 
Carman
Member
Username: Carman
Post Number: 15
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 09, 2009 - 10:30 am: |    |
Need some help here.
The City Council and the City's residents, are rejecting the takeover of this "Jewel". But then I hear that the issue is not Cobo being run by a Regional Authority, but rather fairness in compensation to the city in this transfer.
Does this mean that if the ante is raised, the "Jewels" can go? Or does this mean that the "Jewels" can not be taken for any cost?
If it is just a price issue, then let's negotiate. If it is a "looting of the city's jewels" that is unacceptable, cost should not come into play and the issue should die right now.
BRC, MC and even Mildred seem to be playing both sides. I hear some of the time that it is not the regional thing but fairness, and then I hear that the suburb are picking Detroit clean and desiring a takeover of the city.
What do you say women, will you let the suburbs take over for the right price, or will you stand strong at any cost? |
Gistok
Member
Username: Gistok
Post Number: 6207
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 09, 2009 - 12:33 pm: | |
I think that the city needs to be very guarded when it comes to suburbanites taking over their jewels...
Back in 1970's there was a plan to put a nice pizza restaurant on Woodward in Midtown... but suburbanites scuttled that amazing plan by fending off the pizza folks, and restoring the building into some monstrosity named after a suburbanite... THE MAX.
And then there's that rock concert hall called The Grand Circus... it had a lot of rock concerts, and later became a nice place for a piano to have it's own swimming pool (in the orchestra pit). Granted it wasn't pretty, but then suburbanites donated tons of cash (along with some suburban and city corporations)... and now we have something called the Detroit Opera House that caters mostly to suburbanites (watch your back when going in there... those suburban granny's can be dangerous).
And finally there's the story of the suburban multi-millionaire who bought the Fox, Detroit's largest theatre jewel... and after spending $12 million of his own money... he uses it to entice suburbanites to come downtown and visit it.
Yes... Detroiters do need to keep an eye on those suburbanites, especially those with the "hidden agenda" of making the city a better place... you never know... they might want to take back more than the citys jewels...
(sarcasm alert off) |
Jtf1972
Member
Username: Jtf1972
Post Number: 126
Registered: 08-2008
| | Posted on Monday, March 09, 2009 - 12:44 pm: | |
Actually, there is reason to fear losing control of projects...
Look at the People Mover. What began as a plan to put a subway from the State Fairgrounds to City Airport, via mostly Woodward, Jefferson & Gratiot, became a small loop once SEMTA was put in control. Then they didn't want to finish it once those cracks showed up. |
Gistok
Member
Username: Gistok
Post Number: 6209
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 09, 2009 - 12:50 pm: | |
... only 1 problem wrong with that theory... SEMTA was in control of the People Mover development from day 1.
The reasons for no subway are complex and go beyond anything related to losing any control of anything... except perhaps merging with DDOT. |
Professorscott
Member
Username: Professorscott
Post Number: 1886
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Monday, March 09, 2009 - 1:07 pm: | |
There was never a plan to put a subway in that long of a corridor. The concept was to build a downtown loop and several spokes radiating out from it, with Woodward to be the first transit spoke.
Money was available for that part of the project, hundreds of millions. The project got hung up on a detail. Subway is more costly than surface rail, so the more subway you build, the fewer miles you can cover overall.
CAY wanted as much subway as possible, and LBP wanted the line to go as far into Oakland County as possible. They couldn't come to any kind of compromise (imagine), so the Woodward corridor wasn't developed at all, and those hundreds of millions went to other regions. All we got was the People Mover.
SEMTA, given what that organization was at the time, had surprisingly little say in any of this. |
Cpalk
Member
Username: Cpalk
Post Number: 2
Registered: 03-2009
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - 10:23 am: | |
People Mover...remember when the dumba55es demolished the Hudsons Bldg, and it all fell on the People Mover rails? Nice work there! |
Ferntruth
Member
Username: Ferntruth
Post Number: 774
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - 11:45 am: | |
"People Mover...remember when the dumba55es demolished the Hudsons Bldg, and it all fell on the People Mover rails? Nice work there!"
Oh, I don't know..considering how much building had to be brought down, and the relatively minor damage that ensued, I think they did a good job overall. |
Detroitej72
Member
Username: Detroitej72
Post Number: 1312
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - 7:35 pm: | |
I'll add a few more examples.
The DIA, since the Founder's Society has taken over, is run much better. They have expanded it, and they have a nice endowment to help it run.
The Detroit Zoo. Another smart move, as evident by its overall operation.
Its amazing how much better managed these assets are when the city is not calling the shots. Put them in control of people who know how to manage. |
Rjlj
Member
Username: Rjlj
Post Number: 825
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - 10:55 pm: | |
Another example, Eastern Market is doing much better not being in the city's control. Now only if more things were removed from the city's control. School system, Belle Isle (zoo, aquarium, entire island), etc.. Detroit's biggest enemy is itself. |
Eastsidedame
Member
Username: Eastsidedame
Post Number: 680
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - 11:58 pm: | |
My own father helped to build Cobo and I can't say for sure if it is of "jewel" caliber architecturally. I'll abstain from voting. But I will say that we have to separate sentimentality from historic significance or design merit. Yeah, I saw a lot of concerts there, too. So what?
IMHO, I'd say anything mid-century modern or before worth considering. Anything pre-Victorian should be perserved and protected. Still mad about Little Harry's. |
Ray
Member
Username: Ray
Post Number: 585
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 12:15 am: | |
What irony that the council was mad that Jay Leno is not peforming his benefit in Detroit. Why would anyone do any kind of business in Detroit after this fiasco?
They don't want "whites" or "outsiders" except exactly on their terms, when and how they say. They are truly pathological. Can you imagine if Dearborn made these kind of statements about Blacks? It would be on the front page of every paper in the country.
The city of Detroit lacks the competency to wipe it own ass, let alone run Cobo. |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 549
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 8:52 am: | |
More like white elephants. |
Eastsidedame
Member
Username: Eastsidedame
Post Number: 684
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 10:38 am: | |
They GAVE Leno the Auburn Hills venue for free. How could he say no? |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 554
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 10:55 am: | |
That would never happpen in Detroit. They always have their hands out. |
Detroitnerd
Member
Username: Detroitnerd
Post Number: 3638
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 11:07 am: | |
If Cobo is a jewel, it's a "jewel of denial."  |
Waymooreland
Member
Username: Waymooreland
Post Number: 129
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 2:41 pm: | |
Bravo, Detroitnerd! |