I know, some of you are probably tired of this, but guess what? Â It’s only beginning.
A fresh look at the Business Plan for Summit City Holdings, which is arrived at from a link on their main page titled, “Business Plan submitted to The City of Fort Wayne – April 29, 2009”, has the following:
After several months of meetings with the City of Fort Wayne we have decided to publish our business plan for the public that to date has been confidential. We are awaiting endorsements from the city and will provide updates of said endorsements as we receive them from the City of Fort Wayne. Â The Summit City Grand Resort & Casino Holdings Corporation still intends to break ground on this project within the calendar year of 2009. The initial phase is expected to begin with the construction of the Water Park, IMAX Theater, and the 3,000 seat concert venue. The hotel and resort construction would follow. The casino will be the last facility constructed and will begin as remaining funding, endorsements, and license(s) are obtained.
[…] As we begin to staff up for this large project, our executive team has been working countless hours behind the scenes to move the project forward, we at Summit City Grand Resort and Casino Holdings Corporation would like to take the opportunity to extend a thank you to the community and to our supporters for all their hard work on this project.
Gee, most in the community don’t know anything about this, or didn’t until this weekend. Â How much support could we have given? Â Especially at the time of this writing back at the end of April?
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No, Stephen, those who are tired of getting all the useful information you post here can just go back to reading their local “news” papers.
“The Summit City Grand Resort & Casino Holdings Corporation still intends to break ground on this project within the calendar year of 2009”
I’m not sure others recognize this but this is all about PR momentum. This group wants to make sure government leaders know they are serious so they must continue to show “progress”. Hence, the business plan, then the letter showing financing commitment (which is actually no such thing), and now the claim they will move forward even without the casino.
People need to know that this is a standard lobbying tactic – and I don’t mean that in a disparaging way. They want to keep the momentum up and try to force the state legislature to deal with the issue. Basically the play is to say “c’mon guys, we’ve got everything in place and you all at the legislature are dragging your feet.”
It also serves the second purpose of trying to get more vocal support from local government. They accomplish this by showing all the great things they will build and talk about the casino as simply gravy.
People should recognize that this group is SOLELY about getting a casino built – EVERYTHING else is simply a means to accomplish that goal. I’ll eat those words if they actually build something before a casino referendum takes place but I find that highly, highly unlikely…
Of course it’s PR. That is part of the reason why I focused on it this weekend and I want others to as well. It’s time for the City to step up and let us know what’s going on – either confirm or deny this groups assertions. Frankly, I think it’s pretty much ‘bunk’ and needs debunked.
It will be interesting to see if the Administration responds this week and if the rest of the media picks up on it.
Act and look like you belong somewhere, and most people will believe you do.
segues to…
Act like everything is a done deal and keep up PR like it is, and most people will believe it is.
Also from the business plan: “…The Environmental Studies for the site are completed and approved to allow the property to be used for building the Resort, Water Park, National Performing Arts Center and Casino.” Have any of you seen the results of the environmental study?
Paul – despite repeated, numerous requests from just about the whole gamut of us, no. No one has seen the results outside of the administration.
MichaelK,
Yes, and in the tactics of propaganda it is called The Big Lie
Any group wanting to develop anything in Fort Wayne starts with our Redevelopment Department. So it is possible that the people in Redevelopment are considered to be “the community” or “our supporters” that are mentioned? After all, Redevelopment is in support of all development, especially that which our citizens do not want – for example; Moving the Minor League Baseball team out of Memorial Stadium to downtown, an unnecessary new hotel downtown, Renaissance Pointe, coverting Calhoun Street back to two-way traffic, continuing TIF districts when all planned projects are paid for, tax abatements for fast food businesses, et al.
Why are you “shocked by this – it’s the same old stuff.
Let’s call attention to the expense our city council could eliminate by closing up this department in the 2010 budget.
“Have any of you seen the results of the environmental study?”
No, as mere citizens who will eventually be paying for the study (or perhaps already have) we are not entitled to have access to this information until it is too late for us to do anything about it.
Representative Democracy – Protecting citizens from themselves for over two hundred years!