 
Hpgrmln
Member
Username: Hpgrmln
Post Number: 381
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 7:45 am: |    |
And you wonder why some of us in the suburbs give up on the city.
Thats probably my favorite building in Detroit.
I was still holding out hope it could be saved. |
Johnberk
Member
Username: Johnberk
Post Number: 74
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 8:27 am: | |
When did the mayor or anybody from his office say anything about "tearing down" or "demolishing" the boat club? This thread started out with an inaccurate title and everybody ran with it.
The following article from the Detroit News explains why they are proposing to use the Boat Club property rather than some other building that is not on the water:
Maritime academy plan still floating
"The military-style school, which would be on the site of the old Belle Isle Boat Club, would teach self-discipline and leadership skills to wayward youths, while preparing them for careers on the Great Lakes, Kilpatrick said." |
Sumas
Member
Username: Sumas
Post Number: 78
Registered: 01-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 8:51 am: | |
We were members of the Detroit Boat Club back in the eighties. We got in cheap through a special program. Back then, we had decent paying jobs but I would never claim that we were "affluent". The building was very special.
The boat club was established as a rowing club. The scull room was full of beautiful wood sculls.
Don't quote me but I think the architect was the same as for the Monogian Mansion. Started with a C. Not too many people were building steel reinforced concrete stucco structures other than Kahn.
We felt forced to resign because of building assessments for repair. It seemed that every few months we were asked to kick in a few hundred dollars to fix this or that. I hated giving up our membership but we simply could no longer afford to be a member.
If my memory serves me right, the boat club facility died for two reasons. The hundred year lease of $1 dollar per annum came due and the city wanted a hugh rent for the land and there was fiscal theft of member funds by a board member. The Boat Club, as an entity, still exists in a small fashion.
It operates out of a GP PO Box and uses the Fisher Mansion at Grayhaven to store and utilize some of its sculls. |
Rel
Member
Username: Rel
Post Number: 471
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 9:07 am: | |
Johnberk, I had mentioned in my second post on this thread: "I am assuming demolition, since he didn't use the words "rehabilitate", "renovate", "save", or "preserve". It sounds like they're not even going to use the shell. Again, in his words, they'd build it on the site of the DBC."
I have just spoken with the Mayor's office, and they connected me to Planning/Development. They confirmed that they are not sure yet what to do with the Boat Club. The woman (I will not publish her name) said that the City will look at whether rehabbing or demolishing/rebuilding and choose the "cheaper" option because that would be "better for the City of Detroit".
Cheaper... I would think demo then rebuilding would be cheaper. That is, until one of the Mayor's buddies gets his hands on the project and the cost skyrockets after the minute the last arch falls.
I guess I'm surprised that such an unfinished idea would make it's way into the State of the City Address. |
Busterwmu
Member
Username: Busterwmu
Post Number: 437
Registered: 09-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 9:07 am: | |
The rowing club was founded in 1839 and they moved into the current clubhouse in 1902, making them the oldest such river club in the country. |
Detroitman32
Member
Username: Detroitman32
Post Number: 7
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 10:03 am: | |
This is preposterous and I hope that this does not happen. The Detroit Boat Club is a gem that the members have tried their best with shallow pockets to save and to tear it down would be a pathetic move. |
Providence
Member
Username: Providence
Post Number: 8
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 10:08 am: | |
It wasn’t my original comment, but I think the Grosse Pointe remark refers to the history of redevelopment there. Historically, many significant estates were demoed for subdivisions, and also many just to put up a newer structure. Although the argument has always been they were too expensive to own/maintain, many probably could have been broken into condos (within the existing structures), a la Newport, RI, turned into inns, opened for tours, etc. Those and other reuse strategies were never fully evaluated and the community looked down on the mere thought as it “could bring in the wrong type of people” (although the boat house does not have this obstacle). What resulted was a severe degradation of the community’s historic aesthetic, not too mention some lowered morale/pride among residents (i.e. "I want to move because this place is going downhill"). It’s not as prevalent now (because most large estates are gone), but it still happens there – like the Josephine Ford estate.
