EDC votes to demo Tiger Stadium

[izzyindetroit]

Found this note on Facebook.

"Here's what transpired yesterday at Tiger Stadium:

The MCM/Farrow group commences "final demolition" at 3:41 p.m.

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy gets a temporary restraining order at 5 p.m. Work crews ignore it and begin to demolish the upper deck, while blocking the gates, thus Conservancy Treasurer Gary Gillette and his lawyer are unable to serve the demolition foreman w/ court documents.

Stadium activist Rod Nelson then calls the police so that they can demand entrance.

Meanwhile, Conservancy board member Rick Ruffner's business partner, a man named Chip Owen, squeezes through the fence, runs across the field, and serves the papers.

He is then held for possible trespassing charges.

Demolition finally stops just before 6 p.m., after the crews got in what Nelson describes as "40+ minutes of malicious, felonious destruction of public property, willfully violating a court order.""

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?not...9062&ref=share

If this is true, then this just ain't right.

[warsaw7]

It's really funny, I was in Toronto this weekend and this was one of the top stories on their news ticker.

[HazenPingree]

An email I sent out tonight. Please come!

URGENT: Tiger Stadium's last stand


Friends of preservation, thank you so much for your support of the Tiger Stadium effort. As a friend of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, I ask for your help.


As you may know, last week the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation voted in secret to demolish the remaining historic portion of Tiger Stadium. Demolition Permits were granted, and demolition began on Friday. Fortunately, the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy stepped in with a court ordered temporary restraining order.

The court hearing to settle the dispute will be tomorrow, Monday the 8th at 9:30am. We would like to peacefully gather in front of the Spirit of Detroit [[Jefferson and Woodward in Detroit) between 8:30 and 9am to show our support. Tomorrow, if the Judge is willing, the temporary restraining order that halted demolition on Friday will be extended another three weeks, giving the Conservancy more time to formulate a plan.


While supporting the Conservancy's effort in court, we must also appeal to Mayor Dave Bing who can intervene and end the wranglings between the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy and the DEGC.


Please bring all of your friends, and bring tasteful signs.

[urbanoutdoors]

You know I will be there andy let me know if there is anything I can do besides spread the word...

[rjlj]

Mary Kramer's column only echo's the puzzlement of all the eager people who have submitted re-development proposals for old Tiger Stadium over the past 10 years to the DEGC's deaf ears. I feel the only reasonable explanation is that there are greater forces at hand here. Who is the one with the greatest baseball interest in the area that doesn't want competition? Or are the powers at be just without basic reason??? Has this quasi-public organization done more positive than negative in this city? If not, it time for them to go. Good luck tomorrow OTSC.

[kraig]

An email I sent out tonight. Please come!

URGENT: Tiger Stadium's last stand


Friends of preservation, thank you so much for your support of the Tiger Stadium effort. As a friend of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, I ask for your help.


As you may know, last week the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation voted in secret to demolish the remaining historic portion of Tiger Stadium. Demolition Permits were granted, and demolition began on Friday. Fortunately, the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy stepped in with a court ordered temporary restraining order.

The court hearing to settle the dispute will be tomorrow, Monday the 8th at 9:30am. We would like to peacefully gather in front of the Spirit of Detroit [[Jefferson and Woodward in Detroit) between 8:30 and 9am to show our support. Tomorrow, if the Judge is willing, the temporary restraining order that halted demolition on Friday will be extended another three weeks, giving the Conservancy more time to formulate a plan.


While supporting the Conservancy's effort in court, we must also appeal to Mayor Dave Bing who can intervene and end the wranglings between the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy and the DEGC.


Please bring all of your friends, and bring tasteful signs.

I'm glad you made a point about bringing tasteful signs. This is has been one of those situations where the DEGC is looking to capitalize on any mistakes that are made by Tiger Stadium supporters. Also, beware of counter protestors, even though Kwame is gone, there are still some people involved with this that are operating from his playbook. Whatever you do, do not take the bait. They're going to try to make you do something that you'll regret. Don't fall for it.

While you're at the building, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have some of the OTSC representatives stop by the City Council meeting since they've been big supporters, for the most part, of the Conservancy's efforts. Their meetings are streamed live and the press is always there. Good Luck.

[histeric]

I couldn't agree more that courteous and appropriate signs are called for. I was very disappointed to arrive at the "vigil" and find your typical ego driven rabble rousers calling for George Jackson's head, job, what have you. After almost a decade of working to be taken seriously, it was a complete slap in the face to find our cause had been relegated to the hands of ignorant, rabble rousers. The fact is, that if it were not for Peter Zeiler and George Jackson, this project would never have even gotten off the ground floor. We were ignored by Mayor Archer, his deputy and their cohorts. So to demonize Mr. Jackson was a very disappointing development. And that is coming from the founding member, whose signature actually created the original documents that formed the OTSC. I say this to remind all involved that George Jackson actually stepped to the plate, under the previous administration, and was willing to work with the community development org from Corktown.

