RM 11-02-79 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

South Bend Commission Regular Mee�edevelopment ing - November 2, 1979 7. PROGRESS REPORTS The Chalir recognizes Mr. T. Brooks Brademas: Mr. Brademas: Mr. President, I'm delighted to see you back and looking so well. I'd like to speak very briefly to several of the points that have been discussed this morning, relative to the Odd Fellows Building. One, financing. I will leave with you for your perusal, a report on the Stevens Company. That may be a firm not familiar to the Commission but it has now become one of the half dozen largest firms of its kind in the country, specializing in the industrial revenue type bond. So from the standpoint of the viability of the financing I can tell you we have a firm commitment. Speaking directly to thE Commission President's concern as to whether or not you get started and then you have the wherewithal to carry forward, I think that our record certainly speaks for itself in what we have done here in the community. As you know, on these EDC Bonds you have to sign on them personally, and I can tell you when we do that why we're going to be around to make sure that the job gets do e. A couple of points are very well taken and I admire your Executive Director's footwork in terms of responding to them, but I come back again to say that if Mr. Jannotta's report would suggest anything other than what the very thought out and excellent report of the Rouse people suggested, I would think that you would have to look into this. It would be inconceivable to me, from onE who has some knowledge of the local situation, to think that Mr. Jannotta would come up with anything that wo ld be very much different than what the Rouse people said. There is and will be a very strong demand for thE type of office space that could be provided by the Odc Fellows Building. There are a couple of housekeeping ki d of things. We have looked over that building in great detail, it is very structurally sound and the roof is essentially sound, but in the southwest corner there .is a leak in the roof, and also along the north parapet wall there is a leak. That may not mean a great deal at this point in time, but could if we get a lot of rain an snow packing up there. It would not take very much to make some temporary repairs and I would just hope th t you take that into consideration as well as some of the windows that are open where you might get some bl wing snow and rain. Because the building is basically in structurally sound condition now, we wouldn't want to ha e any further damage. -16- DISCUSSION BY MR. T. BROOKS BRADEMAS