Project is more than a stadium
Written by Jim Cook, president of JPMorgan Chase, N.E. Indiana
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/16859395.htm
Harrison Square: Pro and Con
City pride synonymous with pride in downtown
Written by Chuck Surack, founder and president of Sweetwater Sound Inc
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/16859372.htm
An opportunity to attract private investment
Written by Scott Glaze, Chairman and CEO Fort Wayne Metals Research Products
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/16859404.htm
Above link also includes:
"Proposals are thoughtful, sophisticated, challenging"
Written by Tim Robison
"Benefits of revitalization are well worth the risks"
Written by Bob Sallaz, Managing director, hub operations Kitty Hawk Cargo
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Local Leaders Step Up To The Plate
Posted by scott spaulding at 3/08/2007 07:32:00 AM
Labels: Downtown development, Harrison Square, Opinion
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15 comments:
Stadium supporter Mr. Robison stated that Grand Rapids is comparable in size to Fort Wayne.
He should have checked his facts first.
The Grand Rapids metro area has a population of 771,185.
Fort Wayne's is 404,414.
Grand Rapids ranks 65th largest. Fort Wayne is the 118th largest.
Or he was simply looking at different facts.
Fort Wayne city population:
223,341 (Est. July 2005)
Grand Rapids city population:
193,780 (Est. July 2005)
Yes, MSA is a better number to use, but he isn't entirely wrong either in saying that the two cities are comparable in size.
Finally! Some heavyweights weigh in. Wonderful!
I'm starting to wonder if the 70% know how to write.
Richard,
Thanks for the comment.
The titles of the articles all include, "Harrison Square: Pro and Con."
I'm thinking today may be the "Pro" side of the issue and we can expect the "Con" side in the future.
Well the future arrived quickly. The "con" side of the discussion is now posted.
My, my, my.
How in heaven has Grand Rapids been able to be a thriving city without the benefit of consolidated government?
A municipal population of only 173,000 in a sea of 770,000 people.
There must be something about being successful that is not dependent on consolidating government.
My My My, Mr. Anonymous. Do a little research before posting. In the early 1990s Grand Rapids was able to at least study cooperative government and actually came up with something that made there community more efficient
Grand Rapids has established a Council of governments with representatives of all local units that is given some power to make decisions affecting all. So, wow, they actually thought outside of the box and updated their outdated form of government.
Ed
Platitudes and half-truths from "heavy hitters" are still platitudes and half truths.
I especially liked Mr. Cook's confession of faith: "...without exception I believe that those with concerns had their concerns addressed and alleviated." That nay be Mr. Cook's belief, but he should save his beliefs for his church or synagogue. Factually, he is simply wrong.
I have attended the meetings. I've met with Steve Brody, Tim Pape and sam Talarico. I've spoken with Greg Leatherman. Much of the most basic information concerning this project remains "unavailable." Without answers to my questions, I don't consider my concerns alleviated or even addressed.
Please, Mr. Cook, or anyone else associated with this project, tell me: What is the estimated cost of the baseball stadium, inclusive of land, site preparation and infrastructure?
Since all these people consider a second minor league ballpark "visionary" ("haven't seen an idea that good since Ike built the Interstates or Henry Ford came uop with the production line"), somebody must be able to tell the public the estimated cost.
Mark Garvin
More PR fluff w/ no substance. I don't need citizen Joe to tell me it's "great". I want answers to questions and details about the project. This can only come from city leaders...
Mark,
I thought you were softening just a very little bit after our lunch?
I am starting to think that maybe it might be impossible to aleviate your concerns.
Mr. Cook is a pretty well respected business leader. I am fairly certain he would not stick his neck out if he was not comfortable enough with the details.
"Half truths", Mark? I think that is a little uncalled for. Just because somebody disagrees strongly with you does not mean they are liars or half-liars.
Sam
Sam-
I'm still open to being persuaded, but irritated at the lack of availability of even basic information. If you know the estimated cost of the stadium, including allocated land acquisition and infrastructure, please enlighten me. It appears to be a secret.
Mark
They gave a pretty comprehensive breakdown of the cost of the project in the Journal Gazette not too long ago. It is estimated to be around 25-30 million with 5 million being donated by the new owners. Not sure what else you are looking for...exact dollars and cents? No one is going to give you that. I think it is also important to do an analysis of what the improvements would be because if the plan doesn't go through, those improvements surely will, meaning if the city is going to spend an extra 10 million either way they go, that amount should be subtracted from the overall cost.
Anonymous-
Last night, Mark Becker clarified that the $30 million estimate for the stadium contained in the City's December 21, 2006 press rlease and repeated in various subsequent city literature is solely the estimate of construction cost, with $23 million allocated to hard costs and $7 million to "soft" costs such as architect and engineering fees. The $30 million does NOT include land acquisition, site preparation and related infrastucture.
The initial and subsequent City press releases identify phase 1 costs at $125 million, but the individual components (stadium, retail, condos, hotel, parking garage) totaled only $106 million. $19 million in phase 1 costs were unexplained and unallocated. Several weeks ago, at the public meeting at Northside High School, Mark Becker told me that the vast majority of the 19 million was for land acquisition, which had not been allocated to the individual components but that the city was in the process of doing so.
No, I am not looking for precise dollars and cents. I'll take an estimate give or take a million. Allocating land and infrastructure costs, and estimating site prep costs, is not rocket science and does not take weeks to do. Continuing the impression that we are spending $30 million for a stadium may be helpful for those trying to persuade the public that the stadium is a good idea, but it is disingenuous if the actual cost is closer to $40 million.
Mark Garvin
I honestly don't think another 10 million will change my mind about this project. It is a small price to pay for the revitalization of a dying city. However, I don't think it is fair to include costs like "land allocation" because they are going to pay those costs whether they put in a stadium or a water park. It is not specific to the stadium. They have stated that even if the stadium is not part of the project, they will go ahead with another revitalization project so the land allocation seems like a moot point.
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