One of our roving reporters sent this in today.
There’s no hotel on the horizon, but in spite of that important component, work for the walkway to the Embassy has already begun.
When questioned about the work going they confirmed they are doing demolition work on the inside of the hotel by ripping the walls out, modifying or adding stairwells and an elevator, and “the hole” would soon follow.
One Embassy employee was rather perturbed when we spoke with him. He said “not only are they fscking up my sidewalks, they are loud as hell, creating MORE dust for something that isnt even going to happen. If a hotel gets built, it will be 2 years from now, I just have that feeling”
Indiana News Center is reporting that part of the funds will be used for office space.
The improvements in the Embassy, meanwhile, are being funded primarily with city tax dollars.
Kelly Updike/Embassy Executive Director: ” From the outset, everyone agreed that this needed to have no financial impact negatively on the Embassy, because we are a non profit in this community, and the other good news is that, this whole project schedule, which will last up to a year, does not influence our shows negatively at all.”
[...]
There’s good reason to believe the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel at Harrison Square will eventually get built, and the upgrades at the Embassy are expected to open the upper four floors of the Embassy and Indiana Hotel for new office space.
So the city of Fort Wayne is now paying approximately one million dollars, (of your money) for this without any assurance of a hotel. What if the hotel doesn’t happen? Is the Embassy getting a free remodeling job? And office space? Don’t they realize that there’s currently a glut of office space in downtown Fort Wayne?
On top of that, Greg Leatherman says the city is still scratching their ass trying to figure out where to get the money to complete everything.
AWB
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Is there anyone in charge? Captain Queeg? Competing with tax paying office space providers? It’s time for the tribunal. Or maybe the Maglev trains will bring in some office rentals.
This is typical of Fort Wayne and the way we have spent money for the last 10-years. This project, while attractive and will improve the overall beautification of the city, is far to expensive and will not be self supporting.
Until we we take note this project will always be dependent on the ‘next big thing’ we are doomed to see its’ overall financial failure.
If they realy do have the money to complete the walkway to nowhere, why has the design team placed a $250,000 lean on the City for unpaid design work?