The return of Dave Ransburg
There was a huge outcry when when reports first surfaced that the Peoria Civic Center authority was hot and heavy to begin negotiating with one developer to build a hotel next door to the facility.
The impression given was that taxpayers had nothing to worry about. The mood of the council was decidedly against such a move.
I’ve been following Peoria government too long to buy into that. There are two constant truths to Peoria City politics:
1. If it can put money into the hands of a developer, it will happen.
2. If Caterpillar wants it to happen, it will, because at no time in the city’s recent history has there been a majority of the City Council with the testicular virility to say “no” to the Great Yellow God. Cat wants a museum, Cat gets one. Cat wants a high-end hotel to impress its customers, Cat will get one. Period.
Therefore: Pay no attention to the words coming out of the mouths of council members now; eventually, they WILL get into the hotel business. They will hem and haw and promise this is the very last time they will need to prime the pump for that White Elephant of a civic center, then they will fork over YOUR cash to pay
Today’s Word on the Street
confirmed my suspicions. Without any public discussion whatsoever by the council on whether or not the concept of of going into the hotel business is a good idea or not, they are meeting behind closed doors to hear preliminary proposals.
Yet Mayor Ardis has the nerve to tell Word on the Street that this will be an “open process.”
Bull. They’ve already decided there will be a “process” to decide who gets to partner with the city and get financial incentives to build a hotel next door to the Civic Center.
Were I the owner or operator of one of the city’s other hotels, I would show up as group and use the public comment period of the meetings to tell the council exactly why it’s a bad idea for the city to pay someone to compete with them.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
Ooops!!! “…it’s a bad idea for the city to pay someone to compete with them.”????
Does that apply to muni wifi too Bill????
Attempt to weasel out will now begin.
I have to differ with you on this one. The precursor concept to The Shoppes at Grand Prairie (The Galleria) never got council approval.
In regard to CAT, the company invests a ton of money into this community and is footing the bill for their “Welcome Center” as well as the demolition costs for Museum Square. Not to mention the large donations to the CIRM project on the block. CAT is a major economic force in the community, and as such it makes sense to cooperate with them unless there is good reason not to. Overall, CAT has been a good corporate neighbor and deserves a little respect.
There is also the basis of your argument – that Peoria doesn’t need a high end chain hotel. While the Pere Marquette and the Mark Twain are quite nice, they do not have the name recognition to out-of-towners. The closest thing we have to an upper end chain is the Radisson, which is too small, and not really downtown.
The “Great Yellow God” wanted a museum, , provided demolition of the previous eyesore, and PAID for its corporate heart’s desire. God Bless them, capitalism, and the American way. If CAT wants a hotel, let them do the leg work and financing. CAT now puts guests up at the Mark Twain because the Pere is far from impressive.
And you forgot Cat wants a downtown stadium they get one.
Caterpillar has yet to inform the Peoria City Council as to how much the corporation will require them to fork over for Museum Square. The exact amount doesn’t matter. The city will cough up whatever The Great Yellow God demands they cough up. There are not six people on the council with the balls to say “no.”
Holiday Inn has name recognition to out-of-towners, doesn’t it?
…and its owner, lowell-bud, is a shameless cat sychophant.
Bill: there are ten councilpersons and one Mayor who have the balls, as you say, to stand up to Cat, believe me. By the way, without Cat, we can turnout the lights in this city. Don’t short-change this Council!
CJ, have you been in the downtown Holiday Inn lately?
We took my niece down there last fall when she was in town for a softball tourney, and the place wreaked. The elevator was filthy, the lobby carpet was badly stained and ripped, the wallpaper in the hallway of the fourth floor was peeling, and her room number was written on the door with a magic marker. Oh, and the room itself wasn’t much better.
I think it was a nice property 10 years ago when I came to town, but I’ve seen budget hotels in bad neighborhoods of Detroit that are in better shape. I wouldn’t call it a bragging point of the city’s hotel industry.
Hopefully, it’s been cleaned up and fixed up since last fall, but it needed a LOT of work.
Holiday Inn has name recognition, but it is not on the same level as say a Hilton.
Yes, the Holiday Inn does have a national reputation of being a slight step up from Motel 6. Frankly, Peoria has plenty of hotels/motels. For reasons I don’t understand, for the most part, they all suck. I favor a high brow hotel in Peoria. However, unless I’m checking in, I don’t think I should have to pay for it.
Caterpillar is finding it so profitable working in China — a nation that will execute workers who unionize — that they thought they would try a little socialism here in America.
Not quite, Polly.
This from a PJStar article (5-13-05) about the Pere:
“Also, Caterpillar Inc. will contribute to the work and lease the 10th floor of the 12-story hotel for 10 years for its executive visitors.”
There is a difference between socialism and a “seed investment”. The city needs certain things, and the market doesn’t want to provide it on its own.
Government (rightly) can sway the investment dynamics using public money. We chose our representatives, and with any luck they do what they think is right in each situation. If Peoria wants true upper-end hotels, some subsidy is a reasonable way to accomplish it.