But that is all a bit off topic and really belongs in its own thread.
In short, I think SE Michigan has gotten in the habit of assuming it is more efficient to tear down old structures. Developers/officials here (with a few exceptions) do not factor in the value added by a structure’s history or the context of its surrounding property. Just not a lot of big picture thinking. There always seems to be an immediacy to “just do something” either for political gain or short term financial stimulus. |
Edziu
Member
Username: Edziu
Post Number: 48
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 10:10 am: | |
Why not place the residential boarding academy in the Manoogian mansion. It should be vacant soon. |
Lakesuperior
Member
Username: Lakesuperior
Post Number: 215
Registered: 06-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 10:21 am: | |
sumas-- you are mixing up two very different rowing clubs. the detroit womens' rowing association (DWRA) rows out of the fisher mansion. the detroit boat club (DBC) rows out of the detroit boat club building on belle isle. both clubs are active.
DBC has really kept up the boat club on a shoestring budget as well as they can. there are spring clean up days and the like to work on the proprty. they also installed a gate on the bridge to the building to keep vandals away. they've really kept it up when no one (read: the city) has stepped in to save a beautiful and historic structure.
the DBC should not be an academy for at risk youth, it should not be penske's racing headquarters and it DEFINITELY should not be a dave and buster's. it should stay with the DBC and someone should get them some money to do a proper renovation. |
Johnberk
Member
Username: Johnberk
Post Number: 75
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 10:27 am: | |
Uh, the mayor never used the word “build.” And as I said above, he never used the words “demolish” or “tear-down” either. The original post at the top of this thread refers to “the decision to demolish the Detroit Boat Club,” as if it’s a matter of fact, when, in reality, it is just speculation. With all the trouble the mayor has right now, he does not need people on this board putting words in his mouth.
The DBC has been kept secure and partially heated; It is my understanding that it is structurally sound as well. It is not unreasonable to consider that all or part of the building would be preserved. Or, you could be right, and the building will come down. But to have an entire thread running that changes speculation into statements of fact just makes this entire board look bad. |
Rel
Member
Username: Rel
Post Number: 473
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 10:42 am: | |
Johnberk, I do concede that I should have used a question mark in the thread's title (which I don't think I can change at this point, but I will contact the moderator). I apologize if I jumped the gun, but we all admit the threat is real.
But the bottom line is: not even the Mayor's office or the City's planning office knows. So why mention it in the speech? They at least should have done basic feasibility studies if they're going to present something like this. Why mention a complete fantasy without any plan? It's almost as if he *only* mentioned it to distract us from other things, with no other purpose. |
Craggy
Member
Username: Craggy
Post Number: 322
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 11:39 am: | |
According to Deputy Mayor Anthony Adams, the current building would be rehabbed, and expanded to make it a true boarding school for the students. According to him, the current building will NOT be demolished. |
Downtown_dave
Member
Username: Downtown_dave
Post Number: 234
Registered: 07-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 12:21 pm: | |
Per Craggy, Adams was on WDET this morning and explained this, FYI. |
Awfavre
Member
Username: Awfavre
Post Number: 219
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 12:40 pm: | |
The #1 problem with preparing “wayward youths” for Great Lakes maritime careers is their records (assuming they have one).
Right now, merchant mariners with even a single DUI cannot enter Canadian ports on an American vessel. There is an American fleet with sailors with past DUI problems (as in, they were busted for a DUI decades ago) who put off these sailors at the Westcott mailboat before they enter the Canadian port. They put the sailors up in a hotel, then pick them back up on the way back. It’s a huge problem for the fleets.
Also, having even a single DUI or other criminal conviction will prevent a new sailor from obtaining his/her Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) in the first place these days, because the requirements are getting more stringent. (An MMD is required in order to sail on the Great Lakes.) Of course, now you have the added requirement of getting a TWIC card for all transportation workers, & they do even more background checks & fingerprinting for that little gem.
