IS IT TRUE? Part Two June 8, 2011 DEMOLITION TIME

IS IT TRUE that the demolition contractor for the Executive Inn has not been paid one red cent since this project began?…that according to three different well placed Moles that the management of the demolition company has no idea when or who will be paying the mounting bill?…that the latest words from Arena project manager John Kish are that the demolition project will cost about $1.5 Million?…that the demolition company has set a great example locally by recycling everything that can be recycled?…that for a local construction company that provides good local jobs to get stiffed because of a vetting process that was lacking is not an acceptable situation for the City of Evansville and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to be associated with?

IS IT TRUE that we reported earlier that the Executive Inn demolition seems to be a standstill?…that now we understand why?…that demolition is a play for pay business?…that the only thing that seems to be in high gear down at the site this week are the dust suppressing water sprays that make the site look like a water park in a falling down hotel?…that Holiday World gives out free soda and free sunscreen at their water park but that the big shower on Walnut does not have a free soda stand running?…that we do wonder exactly who will be paying the water bill for keeping the spray going full speed all day long?…that a water rate increase may be needed if this demolition is not completed soon because of the large amount of water that is being poured onto the piles of debris next to the two-thirds demolished hotel?

IS IT TRUE that a thinking business person could develop a deliberate strategy of leaving just enough hotel to look as decrepit as possible standing as a way to motivate the owners of the new and beautiful Arena next door to pay them for their demolition work?…that would be just one more monument to the colossal oversight that has become the trademark of this whole hotel project?…that a third of a hotel may even become art after many years of standing there longing for the return of the wrecking ball?…that we could even sell naming rights to the last pieces of the Executive Inn that may just be there for awhile if arrangements are not made to pay for the demolition?

IS IT TRUE that in all seriousness this hotel project needs a good round of thinking outside of the box followed by some rational action?…that if there are problems with the finances before the old building is demolished that this does not bode well for getting a new one built?…that if you do not have a system in place that can get a building torn down that you surely do not have a high probability of getting a new one built?…that some amount of vetting, bonding, and verification needs to be done before any building is started?…that if one thinks that a half demolished building on that site looks foolish, one needs to imagine a half completed hotel on the very same site?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer is eagerly awaiting the 16th of June when we are supposed to be supplied with the contracts for the hotel and Arena management?…that multiple Moles tell us that the hotel contract has already been defaulted on and has received a 30 day extension?…that the same well placed Moles tell us that there is not yet a contract in place with VenuWorks to manage the Arena?…that our opening act opportunities are dwindling by the day as the fall entertainment tours are being booked right now?…that we still wonder what committee or person to talk with to discuss naming rights for the smaller opportunities that most surely should exist in the Arena?…that even tiny cities with unpaid governments figure out how to sell memorial bricks and seat dedications?…that as NASA used to say before the shuttles were grounded, T minus 4 months and counting?