07/14/2003 Meeting Minutes (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Caucus/Regular Council Mtg. 7-14-03 Page 24 construction of a new Convention Center in downtown Cleveland as the title makes me very uncomfortable. I think there's an awful lot of other issues that need to be dealt with. I think hotel i rooms--while they've improved, I don't think they're anywhere where they need to be to bring major conventions here. As a Director of a national organization, and I tried to bring a major national convention to Cleveland about 7 years ago and we just couldn't handle it as a region. [Mayor Rinker said that was 7 years ago.] I've worked with local organizations in working in conventions both with the downtown convention centers and the IX Center and I've found downtown a very uncomfortable place to work as far as traffic issues, as far as in and out issues, as far as accessibility to hotel rooms, etc., etc. I think there's an awful lot of issues that need to be dealt with and I don't think that we really need to jump to the forefront and pass this type of blanket resolution, you know, discussing financing, and discussion of downtown. I agree with what Dr. Parker said, I have no problem in supporting a piece of legislation that says we support construction of a new Convention Center in Cuyahoga County. Cuyahoga County certainly includes downtown Cleveland. It doesn't get into the specifics of various forms of financing. It states what we all know. We need to do something to bring major conventions into our region to support Cleveland, to support the downtown, the inner rings, the outer rings, the entire region. That type of legislation does that and it does that in a way that it doesn't take one small area and says bang; this is where the dart hits and this is where we want to build the Convention Center. It may end up being that that's where all the city fathers of all the communities that make up Cuyahoga County decide they want it to be. But I don't think that we should be the ones to be one of the first to pass a piece of legislation that says this is where we want it to be. I don't see " ~ the point in limiting it. i _ f Council President Buckholtz said prior to your comments, thank you Mr. Biter, I was going to ask Dr. Parker and then I will ask all of Council-the word financing-what we want to support here, obviously; it's sounding to me like we want to support or show our support or solidarity to construct a Convention Center. The financing issue is a complex component that I don't know that-I think it becomes the most controversial part of it and we don't need to go here. Mayor Rinker explained the financing will have to be part of the legislation. Mr. Marquardt suggested tabling the resolution until the next meeting. Council President Buckholtz said the issues are to either vote it the way it is or take out the word financing. It's almost a moot point either way with Cuyahoga County. We can say Cuyahoga County but it means the same thing as metropolitan Cleveland area. What would the effect of postponing it have? Additional discussion was held. Council President Buckholtz said I know that Cleveland needs all the development it can get. We need to draw people to the city for jobs, for tourism, for business. I don't know what could change by tabling it. I understand tabling things that we do for our own Village to think about it more.