Downtown/Lowertown : Buzz

Lifetime Fitness has a plan to set the record in the Guinness World Records for the world's largest static cycling class--for the second year in a row, according to a press release that was published by TradersHuddle.com.

Last year, Lifetime had a cycling class of 1,052 riders in Minneapolis, it states.

On March 6, more than 1,000 cycle riders will pedal for two hours at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, making it the world's largest cycle studio for that window of time, according to TradersHuddle.com.

Lifetime Fitness chairman, president and CEO Bahram Akradi, along with the company's leading cycle instructors, will lead the way.

Roberto Costa, an internationally known DJ, will provide the soundtrack for the momentous workout.  

A Pioneer Press brief highlights a recent film screening of a documentary called "Lowertown: The Rise of an Urban Village," at the Union Depot in St. Paul.

The documentary describes the development of the St. Paul neighborhood of the same name. Lowertown is a "warehouse district that, in stops and starts, has grown an arts quarter, a mid- to upscale bar and restaurant scene and a broad range of apartment, condo and loft housing," it reads.  

Twin Cities Public Television hosted the documentary's reception and screening, which included St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Ramsey County Commissioner Jim McDonough as presenters.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman was encouraged about plans moving forward for the Central Corridor Light Rail line after he attended the Jan. 19-21 U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., a Pioneer Press story notes.

Although there have been recent proposals to cut federal funding for mass transit initiatives, some high-level government officials at the conference showed strong support for the light rail line that would connect Minneapolis and St. Paul, according to the article.

Peter Rogoff, an administrator with the Federal Transit Administration,which would cover half of the $957 million construction costs for the light rail line, indicated to Coleman that he "intends for Central Corridor to be the first project --the first--he submits to Congress for funding," Coleman is quoted saying, adding, "The FTA is very supportive of this project. This is why I'm so optimistic."