It seems to me, that since Mr. Jackson works at the mayors pleasure, and our new mayor has Denise Ilitch and Freeman Hendrix as his advisors, it might be time to call a spade a spade. This decision was made by the Bing organization. Plain and simple. Hendrix finally gets to finalize a poor decision made almost a decade ago...to which he was party. If anyone needs to be demonized, it is our current mayor. And I shouldn't have to, but I will, remind our mayor that in the Detroit of today, the swing vote exists among the minority, living in the historic districts of our fair city. Pay attention. Be forewarned.

[Fnemecek]

Thank you for reminding us of this.

[lo_to_d]

Something seems very fishy about this... Could I make the ignorant suggestion that Ilitch might have secret plans to build a hockey arena there? It is right down the street from the MCC casino. Just a thought, maybe he wants DEGC to be the fall guys, so he doesn't have to.

[kraig]

They're out there in front of the Spirit of Detroit, in the rain. No matter how you feel about the stadium, you have to give it up for their fortitude.

[lo_to_d]

Biggest reason why this seems so fishy... from the Crains article...

{Now, the situation’s changed — the EDC approved the demolition at a cost of no more than $400,000.

And the price of scrap metal continues to fall, Guillebeaux said.

“I’m looking purely at the economics,� he said.}

Does he really think people are that dumb? If they are really looking purely at the economics, wouldn't it make more sense to keep the $400,000 for payment and transfer of the stadium to the conservancy? That is the most they would get for a cleared site for redevelopment anyway. Not to mention there are large sections of land that the DEGC could keep for development proposals [[large rectangular section of land to the north where the left field stands were, and large triangular section at the corner of michigan and trumble.) The DEGC's decision makes no economic sense, especially sense the conservancy is paying for security costs. Also, I would be interested in knowing how many DEGC board members live in the city?

[DetroitHabitater]

I'm sad about how little the city has listened to the residents of corktown itself. There has always been a resounding unified voice from the community to keep the stadium.

Ultimately we are the ones who are going to have to live with the development whatever it may be and the mayor/EDC/CityCouncil has repeatedly dismissed us for the last several years.

THE LAST thing I need is drunken hockey fans peeing in the empty lot next to me and littering plastic solo cups throughout the neighborhood.

[izzyindetroit]

The hockey arena will not happen here. The location behind Fox Town and the location across the Lodge from Motor City Casino would make much more sense than placing the arena in Corktown.

[izzyindetroit]

Anyone hooked into the hearing right now?? whats happening?

[kraig]

I'm sad about how little the city has listened to the residents of corktown itself. There has always been a resounding unified voice from the community to keep the stadium.

Ultimately we are the ones who are going to have to live with the development whatever it may be and the mayor/EDC/CityCouncil has repeatedly dismissed us for the last several years.



THE LAST thing I need is drunken hockey fans peeing in the empty lot next to me and littering plastic solo cups throughout the neighborhood.

The mayors I can see. But are you being fair to City Council? They've voted in favor of the OTSC every time. As much as we all jump on them we may have to give them a little bit of credit.

Even as far as Mayors go, Kilpatrick and Bing I can see. However, Cockrel Has always been a supporter of the Corktown area and a supporter of the OTSC. Unfortunately, as I've pointed out before on this thread, the OTSC and Cockrel never hooked up and worked out a deal during the time he was the mayor. Oddly enough, the brief time that Cockrel was Mayor, also seemed to be the time were there was the least amount of activity by the Mexicantown/Corktown residents and the OTSC. It appears as though everyone was operating under the assumption that Cockrel would win and everyone had more time.

As far as Illitch taking over. He doesn't own any land around the Stadium, so far, so he may not be looking to put a hockey arena there. He does own almost all of the land around the Fox, and has wanted to put one there. Besides, it would be a bad PR move to piss off the very active residents of the area where you would want to locate your project when you're going to rely on public support to build a new hockey arena.

Of course, that being said and this being Detroit, the City does own a lot of land surrounding the Stadium and could be looking to sell the land to Illitch in the same manner that they sold a lot of the land he owns around the Fox to him. Which was 1.7 million dollars worth of land for 1 measly dollar. And that deal went through none other than the DEGC.

[buildingsofdetroit]

Anyone hooked into the hearing right now?? whats happening?

The conservancy loses in court. A judge says Tiger Stadium demolition should continue. I wouldn't be surprised if Farrow had the demo equipment fired up shortly after the ruling, just in case the OTSC tries to appeal. Anyone at The Corner?