a curious landscape, mysterious and totally unexpected. It looks so original that it could give the impression it is part of the Terra Botanica gardens.

A huge trench, whose depth is almost 8 meters, is winding, as silently as a snake, under the bridge. Designed for the former railway line which linked Angers to Segré (a city at the West of the Maine et Loire department), the place is now invaded by luxuriant vegetation like if the scene had taken place in a tropical forest. Trees' branches stretch over the trench and make it appear like a cradle or a coffin. In the middle of the passage, like a backbone the tracks still emerge, but not train has travelled there for a very long time.

This sight looks like a solemn warning about the limited power of man face to the force of nature. That impression comes from the silence and the stillness of the scene. The visitor is suddenly caught up in the smokes of the past.

The new faces of Angers

Few by few, Angers is counting a new generation of inhabitants. These have a very different face compared of those of Angevins stock even if they are born in Angers. One of their parents, mostly their mother, came here a few years ago and just for a few months to learn French. They learnt it so well, including the French culture, they felt in love with this country, and almost felt in love simply.

Through the Cidef, a language department linked to the Université catholique de l'Ouest, Japanese girls discovered the city and met their husband there. They married and settled in Angers and now have babies. All of them didn't only kept the black hair and dark eyes of Japan, but are also educated both in French by their father and Japanese by their mother. Apparently without a single problem. 

About twenty Angevins-Japanese couples were gathered on saturday for a picnic on the lawn of the Decathlon superstore. Some of them are furniture designer, others paper artist or chocolate maker. Some of them teach Japanese. These represent a new category of Angevins and may give to the city the international stance townhall want to get.

Angers Loire Valley misses the point in Le Monde

The daily French newspaper Le Monde published a four pages supplement to its issue printed on thursday dedicated to Angers Loire Valley. In fact, theses pages are not a report the newspaper has decided to do but an advertising insert bought by Angers Loire Valley. Visibly, this double's its effort to promote the city and its surroundings on a national scale. But once again, the sponsors of this ads missed a great opporunity to give to their city the international touch they want to give it. They had to portray Angers Loire Valley, not in French in Le Monde, but in English.

That's a pity, because, in his "interview", the mayor of Angers recognizes that the English touch of the brand, thanks to the word "Valley" is due to the acknowledgement that "English is the language which goes anywhere". Moreover, such an attraction is shared by others than the city. The ads mentions the existence of a community of local companies called Loire Electronic Applications Valley...In another brief article, the city puts forward its annual event of promotion of local companies designated Made in Angers while, in the field of arts, the city reminds his cultural exhibitions of Artaq, the Urban Arts Awards... 
 
Once more, the instigator of that communication should have use the impact of an English sounding branch in France. OK for an ads in French in The Times. But, in a daily title so French like Le Monde, an English ads on a French town would have been a must.

The Ralliement square, theater of a first public relations exercise

Is the Ralliement square finding a new use? Maybe in order to be seen, and that goal would be wise, the Angers Basket Club gathered on tuesday some dozens of persons on the open air terrasse of the new café de France. Introduced one by one to the public, the Angers basket ball players were standing on the steps at the entrance of the Angers Grand Theatre, quietly dressed with a blue t-shirt branded by the logo of their club.

The idea would have had much more impact if it had been planned during a non working day because, especially on saturdays, many people cross that place. Moreover their president had to express his wishes for the starting season of the club, so it would have be much more stimulating with a lot of people around. ABC which evolves in the Nm1 but is aiming for the Pro B.  

The Ralliement square could find a new purpose : the organization of public relations events, even if the place could be a little bit enlived than it is. A few more lights, some clumps of greeneries (the trees are scare) would fit with the babbling of the fountains. Moreover, the restaurants around the core of the city, and especially the Café de France, could imagine some fittings in order to be more attractive, even if their presence has nothing to see with those of a travel agency or a tax office... 

The mayor of Angers doesn't deny he will leave office before 2014

Credit Angers city

In his talking with the Angers internet users on the 19th september, the mayor, Jean-Claude Antonini, didn't denied he could step down before the end of his office. "You will see", he said. His predecessor, Jean Monnier, did so in 1998 at the mid term of his office, leaving room for Jean-Claude Antonini, then first deputy mayor. The present Angers mayor, of course, didn't indicate who will be in charge after him but that hypothesis is plausible, Mr Antonini not having hidden that he had to cease for a while last year his activity due to health reasons.


If a part,of the interview has been dedicated to local issues, the mayor made clear that his support of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as a contender for the French presidential elections of 2012 was definitely over. Mr Antonini, who was member of a fan club of DSK last year, only uttered "We shall miss his expertise"...


Criticized about the increase of local taxes, the mayor said the financial withdrawal of the French state was responsible of it. The lauch of a survey about the costs of tthe digging of the expressway along the left bank of the Maine doesn't indicate the mayor changed his mind regarding the option of the filling of the present trench. He pointed out he had always the fighting spirit to help the Angers inhabitants to overcome the economic and social consequences of the international crisis.

The Angers townhall initiative to give rise to inhabitants participation could be clearer

The Angers townhall organizes during almost a month, from today till the end of october, a serie of meetings with the inhabitants through district assemblies. Each gathering will be lead by two representatives of townhall which, visibly, is eager to associate inhabitants and generate new ideas which could be useful for the next local elections (2014).


The programm of the district assemblies has not be built on specific issues of each district. The issue are transverse, i.e. transposable from a district to another. In the district of Monplaisir, where a urban redevelopment is going to take place, the inhabitants will not discuss of that but will talk about issues regarding the Angers youth. That way will nevertheless prevent the appearance of district claims which could not be compatible one with the others at the level of the whole town.