Having said that, crew shortages are reaching critical levels on the Lakes, so I suspect the fleets & the Lake Carriers’ Association will do anything to replace the age-outs. I have no doubt they’d be willing to support this type of academy, as would the Great Lakes Maritime Academy (a maritime college in Traverse City -- thanks for the correct name, Johnberk).
Bottom Line: The concept would get a tremendous amount of monetary & other support in the industry, but potential recruits will not sail if they have even a single conviction on their records. It seems to me they need to take this into consideration, so they’re not misleading kids who want to make a career of sailing on the Lakes.
As for the location, I think it's quite smart to locate it on Belle Isle. If you’re a Boatnerd, the island is one of the best places to watch boats in the City. You’ve got the Dossin Museum there, as well as the Coast Guard Station by the fishing pier. The island itself is a good recruiting tool. Does anyone know if there are any closed public school buildings located anywhere near the river?
(Message edited by awfavre on March 17, 2008)
(Message edited by awfavre on March 17, 2008) |
Mozeewink
Member
Username: Mozeewink
Post Number: 22
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 12:52 pm: | |
I love the idea of nice restaurants or other cultural attractions...but, PLEASE, no Dave and Buster's on the waterfront! |
Johnberk
Member
Username: Johnberk
Post Number: 76
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 1:12 pm: | |
An excellent post, Awfavre. I know first hand that everything in your post is correct, and I agree with your comments about Belle Isle being an ideal location. The only correction I would make is that the school in Traverse City is called the "Great Lakes Maritime Academy," and I am not too sure they would support the idea unless there was something in it for them, such as the possibility of recruiting some of the Belle Isle graduates. |
Providence
Member
Username: Providence
Post Number: 9
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 1:17 pm: | |
Good news, enough, I suppose. Although I can imagine how many names will get carved into the woodwork… and surely without repair. But beggars can’t be choosers, as the saying goes.
My dorm in college was an old mansion – the students destroyed the place. Kids would bust up Tiffany stained glass windows for fun. Then the school would patch it with a piece of Plexiglas. So I’m skeptical as to how this place will hold up under this plan. But, given the title of this thread, it could be a lot worse.
Now to see if it will pan out. Wasn’t there a discussion on an old thread that the building needed something like $30M in basic repairs… despite the efforts of the DRC? If so, this is likely either a big dream, or there will likely be some great architectural sacrifices.
It would be nice if the building could find a better use. But at least it would be saved.
IMO, this is better than a Dave and Busters, though. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 281
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 1:38 pm: | |
https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/6790/7611.html?119945713 4
Above is a link to the Hall of Fame thread for old Detroit Boat Clubbers. You can read about the building, the memories and there also may be some repair/rennovation insight within the posts. |
Anniedawg25
Member
Username: Anniedawg25
Post Number: 9
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 1:54 pm: | |
The Detroit Boat Club is still in use! My cousin is part of the Detroit Rowing Club, and i believe they have roughly 60 members, all teenagers who go there twice a day to train.
They compete in regattas all around the country and many have gotten scholarships to Division 1 school for rowing. My cousin will be attending University of Tulsa on a rowing scholarship........without rowing she would have never gotten a scholarship to such a good school. I beleive there are about 5 seniors right now who will be getting rowing scholarships to universities all around the country due to their work at the Rowing Club.
As far as I know, they are renting the Boat Club from the city of Detroit for like $1,000 a month. They are constantly holding fundraisers to help with travel, boat, uniform, exercise expenses. There is also a fee to be part of the rowing team, but I am not sure how much
As far as I understand, the city of Detroit has done NOTHING for these kids, except allow them to use the DBC as their training facility. I went there for a rowing Christmas party in December, and 80% of the place is in deplorable condition, it's sad. Hardly any heating, the place is falling apart, yet kids still go there everyday and work very hard.
They still use the name "Detroit Rowing Team" even though the city hasnt done anything for them....I am surprised they havent changed the name to something else, screw the city. But they continue call themselves the Detroit Rowing team and keep up the tradition.
