Furor Continues Over Med Mart Site Switch

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Topics: Politics
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The news this week that the developers of the med mart and convention center no longer want to use the public auditorium next to the mall is drawing criticism from some quarters, and being defended in others. ideastream's Rick Jackson reports.

The original plan to renovate public auditorium and use it as a temporary home for the med mart is being ditched.  Med mart designer MMPI wants to shift the whole facility to the bluff overlooking Lake Erie - between Cleveland city hall and the county courthouse.  That means the auditorium’s usefulness may be marginal and yet it would continue costing the city millions to maintain.

Councilman Mike Polensic says he voted for the Med Mart project ‘because’ it included restoration of the auditorium, and called the change a “bait-and-switch” tactic.

County commissioner Tim Hagan says no one was mislead—a change is necessary, he says, because some of the cost estimates turned out to be way off.

TIM HAGAN: “There should be an effort of saying ‘How do we get this done?”, not OK, you know, there was bait and switch. There was no bait-and-switch with respect to this. The public hall needs $80,000,000, which is beyond the budget of what we budgeted to make this project work.”

The original plan suggested only $32 million would be needed for the renovation.

Hagan suggests that the city and county don’t really hold a lot of cards in its dealings with MMPI.

HAGAN: “We can’t force the medical mart to do anything. They can pick up and go home. We’re not dealing on the basis of saying, “Alright; for X, you’ll do Y”. There’s nobody else knocking the door down to come here.”

If there are further delays in finalizing this deal, Hagan warns that other cities with med mart plans of their own could make the Cleveland project a moot point.