This gathering may constitute a good way for the Angers townhall to stay in touch with the daily concerns of the inhabitants. This initiative comes from the "Participation Day" the city set up on spring. But that time, the content of the event was more explicit and maybe the citizens will always make the link between the district assemblies and the Participation Day. Moreover, these add up with the "Districts rendez-vous" and may make obscur the ways inhabitants can take part, and even, may bore them.

The future of the Angers expressway is not near to be decided

What to do with the expressway going across Angers, like a scar on the face of a person? Apparently, the townhall doesn't have yet the answer. Two solutions are foreseen. First : the filling of the expressway and the creation of a simple two lane road at the surface, from the Saint-Serge district to the King of Poland castle. The second option would consist in the burying of the expressway between the Basse-Chaîne et the Haute-Chaîne bridges on a little bit more than 1 km. 

 But each of the options show a difficulty. The first : if the Angers inhabitants use it to cross the city, that bank of the Maine river could be permanently held up and Angers would meet again the situation it faced at the end of the 70's. The second option show also a technical difficulty : the tunnel digged on such a distance could be vulnerable to floods and would have to be flooded too in order to balance the pression the river will have on the tunnel when the water level is high.

Credit pictures : Wikipedia

A survey has been ordered by Angers townhall which want to know the cost (regarding the "pressure" on local finances, it's a wise decision). Whatever be the final choice, the issue will remain a clear distinction between the left and the right banks of the Maine... and of the policy.

Tintin starts to rally admirers in Angers

Within a few weeks, numerous adults, if not all, will have the opportunity to retie with their childhood. Screens in Angers will show the first of a cinematic trilogy of Tintin, directed by Steven Spielberg. On the 17th september, the Tintin universe started to appear on Ralliement square, for the pleasure of admirers. 

In fact, the four characters, Tintin, Captain Hadock and the Dupond and Dupont detectives were here on behalf Gemy, an Angers automobile dealership, to distribute to pedestrians leaflets untitled "The search for good opportunities" illustrated by the Hergé heroe. But that was completely removed by the four "sandwich men" - very realistic in the composition of their characters. Thanks to the likeness of two of them to the Hergé heroes, they attracted numerous passers-by who never realized they were there to promote Gemy and made of them a few pictures, convinced that a party among students was on way...

On that Heritage Days, the flavour of the past was not only in buildings. And one can bet the Tintin monument will still attract children from "7 to 77 years old".  

Angers property tax is soaring

A few months ago it was only figures, projects, announcements, debates but now a step has been covered and there is another one to come and that last will be the hardest. From the beginning of september, Angers inhabitants do not only collect leaves, they collect their local taxes and those are heavy. 

Compared to the fiscal year 2001, the increase of property tax in Angers city is 42%, but, almost, the annuel increase of 2011 has never been so high : 10%! It is not sure the revenues of Angers inhabitants have raised in a similar proportions during the same year... All the public authorities which collect money in Angers and Angers Loire Valley are concerned. The variation of the amount of money collected by Angers city between 2011 and 2010 is higher by 7%. And the variations between the two fiscal years are not all indicated on the tax return...
 
The economic crisis is of course responsible of such evolutions, but important projects like the trolley which will have to be refunded, will undoubtedly demand restrictions on other expenses. Among these, the organization of events, some campaigns of communication, lending of vehicles could be brought into question.

The Heritage day, still topical in Angers city

The opening of old town house and a discovery of some districts in wich the trolley goes through are some of the novelties of the next European heritage days, planned on the 17th and 18th september in Angers. Some of these old mansions, the Cupif (then Guérin de la Piverdière), Maquillé and Nepveu d'Urbe are located in Canal street or Falloux square, two old places of the very down town of the city where history is still present through architecture and atmosphere. These home seem to stand apart the turmoil of the town.


This is quite a miracle because some improvements are still feasible in the fittings of the streets which are not, compared to old districts of other towns of the Loire valley, always specifically cared by Angers city. But maybe visits organized at night, when the agitation is gone, would be for the amateurs of that Heritage days, a more appropriate way to dive in the past of their city.

The trolley is also an axis of orchestration of events in Angers. So Angers Loire Valley has set up guided visits along the tramway line (not free on these days)... The use of new means of transport, like rollerblades, is on the programm. But why not on bikes ( the city want to increase) or Segway? That is may be the most challenging aspects of these Heritage days : the renewal of the places to see and the ways to see them.

A foil olympic champion touches the heart of Angers' students

briceguyart.com

The Essca students association invited on wednesday a high level sportsman, Brice Guyart, several times world champion and gold medal in foil during the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. The issue of the conference, unfortunately followed by a too little number of students would have been nevertheless higly useful for persons whose carreers in private companies : "The management of failures and successes. the common values of sport and business".

In fact, Brice Guyart's carreers doesn't sum up to high level sport because he is graduated from another business school, the ESCP-EAP and now works for the Sncf. From his experience at the top of the world sport and the daily life of a french company, Brice Guyart delivered numerous lessons and among these, the difficulty to resume life after a success like an olympic title. "For years, you dedicate yourself to the achievement of a goal, then you got it. What is going on after?". An anecdote unveils the kind of person he is. 

"After my gold medal at the olypic games, I was the guy to defeat. And it occured during a France championship. My competitor was so happy to defeat that Iwas ahppy for him!", he said. He touched the assistance's heart.