If the city tore down, or used the DBC for something else, I dont see where the rowing team would be able to exist, without builing a whole new faciltiy that will cost a lot of money.....which is pretty scarce right now as it is. I just dont see it happening....and if the mayor wants to tear it down, that is seriously messed up, and will mess up the futures of a lot kids.
But most importantly, this club is keeping the DBC somewhat kept up. Honestly, without them going into the place everyday, who knows how often the pipes would be flushed, electricity and heat be turned on, floors and windows cleaned.....etc. I bet weeks, months, maybe years would go by without anyone entering that building if it wasnt for the rowing club.
www.detroitrowing.net |
Rob_in_warren
Member
Username: Rob_in_warren
Post Number: 92
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 2:31 pm: | |
$1000/month? Detroit sells corporations huge plots of land downtown for $1, and this club gets nickeled and dimed by the city for a piece of property they neglect to no end. The club's occupancy of the building should be payment enough.
That building could be so beautiful again, serve as a new HQ for a school, make money on the side with weddings/receptions/events/row ing-clubs, and bring pride back to Belle Isle. Belle Isle could be a jewel once again, and rival any city park in America.
How much would it take to restore the building's exterior? How much more for the amenities surrounding it? Meanwhile the city will sink it's money into Mobile Police Break Rooms. Where are the great public works that other great cities undertake? I know Detroit is cash-strapped, but with a bold plan and some industry/private donations it can be done. I wish the city had an extra $8.4M lying around...
I hope the scope of the Riverwalk Conservancy can be extended to include some Belle Isle restoration efforts one day. I have zero confidence that this administration can move on this maritime academy plan, or that they would preserve the history if they did actually get it done. |
Johnberk
Member
Username: Johnberk
Post Number: 78
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 3:53 pm: | |
Anniedawg25: According to this Detroit News article from last September, the rent paid by the Rowing Club is not "like $1000" but rather, it is ZERO.
Also, I am wondering what specifically you think the city should "do" for the rowing club, or any other private club for that matter. |
Rel
Member
Username: Rel
Post Number: 475
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 - 10:37 pm: | |
I am perplexed to hear that Anthony Adams said the place would be rehabbed, considering the fact that the City's Planning Department said they had no idea how much it would cost (rehabbing vs. demo), and they said it was very possible that the plan would require demolition of the existing club if it was "cheaper". And why wouldn't the Mayor use words like "restore" or "rehabilitate" in the speech if that's the case? I will try to listen to the interview.
Thanks for the link, Tkshreve! |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 284
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 - 4:10 pm: | |
Rel -- you're welcome.
" I wish the city had an extra $8.4M lying around..."
I was waiting for the Da-Dum-Ching punch line, but it never came. You have to be a little more direct with your humor on here, because sarcasm just doesn't translate as well online.
It's funny to think, the guy who unveiled the idea of "re-habbing" or "demolishing" (whatever the plan entails) the DBC is the guy who has squandered so much money (^10,000,000 - i'm sure) of the taxpayers, which could have been used otherwise to restore this truly vintage and historical site. The DBC is a relic of what Detroit used to be and to vanquish it would be a surefire way to prove our City leaders have no clue what they are doing. |
One_shot
Member
Username: One_shot
Post Number: 364
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - 10:34 am: | |
I hope it does not get torn down. In a strange way I still enjoy seeing it in its dilapidated state and imagining what it once was like. It would be awesome to have a restaurant along the riverwalk or in the Boat Club location that would take advantage of the views and allow boaters a different place to go! |
Ilovedetroit2
Member
Username: Ilovedetroit2
Post Number: 2
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - 4:03 pm: | |
I hope the building doesn't get torn down either. I think that Fort Wayne would be the perfect place for a school like they are proposing. |
Pythonmaster
Member
Username: Pythonmaster
Post Number: 148
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 8:39 pm: | |
Renovation yes, but please don't turn Belle Isle into Sterling Heights. |
Rel
Member
Username: Rel
Post Number: 511
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 9:57 pm: | |
Is there anyone from Fort Wayne reading this who would like to comment? I am curious to hear your thoughts on this. |
Hamtragedy
Member
Username: Hamtragedy
Post Number: 120
Registered: 10-2007
| | Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 11:09 pm: | |
"Renovation yes, but please don't turn Belle Isle into Sterling Heights."