To anticipate a rebuttal about market economies:
There are no pure market economies, and the US has certainly never been one. We attempt to approximate laissez faire market conditions very inconsistently. The point is that the current market situation in most areas is that subsidies are a way to become more competitive.
If you are going to build one hotel, and you have two potential sites you make the decision based off of the expected return you will get. If a subsidy lowers the investment barrier there is more opportunity to make money, making that area more attractive to investors. That city will get the hotel, unless the competing city counters, or has some signigicant attraction the other one does not. It does not make sense to take on equal risk for a lesser return.
Grandview in vertical, eh?
Would you prefer that CAT not conduct business with China? Do you believe ignoring the world’s fastest growing market would be to CAT’s or Peoria’s benefit? Might want to take off those rose colored glasses, Bill, they don’t flatter your blue nose.
It’s called a story for a reason Jason. Something better comes along… say a swank name hotel- or barring that- a butt ugly mustard color hotel that has wi-fi and down comforters, well count on CAT and the marketplace to find a better way. There are CAT V.P.s who refuse to send any of their guests to the Pere.
No, BJ, I had no idea it was so run down. That’s a shame. It seems like they just did a major renovation not that long ago when the Bennigans went in there. I guess that was longer ago than I thought.
What’s all of this talk about a downtown hotel, huh? It would be a helluva lot cheaper just to move The Rocket Motel from Galena Road to that swath of grass by City Hall.
Hey, the only thing that matters is if there’ll be room on the roof for a muni wifi node!
Hell yeah!! Prego and I don’t always agree but that’s one hell of an idea!!
That’s just it. Taxpayers have been “investing” in this Civic Center for about 30 years, and it still is not self sufficient. Where is my return on my investment? If the CC has brought in new business, certainly the sales taxes from this business would have lowered my taxes or provided additional services. Have they lowered my taxes? Nope. And little old ladies and the homeless are still paying the HRA taz when they buy a hamburger at McDonalds. The city has nearly doubled in geographic size and we have the same number of firefighters. Are the streets cleaner? Safer?
The plain, raw truth is that the CC will never, ever, ever be a money maker because they built the damn thing too small, and also because Peoria just isn’t large enough to draw the big, money making events. It just ISN’T. Sorry, folks.
So the city keeps chasing good money with bad, thinking they are just one more renovation away from being a success.
And pray tell me what does Caterpillar’s interest in a high end hotel for their guests has to do with cretating a hotel attached to the PCC, anyway? Now we are diverting money from the CC away from the CC to be used to kiss Caterpillar’s fat yellow arse?
If Cat doesn’t appreciate the quality of Peoria’s hotels, let them BUILD THEIR OWN FREEKING HOTEL!
I am sick of Caterpillar — one of the world’s richest corporations — coming to Peoria, coming to taxpayers hat in hand demanding we pay them tribute for the pleasure of allowing them to hire some of us to work in their factories. Yes, Caterpillar jobs drives the economy here. But you know who else benefits from Caterpillar doing business here? CATERPILLAR! The company is making record profits, so it’s not like their being here is an act of charity on their part.
The U.S. shouldn’t be allowing trade business with China until China addresses its human rights violations. But I suppose that’s a subject for another blog entry….
I view the Civic Center as a “loss leader” for our market. The reason it needs to be subsidized is Peoria does not support it well enough. I know I enjoy events at the Civic Center, I probably go to about 5-10 a year. Would I be doing that if tickets were twice as expensive – probably not. If you spread the cost of the Civic Center around using taxes (especially the HRA tax) you make CC events more reasonably priced when people want to go. You also make the CC more competitive when bidding on events. One of the greatest things about Peoria, is the fact that it has events that a larger city has (pro sports, NCAA Div Sports, ballet, symphony, opera, art exhibits, a zoo, a wonderful skyline, etc.) without the big city. In order to make these things go they need to be subsidized by everyone, so that attending these events is feasible for the masses. Also, the use of the HRA tax makes those from out of town pay for our perk.
Just wanted to comment on that. There is also an argument to made that allowing trade with China is improving human rights faster there than if trade wasn’t allowed.
So… What do you think would happen if Cat gave up on Peoria?
Nuff said.
What improvements?
Someone brought up the example of the council showing its “virility” by saying “No” to Grand Prairie. Great example of saying No to something that ended up pushing development to the fringe of town. Think how much better downtown would be positioned — for ALL of these things (bigger CC, new hotels, etc.) — if Grand Prairie were down the street from the ballpark. What a crime it’s 15 miles from the center of town…
While certain types of retail work in downtown settings – a mall (or to be pc: Open Air Lifestyle Center) does not. Downtown is not a large block of relatively cheap cornfields in which to insert a large scale shopping center. That is why cities (not just Peoria) tend to have malls away from downtown. When it was built Northwoods would not have been considered part of central Peoria, but I hear arguments for that now. Of course there is also the parking issue – people view pay parking (especially decks) as an annoyance. I love going downtown, but I am not a “mall person”. Peoria has to accomodate the desires of a diverse citizenry.
Actually, it’s about half that.