Town Talk II

The Rant - 1/25/2007
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/community/16526923.htm

Below are the comments related to downtown and Harrison Square:

I’m sick of the ranters who claim to have never met anyone who supports the downtown stadium. Maybe they need to get out just a little bit more.

Since the mayor isn’t running for office, I feel the next administrators should be the ones to decide about the stadium and school spending. Money should be spent on education, not on buildings.

For the (person who) thinks the stadium downtown is a fantastic proposal: Obviously, he wasn’t around when they made the same claim about the Grand Wayne Center 20 years ago. Look at the numbers.

I think the ball (stadium) downtown is a bad idea. What we need is a complex that can house many different venues, such as fitness gyms, reception hall, restaurants, movies and, of course, shopping. We could also use a theater that features local live entertainment for the whole family, like singers, dancers, jugglers, comedians and magicians — a place where everyone is welcome and you’ll never be bored.

“Room to Dream.” Great new slogan for Fort Wayne. After everyone that flees the city (that can) due to costs they don’t want to be saddled with relating to the school buildings and the totally misguided baseball stadium and additional hotel, there will be plenty. Room that is.

Let’s see — we want to tear down a stadium that isn’t paid for, build a smaller one downtown for $30 million, then put restaurants and T-shirt shops around it. That’s big thinking?

Field of Dreams, Room for Dreams: You’re not fooling me any. It’s just a ploy to get a new baseball stadium. Why not call it “uptown” instead of “downtown” to give it the idea that it’s growing up?

To the uneducated: A population of 300,000 and 3,000 attendees at a Wizards game is a 100 to 1 ratio not the 300 to 1 that you think. Also the Wizards bring closer to 6,000 fans a game, which makes the ratio closer to 50 to 1.

A boycott of the Wizards is no way to show a reaction or support for someone who has offered to invest greatly in downtown Fort Wayne. It is the city supporting the move, not the Wizards. Go out and enjoy great family entertainment.

Do the powers that control Fort Wayne believe we live in a democracy? If they do, put the idea of spending the taxpayers’ hard-earned money for a baseball stadium downtown to a vote. Let everyone accept the majority’s choice. I can’t believe this is being forced on people who may not want it.

Harrison Square is a great opportunity for Fort Wayne. The citizens of our city are making off-the-wall comments without considering the details that are being provided to them. Fort Wayne is becoming a city that is resisting change no matter the lost opportunities.

The city needs to be actively recruiting and engaging the students and younger generations of Fort Wayne in deciding what downtown will become. Let those who will be inheriting the city have more of a say in what will be handed down to them.

Feel free to post a comment about any of the items above!