Have you seen the beautiful new concrete addition they did for the Grand Prix in front of the Casino that screams "Welcome to Sterling Heights"? |
Irish_mafia
Member
Username: Irish_mafia
Post Number: 1229
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008 - 6:02 pm: | |
JohnBerk,
The Cal25 sailor?
I think the $1,000 per month (or whatever it is), is used every month to address the most urgent city-neglected maintenance.
The DBC Crew has had a standing offer to pay a modest fee to the City for a long term lease and take over all maintenance. Well-heeled backers have kept there wallets firmly in the back pockets until they could get a commitment from the city.
In true Colemanesque fashion, the Mayor and the City Council would rather watch it rot until s deal that lines their pockets arrives.
Kwame's sense of history doen't go back any further than his time with his criminal buddies back at Cass Tech. The boat club to him is just another old building like the aquarium.
Who cares if it is the home of the oldest rowing club in the world (yes the world) and the previous home of the oldest yachting organization the Americas (yes older than New York Yacht Club).
So goes the city... |
Pythonmaster
Member
Username: Pythonmaster
Post Number: 149
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 10:25 am: | |
Good point, Hamtragedy. It's already happening. |
Ray
Member
Username: Ray
Post Number: 1103
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 3:43 pm: | |
The issue is that the Black political leadership in Detroit perceives the Boat Club as a monument to the city's racist past because it used to be an exclusive all white club. Where whites see a cherished piece of history, Blacks see a relic of oppression. They want the building destroyed. It's that simple. This is the kind of mutual bitch slapping that maintains generation after generation of hostility on both sides.
I will drink Champaign on the day Kilpatrick is led off to jail. |
Ocmobilexec
Member
Username: Ocmobilexec
Post Number: 20
Registered: 12-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 12:19 am: | |
All great posts... I am so glad to see the DBC is still so well-loved in Detroit. I moved from the city 18 years ago but spent my childhood at the Detroit Yacht Club... was only inside the Boat Club a few times, but it was such a grand and regal gem. Very sad that it's fallen into such disrepair. Alhough I don't have any sentimental memories of the place like I do the DYC, it's great to see such positive feelings as I read on this board. I bet it will be saved in some fashion. |
Sumas
Member
Username: Sumas
Post Number: 81
Registered: 01-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 8:35 am: | |
Lakesuperior, Thank you for the correction. I did know that the dbc still opperated in some small fashion. I didn't know the building was still in use for the rowing club. I do see the Women's Rowing Club out on Starboard Lagoon at Grayhaven. It was someone from the Krishna Temple (Fisher Mansion) that told me it was the remnant of the rowing team from the dbc. I did think it strange that all I ever saw out there was women.
It would take a fortune to rehab the building. I would love to see it restored as a public multi use building. Penske comes to mind as a developer/financier. I envision it as a welcome center for the Riverwalk, The Grand Prix and the hydro plane races. The Boat docks could be public metered wells. The club is set up for both casual and fine dining. There is even a Kiosk type snack bar inside the pool area on the north west side of the building set up to serve pop, hotdogs nachos etc. When the club still operated, on weekends there was a cart styled bar selling mixed drinks and beer to swimmers in the pool area since one had to be dressed to enter the club proper. The olympic size pool and children's pool could sell day and evening use passes. The existing offices could be leased to non profits such as friends of Belle Isle, The Detroit Garden Center, Friends of the Detroit River, Friends of Lake St Clair to think of a few. It would also house the year round staff for the Detroit Grand Prix. The grounds if refurbished could hold weddings etc. Historic Designation is a given, which would open up grant opportunities. I would love to see this building restored. I do believe that properly restored with new uses in mind that it would eventually pay for itself.
