IS IT TRUE? December 12, 2011 Special Afternoon Edition

21

McCurdy
This Was Meant to be a HOTEL!!!

IS IT TRUE? December 12, 2011 Special Afternoon Edition

IS IT TRUE that Vectren customers will have an opportunity to voice concerns and complaints directly to Vectren CEO Carl Chapman?…that this will take place at the Coliseum at 6:00 pm TONIGHT?…that customers will have 5 minutes each to speak?…that we have only seen reference to this event from one other local media outlet?…that this outlet was not the C&P?…that this meeting is being sponsored by Valley Watch?…that we realize that this is last minute but the CCO encourages all of our readers to attend if possible and even more importantly spread the word to everyone they come into contact with today?…that we expect a low turn-out due to the lack of publicity?…that this comes just days before the IURC is expected to announce their decision regarding the most recent fee hike request?…that this is the last chance for Evansville residents to show Vectren and the IURC that we mean business?

IS IT TRUE that Vectren Corporation has another public notification in the Courier and Press classifieds regarding a “REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF CHANGES IN ITS GAS COST ADJUSTMENTS”?…that this meeting of the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission will be in Indianapolis at 9:30 am on January 5, 2012 at the PNC Center on Washington Street?…that this news comes out on the very day that it was announced that a former head of the IURC has been indicted for ethics violations?

IS IT TRUE that the lot at 610 E. Franklin was cleared over the weekend?…that this was due to the diligence of 3rd Ward City Councilwoman Elect Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley?…that Councilwoman Elect Brinkerhoff-Riley has been behind the scenes on this project all along?…that she has been frustrated by all of the bureaucratic restrictions that the city had to wade through in order to force the removal of such an obvious danger to this neighborhood’s children?…that we understand the lot owner told the city that the insurance company had denied the claim for the fire that caused this mess?…that once it was admitted that the owner had no money the city began taking bids for clean-up last week and that as of this weekend the project was complete?…that we would like to congratulate and thank Councilwoman Elect Brinkerhoff-Riley for her persistence regarding this matter?…that we hope this is an indication of good things to come for the residents of Evansville’s 3rd Ward?…that the CCO has been harping on this pile of rubble for 6 months now and that it is good to see something finally getting done about it?

IS IT TRUE that the termination of the deal at the McCurdy and the discovery period coming for a new downtown Convention Hotel that the time to ponder what really makes sense is upon us?…that a study has indicated that there is only a need for 160 hotel rooms in downtown Evansville?…that a simple pro-forma indicates that the only realistic way for the McCurdy to justify the investment needed to refurbish it is AS A HOTEL?…that uniqueness brings business and that a vintage beautiful hotel would be unique and perfectly placed on the Evansville riverfront?…that the McCurdy square footage is just about right for the 160 rooms that downtown Evansville currently needs?…that the 6 block walk to the Centre can easily be solved with a couple of shuttles?…that in a few years when the convention business base becomes established that it may just be a good investment to supplement the McCurdy with a new 4 Star hotel that will complement the high class facilities that we already have like the Ford Center, the Centre, and the Central Library?…that this is a good plan that minimizes public investment and will be more upscale in the long run?…that we hope the McCurdy now and 4 Stars when it is prudent catches on among the “powers that be”?

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21 COMMENTS

  1. There is zero chance that the current ERC could comprehend that the historic McCurdy hotel building could be used as a hotel.

  2. What does Chapman expect to acomplish with this meeting? This is the first time I have heard of this. Why are we being notified of this meeting just hours before? No publicity equals low to no turnout. Does Vectren get atta-boy points from the IURC for this “opportunity” they are giving us? And nothing in the CP about this that I can find, anyone else? Typical. What a joke.

  3. Speaking of cleaning up messes, whats the deal with the old dry cleaners/fronier liqour building right next to the civic center. The roof /ceiling has been crashing in forever. If this isn’t a safety hazard then what determines a safety hazzard? I mean this is right out in the open. The McCurdy would make a wonderful hotel again. The ERC had a perfect opportunity to switch gears when CCP pulled the plug and the vetting process on the two developors came to light. They could have easily started over with a fresh new idea and switched to the McCurdy with a new RFP along with an RFP for parking garages where they tore one down. Need a hotel and you need parking for the areana. There you go!

  4. The Coliseum ? When Chapman rolls up in his chauffeur driven Rolls with the grey poupon mustard and the ladies throwing rose petals on the sidewalk, will that cause a scene ?

  5. Della, where are you? This is something that you and I can definitely agree on. The Mc Curdy is a beautiful historic building and would be a wonderful, classy hotel for downtown. Doesn’t it make sense to rehabilitate what is here at a lesser cost than building new? This is a very green approach. Tons and tons of rubble would be kept out of land fills. And its location is superior in many ways to the location proposed for building new. What would be an better sell for the CVB to promote Evansville – a new generic hotel or an historic, National Historic Register hotel on Evansville’s river front? This is a no-brainer. Come on City Council. Wipe the slate clean and start with a new concept.

    • Not to mention many of the rooms have a river view and could command a premium, actually I floated this idea…kinda’, a month or so ago but was referring to the River House (because the McCurdy was still on hold, but was shot down by the city trolls saying it was too far from the arena, my reply was that we were revitalizing downtown not a specific corridor of downtown but it fell on deaf ears, I never got a reply.

      The sad part of the McCurdy saga is the multitude of contractors that have devoted time to inspecting the building and figuring/writing estimates/bids for CCP…hopefully some of that info gathered could be reused, if not it might be hard to get some of the contractors interested in doing it all over again..

      JMHO

      • Blangero…when are you going to come out of the closet…I know who you are!
        Yours truly,
        Cutie Pie

      • What city troll department shot the idea down? There are so many. We have a new bunch of boards and committees, ad nausium coming up in just three weeks each one offering another place to float an idea.

  6. I’d like to thank Ben Miller for the heavy lifting in cleaning up 610 E. Franklin. He is an asset to the City, and I look forward to working with him over the next four years.

    • Insiders and people who use a smart phone to post can use cutie pie faces. Guess that broadens your candidates because about 20% of the CCO traffic comes from smart phones and ipads.

      • Editor……

        A very select few smileys are available to anyone with a PC and keyboard…. my personal favorite is 😉

        Give a shot Gallagher…no need to be a insider. 😉

        JMHO

        • blanger, the one with the sunglasses only comes up when I type the name of a Utility Company that starts with a letter near the end of the alphabet. Since they are now the competition to Evansville Power & Light, no free advertising for that current monopoly !

  8. I am sure that everyone is aware of the state and federal tax credits available for someone rehabbing a historic business property. Some of them are backlogged pretty far but others are not and do give an incentive to handle such historic properties well. Just another $$$$ idea.

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