Post by 50yardfan on Jun 9, 2011 22:32:45 GMT -5
Point of view: It will cost more to close McMorran than save it
www.thetimesherald.com/article/20110609/OPINION02/106090317
It's the 800-pound gorilla nobody wants to discuss. It's our local equivalent of the doom and gloom forecast for Social Security and our national debt. Our country keeps putting off addressing those issues, hoping someone else can figure out a solution.
Meanwhile, we keep our heads in the sand so we can't see the pending disaster staring us in the face.
Our region's issue is McMorran Place. The recent embarrassments surrounding the indoor football team is just one more indicator that absent a plan to reinvent and re-purpose McMorran, the once proud anchor of sports and entertainment will act as a black hole in the galaxy and drain the life out of its surroundings.
Some of our fellow residents in Fort Gratiot and Port Huron Township might argue McMorran is not their concern. Businesses in Lakeport or Marysville might say it doesn't impact their market or their lives.
They might say it's a problem for the city of Port Huron and its residents, but how wrong they are. It's a regional problem.
The recent news that Marci Fogal and the Blue Water Area Convention and Visitors Bureau were able to successfully lure the Miss Michigan Pageant back to Port Huron gives us a glimmer of what would be possible if McMorran were a facility of which our region could be proud.
Imagine a facility that could attract visitors, guests and tourists for business and pleasure on a regular basis. Where would those visitors stay, eat and go for nightlife? Do you think it's a coincidence that the decline of the Thomas Edison Inn has coincided with the decline of McMorran?
Some critics would argue the city of Port Huron should just close the doors and turn out the lights. They contend any annual subsidy is too much.
What they fail to see are the staggering costs -- the direct costs and the opportunity costs of a closed facility. You don't think tax dollars should be used to subsidize McMorran? It's perfectly fine to subsidize Pine Grove Park, the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, Lakeside Beach, our libraries and every other public park or facility. How many of those public facilities have the opportunity to spin off as much economic impact as McMorran? None.
A closed and vacant facility as large as McMorran would cost the city more than six figures a year in insurance, utilities, maintenance and upkeep. The recent collapse of the roof at the HAC is a good example of what eventually happens to a neglected building. A vacant building is far from free.
So what's the future of McMorran? Are we just going to sit back and wait for the inevitable and then wonder why something wasn't done sooner?
This isn't just an issue for the Port Huron City Council or the McMorran Authority to solve. Through the past two years, and with little fanfare or public attention, McMorran has become a much leaner and more efficient organization.
It isn't fair to point the finger of blame at the civic center's leadership and staff.
Where is the voice of the community? Where are the user groups, stakeholders and businesses that would benefit from a more vibrant McMorran?
Where is the business community, the hotels, youth hockey, town hall, civic theater, SC4 and the many other schools and community groups who rely on McMorran? What would they do if the doors of McMorran were permanently locked?
They, we, had better speak up soon. The long-term costs of a more deteriorated McMorran or a closed McMorran are far greater than the costs of acting now.
www.thetimesherald.com/article/20110609/OPINION02/106090317
It's the 800-pound gorilla nobody wants to discuss. It's our local equivalent of the doom and gloom forecast for Social Security and our national debt. Our country keeps putting off addressing those issues, hoping someone else can figure out a solution.
Meanwhile, we keep our heads in the sand so we can't see the pending disaster staring us in the face.
Our region's issue is McMorran Place. The recent embarrassments surrounding the indoor football team is just one more indicator that absent a plan to reinvent and re-purpose McMorran, the once proud anchor of sports and entertainment will act as a black hole in the galaxy and drain the life out of its surroundings.
Some of our fellow residents in Fort Gratiot and Port Huron Township might argue McMorran is not their concern. Businesses in Lakeport or Marysville might say it doesn't impact their market or their lives.
They might say it's a problem for the city of Port Huron and its residents, but how wrong they are. It's a regional problem.
The recent news that Marci Fogal and the Blue Water Area Convention and Visitors Bureau were able to successfully lure the Miss Michigan Pageant back to Port Huron gives us a glimmer of what would be possible if McMorran were a facility of which our region could be proud.
Imagine a facility that could attract visitors, guests and tourists for business and pleasure on a regular basis. Where would those visitors stay, eat and go for nightlife? Do you think it's a coincidence that the decline of the Thomas Edison Inn has coincided with the decline of McMorran?
Some critics would argue the city of Port Huron should just close the doors and turn out the lights. They contend any annual subsidy is too much.
What they fail to see are the staggering costs -- the direct costs and the opportunity costs of a closed facility. You don't think tax dollars should be used to subsidize McMorran? It's perfectly fine to subsidize Pine Grove Park, the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, Lakeside Beach, our libraries and every other public park or facility. How many of those public facilities have the opportunity to spin off as much economic impact as McMorran? None.
A closed and vacant facility as large as McMorran would cost the city more than six figures a year in insurance, utilities, maintenance and upkeep. The recent collapse of the roof at the HAC is a good example of what eventually happens to a neglected building. A vacant building is far from free.
So what's the future of McMorran? Are we just going to sit back and wait for the inevitable and then wonder why something wasn't done sooner?
This isn't just an issue for the Port Huron City Council or the McMorran Authority to solve. Through the past two years, and with little fanfare or public attention, McMorran has become a much leaner and more efficient organization.
It isn't fair to point the finger of blame at the civic center's leadership and staff.
Where is the voice of the community? Where are the user groups, stakeholders and businesses that would benefit from a more vibrant McMorran?
Where is the business community, the hotels, youth hockey, town hall, civic theater, SC4 and the many other schools and community groups who rely on McMorran? What would they do if the doors of McMorran were permanently locked?
They, we, had better speak up soon. The long-term costs of a more deteriorated McMorran or a closed McMorran are far greater than the costs of acting now.