Letter published in News Tribune 6/07
Dear Editor,
At the city council meeting June 18, Councilman Ron Medin asked City Administrator Steve Rasmussen the pivotal question. He asked if there have been any potential convention center developers who say that they must have the West McCarty Street properties or the deal is off? Mr. Rasmussen responded that he has been in communication with up to 8 potential developers, none of which have said the properties in question are needed for their convention center proposals.
For 9 years the city has been operating under the assumption that we cannot save these historic buildings and have a convention center too. It turns out they were wrong. They are not mutually exclusive after all. The question is not; “shall we renovate these historic properties OR have a convention center?” We can have both.
In March investors presented viable proposals to the Convention Center Selection Committee (CCSC) to renovate three of the four old properties. Most parties have agreed that the green house at 221 W. McCarty is beyond repair. Even the Historic City of Jefferson is not advocating for this property. The CCSC made a recommendation to the city council that these proposals be accepted pending responses from potential convention center developers. They have the responses. However, almost three months have past and these investors have not gotten a yea or nay. This is time wasted. The renovations could have been underway and we would not still be looking at blight in that block.
The city should ask for new bids for demolition of just the green house, award the other houses to the interested investors, and in the mean time, continue to seek out convention center developers. Renovation of historic resources is a better option for this city than demolition. Blight is, after all, reversible. Demolition is not.
Jenny Smith