Stop the Muskegon Madness!

I believe it is everyone's civic duty to try to stop expensive, pork-laden projects that will benefit few and actually hurt the city of Muskegon.

And the "concrete canyon" (derived from the suicidal "CoolCities" debacle) design for the remains of "downtown" Muskegon fits my description of civic duty.

Here's why:

This entire porkfest is a quest to build an $8.6 million dollar multistory parking ramp across from the downtown Muskegon Holiday Inn.

This ramp will replace a failed, similar sized ramp just torn down LAST year. 150 yards away from the new $8.6 millions proposal!

It also includes the tearing down of the current Herman Ivory Bus Terminal.

Which is 50 yards from its NEW proposed location!

So why would anyone, even old GordoMuskegon be against this "brilliance"?

1. Few will benefit. All will pay.

This expensive boondoggle of a parking ramp is purely for the benefit of the "Frauenthalians".

The "Frauenthalians" are:

Those devotees of the Frauenthal theater and the now defunct City Cafe.

http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/downtown-city-cafe-closes.html

Add in the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation, Baker Culinary bigwigs and the few (if any) folks who have an equity interest in the three new buildings that now make up the "Concrete Canyon".

And the few, sad reminents of The Muskegon Chronicle editorialists.

And oh yeah, that group bought us the "Muskegon Can opener" as a testament to their cultural superiority.

This is a city issue, NOT a county issue.

But the entire county will pay for it.

And only the Frauenthalians will benefit.

2. It isn't need now.

Our city looks like Beruit.

There is parking potential everywhere.

But "parkers" are nowhere to be seen!

If they don't build a multi-million dollar ramp but instead build a nice, open parking lot, across from the totally-subsided-by-taxpayers-Holiday-Inn, there is plenty of parking now.

3. It will be crime central.

The old ramp was never used because it wasn't needed AND because it was "all crime all the time".

Zero police protection then and thugs figured it out instantly.

Our new ramp has NO police protection in the plan.

4. It will cost "someone" $150,000/year to operate.

Their bogus spreadsheet shows a net profit.

It will have a major net loss every year.

And the "someone" who will pay will, again, be the residents of Muskegon county.

5. The Frauenthalians have already spent $200 MILLION dollars of our tax dollars on downtown Muskegon.

And the $8.6 million, that is SO important now, wasn't important enough to include in the $200 million? Why?

Something smells here.

6. The "Concrete Canyon" will make the lake winds even more powerful.

That will make downtown even windier, colder and less attractive to visit.

7. The city of Muskegon and the Frauenthalians have shown their disinterest in a quality downtown by making any visitor to our downtown unwelcome.

The street lights aren't synchronized.

The roads aren't plowed.

The sidewalks aren't shoveled.

They want to charge for parking in a town that has never needed to pay for parking in the past.

And isn't stupid enough to pay for it in the future.

The city and the "Frauies" simply don't understand what brings customers into a shopping/entertainment district.

Their actions are to be believed more than their words.

8. More taxes are coming because of this boondoggle!

And now we see the true spirit of the Frauenthalians!

This same group that has masterminded the $200,000,000 "rising" of downtown Muskegon has a new idea.

They're out of (our) money so the NEW IDEA is Increasing the taxes on any business that would be foolish enough to exist in the tax hell that Muskegon currently is.

This is supposed to attract new businesses and new visitors to Muskegon?

9. We just don't trust them!

Remember the same folks who champion this Canyonizing of our town were the same folks who masterminded the last enormous millage that "saved" the Walker arena, the Frauenthal and the Community Foundation offices.

How did that work out folks?

The Walker went from a site that paid $1/year to put on events into a sinkhole where millions of dollars were paid by the city/county (US!) and resulted in the end of most events in our arena.

The wonderful Frauenthal redo was nice but ...same result. Nifty place but no reason to go to since there were no shows and the Frauenthalian restaurant bellied up even when SUBSIDIZED!

These same "promisers" of "trust us again" sound more like Bernie Madoff than Warren Buffet.

No wait!

They sound just like Governor Jenny Granholm, "In five years, you're gonna be blown away!"
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/12/9/12133/9591

There is still time to stop this giant tax sucking machine!

Call your county commissioner.

Now!