I have to tell you, there has been some pretty ridiculous things said by directors over at the big purple building in past years, but for once, one of them finally told us the truth(?);
Michele Wellman, public relations director for the Pavilion, said the strategic makeup of the front office isn’t set nor is a timeline for determining how the organization will move forward.
“The board doesn’t have a final plan at all. At the moment, everything is up in the air,†she said, adding those interested in joining the Pavilion’s leadership team are encouraged to inquire.
Oh, they have a plan, a plan that they have relied on since day one of operation. Let the board of trustees run the joint through their ‘heavy’ in the building, the Operations Manager, Jon Loos.
Peterson and Toll are/were merely figure heads. The last time the President of the Pavilion even made an attempt at running the joint would have been Steve Hoffman, we saw how that turned out, he ran for the hills (well California). I will give Larry Toll credit for some things, he has been a heck of a fundraiser (calling his rich buddies to help out) in between afternoons sucking up cigar smoke on Phillips Avenue. But let’s not call in the big band just yet;
In 2009 when he came on, Wellman said the Pavilion was facing financial uncertainty and was struggling with a red budget.
“Larry came in at a critical time and turned the Pavilion around. He brought a brilliant business mind to manage the Pavilion,†she said. “We’ve been in the black for five years, so he dramatically turned around our financial status.â€
Just when we thought we had a glimmer of hope the Pavilion would shoot it to us straight for once, they go and claim they know what ‘being in the black’ means. The Pavilion has NEVER been in the black, if you discount the subsidy they receive every year from the entertainment tax, and the fact that all the maintenance to the building is paid out of the CIP. The unfortunate part about tooting the black horn each year is that now the Events Center has started the same mantra complete with a bawling mayor press conference.
I have often said if you ever want the Washington Pavilion to have complete success and smooth sailing, you need to find a new management company and send Jon Loos and company packing. Who needs a ‘President’ when all the Pavilion really needs is a strong ‘Manager’.
Per the Argus, Toll announced his retirement today. The Bazillion was, is, and will always be a sinkhole. The 2018 mayor should opt to sell it off for a corporate campus or commercial purpose.
It’s perfect for some pay day lender or credit card company CEO ego. How about another pawn and gun range. The game would be dodging numerous ricochets inside the red granite fortress.
Selling it would be major new property tax revenue. There’d be real (not fantasy) in the black.
Now, if you really want to be practical, it could be redeveloped into a new city administration building. Then, the cost is half the new ground up cost for the Van Eps location. To bad city administration is not known for being practical.
It’s a wonderful asset actually, just poorly managed. It would be like buying your 16 year old teenage boy a 911 Carrera for their first car.
It was in poor condition in the 70s when I attended high school. Hopefully with new windows and a million dollar roof it should have a 20 to 30 year life span without all the need to shell out pretty infrastructure Make it the community center we were promised years ago. Place for poor kids to go. Art barn replacement. Events for weddings banquets etc . dont need to give it away to the tif lords for more stupid lofts that will all look like crap parts of Omaha and Kansas City in 20 years when the tifs run out and crime waves push the lofties back to the burbs to live next to Walmart
Hey Enough of shape and 3M, you get it about TIF’s and federal subsidies. Downtown is destined to be projects. There was hope before Lloyd devoured federal money and sold false hope for commercial. Don’t buy downtown. You’ll have major investment in security with no hope for appreciation. If you want to look outside at concrete, reserve a cell at the state prison.