12-13-10 Common Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING DECEMBER 13, 2010 Councilmember Rouse stated that he has been in contact with Don Inks, Director, Economic Development, and advised that the memorandum of agreement will be forth coming on both A.J. Wright and Bosch. Councilmember Henry Davis, Jr. advised that this coming Saturday, the Charles Black center will be holding a free Senior Breakfast from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. and invited all to come out. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR Jim Cierzniak, 1518 Pine Top Trace, Mishawaka, Indiana, stated that he has some comments and questions regarding the Coveleski project. Why weren’t there cost estimates and a breakdown of the renovations to be done at the Cove, for example how much for the new scoreboard? How much for creating a centerfield entrance? How much for extending the entire concourse around the stadium? If the Council doesn’t know those specifics then why? If the Council does know, then why hasn’t the public been given that information. He stated that the synagogue aspect of the this project is bizarre, you don’t need to make it the ticket office/souvenir shop and believes that those functions are a fig leaf to cover up something questionable. Both functions are centrally located within the stadium. Why is the city taking in another white elephant? Is the city buying the synagogue and at what price? He remembered the bible story of Jesus Christ driving the money changers out of the temple, in our day Joe Kernan wants to put them back in the temple to sell tickets and t-shirts. The fact that three Jewish groups have signed off from this transformation means only that they got what they wanted. The Synagogue deal looks like the city is bailing out a religious group that has no use for that building and doesn’t want to continue spending money on it. He asked how much it will cost to maintain that building. He stated as far as opening up the centerfield entrance and how everyone is saying that it will connect the downtown to the stadium does anyone realize how silly that reasoning is. It gives a whole new meaning to the word connection. He questioned if any of the Council has been to the Cove in the last two weeks to see its condition. He stated that after hearing Manager Haley say that the place is falling apart that the Council would want to see a structure that is seriously flawed. He questioned how the Council could vote on a 10 million dollar project with walking through the facility and seeing first hand the condition of the facility. He gave stated that attendance is down 24% since Joe Kernan has taken over. In the four years from 2003 to 2006 average yearly attendance was 196,000. During the Kernan years from 2007 to 2010 the average attendance was 149,000 that is a decline of 24%. Is that declining in attendance a direct reflection of Joe Kernan’s ownership of the franchise. Will the costly controversial rehab project help that image? He stated that in Joliet, Illinois a new ownership for the Jackhammers has made a ten year lease with the city to play in Silvercross Park, the new owners will pay the city $150,000 a year isn’t that twice as much as what Joe Kernan’s group is paying. He stated that the new owners will invest in 1 million dollars to install artificial turf in the stadium where Joliet Central High School will also use the facility for football games beginning in 2012. He questioned how much will Joe Kernan’s group invest in this project. Cheryl Ashe, 3830 Langley, South Bend, Indiana, asked the Council to get moving on the tax abatement issue. She stated that in light of what is happening at A. J. Wright, she stated that it reminded her of what happened to Accu-Ride and before that at Toro. She stated that the city is in dire need of a revised tax abatement ordinance. Ms. Ashe also commended Tamara Nicole-Smith on convincing store owner’s in the downtown area to let small business owners use the store fronts free of charge for the month of December 2010. She stated that she belongs to a group called the Michiana African American Chamber of Commerce and they are a new group here who was able to acquire a building while they are the Michiana African American Chamber of Commerce they are not all black, they have Caucasian artists in their group and invited the Council to stop by their building located at 229 S. Michigan St., she noted that they are located next to Dainty Maid. She stated that they presently have 10 vendors and most of those vendors are 31