When I read the insane article in the Cleveland Plan Dealer, about this $2 million bling for Jacobs, I was going to write about it... after the puke on my key board dried. Thank you for diving right into this sharkpit.

What I love in the plan dealing article - yes, Cleveland, the mayor you made God yesterday hath spoken today and yee shall have a $2 million public subsidized fish tank in the blighted Jacobs zone - and let me further puke for the public spending on the towpath white-flight road to Jacobs, and the bailout of the Coast Guard Station Jacobs "developed" and destroyed.

From the plan dealer...

The mayor called the projects he pointed out during the tour, including moving the skate park near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to make way for a restaurant and extending the Towpath Trail to the lakefront, "a demonstration of what we've been doing."

In June, Jacobs Investments announced the aquarium project, which calls for a pedestrian tunnel surrounded by water.

The designer, Marinescape NZ Ltd. of New Zealand, has created 21 aquariums around the world. This would be its first in the Western Hemisphere. It is expected to draw more than 400,000 visitors annually and inject more than $10 million into the local economy.

Other projects Jackson outlined include a pedestrian bridge to improve access to the North Coast Harbor and restoration of the Whisky Island Coast Guard Station.

Oh yea, and thanks for letting us know this way that they moved the only cool thing on the lakefront - the skate park - what is that all about?!

I look forward to the Mayor producing the projections for the economic assumptions of this project - "It is expected to draw more than 400,000 visitors annually and inject more than $10 million into the local economy". Casino Bling.

And I'd like to see the projections and plans for that restaurant planned for a few 100 yards from where the Hornblowers Restaurant just went broke.

And, economic justifiaction for the bridge to nowhere...

And an explanation for the utter failure of RTA's Waterfront Line...

And a reason why anyone should spend good money to live downtown in pollution central, with no sign our leadership gives a damn about public health.

Either of you really running for Mayor? Explain all that.

Disrupt IT

Norm, you hit on the essence of propaganda on these projects.

Oh, yes, 400,000 people - why not 4 million - and $10 million in economic activity, why not $100 million.  When you are making up numbers why stop at piddling numbers why not go into space.

Thanks for the additions.

Here's the original article link:
 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/09/mayor_frank_jackson_wants_city.html

As residents, we need to contact our current council reps and make it known to them that subsidizing developers with a 2 million dollar loan is wrong.

If you have any questions about a specific item on the calendar, please contact Katherine Bulava at (216) 857-7362 or at kbulava [at] clevelandcitycouncil [dot] org" href="http://us.mc824.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kbulava [at] clevelandcitycouncil [dot] org">kbulava [at] clevelandcitycouncil [dot] org.

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I agree with you Roldo about cutting the fat out of administration before cutting the services. They keep redecorating,for instance the stations all getting face lifts. That’s a good thing but not while your cutting services. They have no housing on the lines, that is really the direction to go if you get into intergovernmental cooperation, not sharing capital. But actually doing things that make sense, like residential on the line. Consolidation of lines and then concentration of housing on the lines. But also clustering commercial and industrial on the lines. It's not about telling people were to live but advertising the option and ensuring that it is open to all and at a reasonable price.

I do not agree with Patmon, his comment was 100% political and sort of dumb, and intended to appease people that may not realize that the city and RTA funding are separate.

Then is a doodle board like water boarding…makes you wonder doesn’t it.

The alternative that Patmon presents in an article on wkyc.com is odd; give the money to RTA to run the circulator buses? The city does not fund the buses do they?

Here is a link to Marinescape, they are who will be building 123,000 sq ft aquarium into the Powerhouse.  The site is informative, they have current projects in a list but the Cleveland project is not on it. They also have all the current aquarium that they operate throughout the world, they are a New Zealand based company. This will be the first venture in the US.

I found the site as informative, they have current projects disclosed, however the Cleveland project is not. They also list all the current aquariums that they operate throughout the world, they are a New Zealand based company. This will be their first venture in the US.

They operate primarily in Asia with four exceptions; two located in the UK another in St Petersburg Russia and the fourth in Astana Kazakhstan

  He worked on Jacobs behalf, too, going against Mike White and ultimately killing his political career, by supporting Jacobs shadow Figgie deal in the Chagrin Highlands debacle that resulted in taxpayers funding the highway interchange for Jacobs.  It's all we seem to do with our money and because folks, we have no memory, we do the same thing over and over and over--ad nauseum. 
 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR of THE FREE TIMES, 3-22-01

``I am writing in response to Councilman Bill Patmon's comments on the Chagrin Highlands project ("Battle for the Highlands," March 7 [2001]).

There are enormous environmental, social and economic costs attached to the Chagrin Highlands project.

Chagrin Highlands is really a misnomer for the 630 acres leased by the City of Cleveland to the Jacobs Group. The area should be truthfully called "Mill Creek Headwaters." Visualize wildlife, wetlands and land area the size of a Metroparks reservation and you get an idea of the possible impact.

This project affects thousands of homeowners and local retailers. The traffic issues have been studied by NOACA [Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency] for over 10 years.

In 1996, Chris Warren from the city's economic development department met with local representatives from the Sierra Club to listen to concerns over the proposed I-271 interchange.

Ironically, the main objective was to protect Camp Forbes, the only outdoor recreational camp experience available to many city kids. Camp Forbes is adjacent to the project.

The taxpayers of Ohio footed half of the bill to construct the I-271 interchange at Harvard and Richmond roads under the condition that "big box" retail and its subsequent parking and traffic impact would be prohibited.

Now Jacobs is making yet another questionable deal with some members of Cleveland City Council. To Councilman Bill Patmon -- who claims this isn't about issues, but about "friends and enemies" -- I say, take a good look at Jacobs' South Park mall.''

Laura McShane, Cleveland

More on Chagrin Highlands: Dirty Details of Chagrin Highlands Development Deal

 Re-read Roldo's blog above and then the story at cleveland.com where Jacobs says that there is no longer a 40 job creation guarantee, just 20. There is not any mention of reducing the low interest $2,000,000 loan in half. Gift indeed.

An excerpt from that story shows only one council representative objecting:

Jeff Johnson was the lone council member to speak out about the change on Monday. He asked what documentation that Jacobs Entertainment Group and Marinescape provided to justify the cut in the jobs guarantee.

"We had a deal and now the deal is changing," Johnson told Nichols. "I haven't seen any reason that tells me why I should be signing off on a new deal."

Nichols said she was relying on the explanation given by company officials as to why they could no longer guarantee 40 jobs.

Thanks DWebb for catching the shell game Jacobs played on the City of Cleveland...I am so glad that we LOAN money to MILLIONAIRES....