The idea for a maritime school would be better developed at Fort Wayne. |
Usnsubvet77
Member
Username: Usnsubvet77
Post Number: 92
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 11:14 am: | |
I do not speak for any organization, however I feel a need to inject these few points. I must disagree with the suggested use of Fort Wayne for a Maritime Academy. I make my point for several reasons, especially as a member of one of the committees assisting Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne currently has no physical assets to support small/medium/large craft for seamanship practical experience/training. Not only are there no breakwaters to harbor such craft, the current of the river seems far too strong (10+ knots) to learn seamanship without harboring a serious portion of the shipping lane.
The buildings located within the Fort Wayne complex, in my opinion, would not support any large scale educational academy like Great Lakes Maritime Academy/US Naval Academy etc. without being a dominating presence there and thus detracting from the actual history of Fort Wayne. Changing the historical landscape of the Fort to a maritime academy to me seems inconsistent. Why not make Old Tiger stadium into a swimming pool? The point of relevance to the location is not there.
I do appreciate the inclusion of Fort Wayne in developing ideas to revitalize the city, but there are other locations in dire need of attention that might better suited. Locations such as Brodhead Naval Armory, The Boat Club seems to be presently equipped to support such a venture.
Rather than haphazardly throwing schools and developments at a single location, such as Fort Wayne, I believe more careful consideration would need to be made in utilizing appropriate sites that are already equipped to handle the function intended. Additionally, revitalization of other locations (Brodhead, Boat Club) as well will continue to give a much broader spectrum of re-growth within the city, not just at one location.
My 2 cents…not trying to be confrontational so please don’t read too much into what I said.
-Subvet |
Jams
Member
Username: Jams
Post Number: 8004
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 11:46 am: | |
Usnsubvet77
Great, wonderful, fabulous idea about the reuse of Brodhead for that purpose. |
Plymouthres
Member
Username: Plymouthres
Post Number: 477
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 - 10:59 am: | |
I have read this thread with great interest as it involves Fort Wayne and potential re-use of the buildings on it's grounds. The comments and ideas that I present in the following post are reflective of what I know of the Fort from serving on both the Projects Committee of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition and The Fort Wayne Advisory Committee to the City of Detroit.
Subvet and I discussed this very subject last night. I believe that we touched on a couple of points that make Fort Wayne a viable alternative and an actual possibility for this venture. I agree with the Broadhead/Boat Club theory, but I also think that Fort Wayne is optimal for this purpose, too. When you consider that Fort Wayne has always been seen as somewhat of an "educational/induction/indoctr ination/training" center and has a couple of schools already associated with it (Medicine Bear Academy, Randolph School, etc.),it seems to me that development(rehabilitation) of a building there for that purpose is a practical alternative to watching otherwise un-occupied buildings fall into such dis-repair that they have to be torn-down, just as the hospital had to be this past summer. It also developes partnerships with organizations that we as a Coalition would never make normal contact with.
Educating youth and involving them in the historical upkeep of the Fort helps to spread the word of this historical structure and its importance as a driving cog in the wheel of the "Arsenal of Democracy" is exactly the way that we will prevail in the rehabilitation and restoration of the Fort. To date, after having partnered with the Boy Scouts of America, the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition can say that it has accomplished much in the restoration and general upkeep of the Fort. Many hours of hard work have been donated by other youth of the city and the suburbs, and the Fort has become a kind of melting pot of all sorts of youth of all shapes, sizes and colors.
These youth seem to be free of the encumberances of the racism that I know exists, and therefore, undermines and hinders redevelopment projects like this and so many other efforts that have tried and failed in the past. Perhaps they can transcend that type of crap as it is both tiring and a total waste of time, in my opinion. It appears, at least to me, that it is working at their age level. Maybe through their collective efforts, we will finally see the end of that type of racism and its related trappings.
