By: Diane Benjamin
Judy Markowitz will always be known as the mayor who inflicted Bloomington taxpayers with the Coliseum.
Tari’s plan for his shrine can be seen here: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=531
The City wants to pay $8.2 Million for blank land after Giebelhausen demolishes historic buildings. The Front and Center building is not in any danger of falling down, according to Tari, but it also can’t be saved.
Cost over-runs will push the $8.2 million higher. Once demolition is started, why not?
The downtown infrastructure is ancient. Water and sewers will need to be updated before construction can begin, these costs are not built-in to the $8.2M
The last downtown TIF took 25 years to generate $15 million in additional revenue. Ensenbergers is still a failed project.
Tari wants a bond that gets paid back from the TIF revenue. Who pays the interest on the bond until TIF revenue starts flowing? What if it never does?
I found a very funny Pantagraph editorial by former publisher Terry Greenburg. He proclaimed that Markowitz showed leadership by jamming the Coliseum through, especially when she wasn’t going to run for reelection. Greenburg wrote it in April of 2006. He also said when the Coliseum is a financial success, we should thank Judy. Earlier he stated if the Coliseum is a failure, then you can criticize.
The Coliseum is a failure – you now have permission from the Pantagraph to criticize.
I found another article about Markowitz’s last Council meeting as mayor. Then Alderman Sprague called the Cultural District a budget buster. Then City Manager Tom Hamilton said, “Unlike the arena, everyone knew the Cultural District is going to be subsidized.”
Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.
Bloomington citizens were promised the Coliseum would not cost them a cent.
Tari promises his hotel, conference center, and whatever will not cost you a cent.
Markowitz did show leadership – she led the citizens off a fiscal cliff!
Too bad there’s a big age gap between Judy and Tari. They would make such a cute couple, probably dates would be charged to taxpayers as a business meeting.
According to zoning codes, the historic downtown district has to use building designs that match the architecture of the other historic structures. Unless of course the Mayor and City Council decide to waive the zoning laws.
As though is isn’t cost effective for developers to rehab the old buildings it can still be done at a profit but at a lower percentage of profit. The shovel ready project then becomes more attractive to developers as the history of downtown Bloomington disappears, step by step. Build a Route 66 center then destroy the history,,,yeah that’s real smart, not! If the potted plants vote for this they will prove that they are truly ignorant.
You are on point. The Front and Center building is within the Historic Downtown District and is protected with special codes. As the old Montgomery Ward building, there is a tie-in to the Rt. 66 era. Additionally, the taxpayers paid a consulting firm to offer advice on proposed downtown development. Alderman Schmidt was on the Steering Committee. The draft was presented to the Council in November 2013…see link below.
I also found an article from 2006 reporting the loan to the Huffs and the Front and Center Building used as collateral.
http://ourappraisal.blogspot.com/2006/05/local-front-n-center-getting-face-lift.html
http://www.cityblm.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=6034