IS IT TRUE? Part 2 July 29, 2011

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McCurdy
IS IT TRUE? Part 2 July 29, 2011

IS IT TRUE that Mr. Tom Barnett, Director of the Evansville Department of Metropolitan Development is on record today as saying that there will not be another extension given to Centre City Properties LLC to get financing for the McCurdy Hotel project?…that the last business day for that financing to be secure is today?…that the official deadline is Sunday July 31, 2011 but that if the deal is not done by the close of business today that the deal will be in default when the doors are opened at the Civic Center on Monday morning?…that Mr. Barnett is exactly right in his position with respect to this project?…that it has been over 4 years since that Kodak moment when this project was announced?….that enough is enough?

IS IT TRUE that the new sidewalk work in downtown Evansville to prepare for the reversal of the streets and the opening of the Arena is looking pretty good?…that with ADA compliance at the corners and new traffic control fixtures that this is going to be a basis for being attractive?…that some banners on the light poles and some seriously beautiful flower pots will add some finishing touches to the ambiance?…that all we need will be 25 or 30 more businesses to fill up the empty storefronts and we may just be getting somewhere?

IS IT TRUE that we hear that the tab for all of these nice improvements is over $4 Million?…that we wonder if the Arena budget will be picking up that tab?…that we also wonder if the Arena budget will be picking up the tab for that geyser in the street yesterday that has compromised the water in the Civic Center?…that we heard a cool saying today about public works projects that we would like to share?…that it rhymes with an old saying about investments that says “it takes money to make money”?…that our contribution to that with a government spending twist is that “IT TAKES MONEY TO TAKE MONEY”?

IS IT TRUE that it has now been 1,550 days since the announcement was made on May 14, 2007 that the McCurdy Hotel was to be refurbished into luxury apartments?…that it has now been 1,403 days since the Evansville Redevelopment Commission at the request of Mayor Weinzapfel approved the spending of $603,000 to purchase the parking lot?…that City Centre Properties and Scott Kosene the developers of the McCurdy project are both listed as contributors to the Weinzapfel for Mayor committee for 2010?

IS IT TRUE that in a short 102 days we will all know whether it will be Lloyd Winnecke or Rick Davis who will become the Mayor that will assume responsibility for executing the decisions that are playing out right now?…that that there are 155 days remaining in the Weinzapfel Administration?…that the latest extension in the four year saga of the McCurdy start date expires Sunday?

IS IT TRUE that there are now 459 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?…..that this plan is an expensive and complex endeavor that needs immediate attention to avoid the embarrassment and expense of another round of fines?

IS IT TRUE that we will be very interested in how much money is placed into the 2012 City of Evansville budget to do the design work that is required to design an acceptable solution that will get the blessing of the EPA that took Evansville to court to force the repair of the sewers so that the Combined Sewer Overflows are compliant with federal laws?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

7 COMMENTS

  1. I have never liked the McCurdy project from the beginning. I don’t feel so called luxury apartments are what is needed there. You will have the same scenario that has played out time and time again. They will start as luxury, unable to lease, so the luxury will be dropped until it is just another flop house like the River House became.

    Most cities have at least one historic hotel that has been restored and utilized as just that, a historic hotel. We are obviously short a few downtown rooms right now, and a properly refurbished McCurdy would entice people to stay downtown. Imagine the Blue Bar coming back to life with a vibrant hotel.

  2. Indianapolis has one such refurbished hotel, the Renassance Inn. Very nice bay-window apartments with kitchen units. Stayed there twice and enjoyed it. Wondering if the historic hotel idea might catch on here. Just wondering ….

    • I’m pretty sure all the human residents were moved to the old Welborn Hospital complex. The pigeons and bats are still there. I think the goat just shows up occasionally when the grass gets high. Investors from Center City Properties have taken up residence in the Mayor’s office and I don’t know where John Dunn is hiding. Dunnn was the biig winner buying a parking lot from ONB for 200k and selling it to the city for 600k just a couple of months later.

    • That article is priceless. I liked the Mayor’s statement about the McCurdy being the keystone of downtown Evansville residential development. The dude from Indy’s statement about it being a “destination location” in 2008 is now a bad joke.

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