I have come to the conclusion, after more than a year of participating in the projects I have been involved with, that the Fort and it's environs are on a major "comeback trail" so to speak.
Firstly, one of the ways that all of us can be most proactive in the rehab/restoration of the Fort is to allow other, private interest entities to come in and help raise funding to support the re-hab of the buildings there. They would, of course, be given a low, long term lease of the building with credits for money invested. They would, however, have TO BRING THEIR OWN FUNDS to the table for restoration/rehabilitation, as there are currently no monies or any programs in place to provide funding for the types of repairs that need to be made to the structures at Fort Wayne to make them viable again. Until such funding can be confirmed and secured, any discussion of this happening is pretty much moot.
An example of this is the need for a new roof on the Tuskegee Airmen museum on the Fort Wayne grounds. The roof has been leaking for over a year, and seriously jeopardizes the contents of the museum below. Although we, as a Coalition, offered to strip and re-roof the structure last fall, for an incredibly low cost, we have been unable to get an approval from the City as to when a date for replacement will occur. In the meantime, the roof still leaks and the museum and it's contents remain in jeopardy.
Secondly, allowing others to occupy and restore the buildings there would also increase the traffic of "residents" through the place, perhaps thwarting any further infiltration of the surrounding neighborhood criminal lowlifes who think that anything sitting vacant is theirs to scrap out!
Lastly, the 13 acre site that the Army Corps of engineers occupies at the tip of the Fort property provides plenty of vessel launching/mooring/docking capability, and if asked nicely, could be incorporated for this project as well.
I look forward to other's comments about this interesting topic.
PlymouthRes |
Southwestsaavy
Member
Username: Southwestsaavy
Post Number: 12
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 3:56 pm: | |
I row with the club currently. We built the building because the 2 other site burned to the ground. The building is actually built on pylons in the water and is the first concrete structure built in the world. Our club has done a complete analysis on the building and have learned from several experts that tearing the building down is far more expensive than renovation. The interior is pretty solid. The building is truly awesome. What the mayor failed to address is that the rowing club has been trying to secure a long term lease with the city for years, but the city is not working with us. Also failed to mention that there are about 350 people that use that Club for rowing. in the morning at 5AM we often have over 100 people on the water. I'd be willing to host a tour of the space if desire. Group of 10 preferred. |
Irish_mafia
Member
Username: Irish_mafia
Post Number: 1236
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 4:30 pm: | |
Southwest,
Thanks for the info.
Given, the financials discussed and the significant number of people that use the club, why hasn't the Rowing Team gone public with their proposal to fix the place up if given a long term lease?
I have heard about this for years from people involved at the club but the general public has no ideas that you guys exist, the ongoing investment that your group has been making or the potential $$ available to move forward with if a long-term lease is obtained.
Perhaps your group of 10 could include a Det News and a Freep reporter to talk about what is on the table or maybe some TV reporters that could raise the awareness of the populace.
Is Brian B. still doing rowing instruction for local kids in the city? That is the kind of news that needs to get out, I think, if you want any chance of claiming that facility vs. handing it over to those that are looking for their own post-rowing glory from the facility.
Just some thoughts as quiet negotiations seem perpetually stalled. |
Ongowwah
Member
Username: Ongowwah
Post Number: 15
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 4:49 pm: | |
9 million paid out and rising to cover his own backside yet the mayor let the Kahn designed aquarium on Belle Isle(olderst one in the country) close because he said the City couldn't afford, what was it, 2 million to keep it open? Why should the Boat Club be any different in his mind? That man is a piece of work! |
Southwestsaavy
Member
Username: Southwestsaavy
Post Number: 15
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 5:37 pm: | |
The City cut the Funding for the city rowing program last year, but we still offer it to give back to the community, and get people interested in rowing. Great suggestion about the press. I will bring to the Board and follow through. Incidentally we have evening programs for beginning adults starting in may. |
Irish_mafia
Member
Username: Irish_mafia
Post Number: 1237
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008 - 11:31 am: | |
Good stuff Southwest.
Wish you well. |
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