The more I think about the lackluster presser on Monday about the Rec Center at the current convention center space and a new CC at the Riverline area, I think this is just a scam (an idea former city councilor Jamison had before they built the EC. His idea was to build the EC downtown in coordination with a new convention center and convert the current CC into a rec center).
• Why does the city have to purchase the land at the Riverline District?
• If the council agrees with the purchase of the land, how will we bond for it?
• What will be done about train traffic, flooding, natural springs under Nelson Park.
This just sounds like another sweetheart developer deal where the city becomes the land broker (like Phillips to the Falls) and while the private sector figures out their crap and investors the city sits on the land, collecting NO property taxes, then when the private partners come in, they are handed another tax break with a TIF.
The timing is also questionable, right before a massive bond is going to be taken out for quality of life ($70-80 million). Are they going to slip the purchase of Riverline in on this? And if so, is that even appropriate?
I think it is a good idea to build a CC downtown, but this time around it should be the private sector that handles it. Just look at the current CC and EC, we have practically ZERO ROI on these facilities. While the management takes in millions in sales and profits on the EC, the taxpayers get to pay the almost $10 million a year mortgage. If the EC is doing so well, shouldn’t those profits be shared with the taxpayers so we can use the funds for paying the mortgage? Right now all we collect is sales taxes, and they barely cover maintenance on the facility.
A convention center is just a money pit, once all the grifters feed at the trough, it is up to the minions to pay off the bonds.
If the city wants to get involved in the future with the Riverline, GREAT, but the taxpayers shouldn’t be land brokers, let the private sector sit on this land and pay taxes on it until they figure out their grand ‘Vision’ (ironically an idea from over a decade ago).
Also, there is NO need for indoor municipal rec space. This city has tons of private facilities and so do the school districts.