Fenway Park is a town jewel and tourist attraction. Lambeau Field is a tourist attraction and town jewel (and TV star - in commercials seen by millions of Michigan residents). Tiger
Stadium should have been a tourist attraction and town jewel - not to mention TV star, just like Lambeau Field, but alas Mike Ilitch, George Jackson (and the DEGC) along with Detroit Mayors and lackadaisical City Council conspired to allow it fall into 'demolition by neglect' and maybe ultimately into demolition by wrecking ball or melted down to scrap.
Full Count (Aguilar / May 28)...doesn't tell the full story of the decline and fall of historic Detroit Tiger Stadium. George Jackson, of the DEGC, has lied repeatedly to the media and then complains about the attention given to Tiger Stadium development efforts. There was NEVER a level playing field for those who wanted to preserve Tiger Stadium as an entertainment venue that could bring in millions of dollars to the City and millions upon millions of more tourists, added onto the 100,000,000 million visitors that have enjoyed Tiger Stadium as a baseball mecca, a football mecca, a concert venue, a rally venue, a special event venue - not just a 'MLB' venue as Jackson haughtily dismisses Tiger Stadium.
Tiger Stadium had value - to Detroit - and still has even though gutted, it remains a solid well built facility, that could offer a home to Wayne State University sports teams, too rock concerts, political rallies, special events, add a Michigan Sports Hall of Fame - it is not too late.
The final out has not been made - the final chapter in Tiger Stadium has not been written, but if it is..history will hopefully finally tell the truth - that George Jackson and members of the DEGC lied to and misled the Corktown residents, the Detroit Planning Commission, and the residents of Detroit and Michigan. History may record that Mike Ilitch played a major role in the 'demolition by neglect' of historic Detroit Tiger Stadium and that he was a felon, who took $2 - 12 million dollars from the City of Detroit for the maintenance and security of Tiger Stadium and it doesn't look like he spent a dime of it on Tiger Stadium - history should ask as others should - where did the money go? The only difference between Ilitch and convicted felon, Adolph Alfred Taubman is that Taubman took from the rich and Ilitch took badly need dollars from a struggling city.
If historic Detroit Tiger Stadium falls to the wrecking ball, and melted into scrap - of history, it will not be because Ernie Harwell failed, or the Tiger Stadium Conservancy failed, or the Tiger Stadium Fan Club failed, or Frank Rashid failed, or Peter C. Riley failed, or Mickey Briggs failed, or the Fetzer Foundation failed, or Peter Huithwaite failed, or Harry Glanz failed, or any of the others that wanted to preserve and utilize historic Detroit Tiger Stadium - it will be because a Billionaire, his wife and other city politicians and leaders - didn't want to save Tiger Stadium for their own SELFISH reasons, maybe history will find those reasons.
Tiger Stadium is still not history. Save Tiger Stadium - call the Detroit City Council members, including Ken Cockrel, Jr (313 224 4505) and tell them to let Tiger Stadium live and prosper as an entertainment venue and TV star - like Fenway Park and Lambeau Field do.
David L. Malhalab
Detroit / Dearborn Heights
313 580 2393
Retired DPD Sergeant
Owner of Tiger Stadium 1991 (City has never returned the $2.)
Detroit News Article................................................................................................................
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Full count
Deadline nears in effort to preserve part of Tiger Stadium
Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News
The final out is coming up for Tiger Stadium, as the group seeking to save a portion of the historic ball field faces a Sunday deadline to come up with $369,000 to send the preservation effort into extra innings.
The preservation group -- Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy -- admits it doesn't have that kind of cash. Meanwhile city officials already have approved a demolition contract. They also point out they've seen no solid business plan to support the idea of keeping the old baseball diamond and 3,000 seats to create a Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and mixed-use development.
"It's bottom of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded and a full count," said Ernie Harwell, the Hall of Fame broadcaster who's a member of the conservancy. "We've made tremendous progress, we've got wonderful support from key people, but it's still going to be a battle."
The volunteer nonprofit conservancy maintains it has made progress in identifying short-term and long-term support for the estimated $15 million project, including a pledge by U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, to seek money from the 2009 federal budget.
But without either the money or another extension of the deadline, the only ball left at Tiger Stadium would be the wrecking ball.
Since last year, the city has given the conservancy group several extensions to come up with money to back its plans, but the Sunday deadline has significant weight. The city already has awarded a demolition contract to two companies to tear down the stadium. That agreement, approved in April, requires the companies to pay the city $300,000 to raze the entire stadium, or pay nothing to do the partial tear-down the conservancy group wants.
A total demolition is cheaper and leaves more iron and other material to be sold for scrap by the two firms, MCM Management Inc. and The Farrow Group Inc. The contractors want an answer on or before Sunday.
State Sen. Steve Tobocman, D-Detroit, House Majority leader and a member of the conservancy effort, said the group has made "great progress." Tobocman said he hopes the June 1 deadline can pass without a final decision.
"I don't think the conservancy is delaying any progress," Tobocman said. "I think the real date is when the wrecking ball comes around to the part of the stadium we want to save. Hopefully, if you have the House majority leader and a U.S. Senator working on this, that can give us some time."
S. Gary Spicer, Harwell's attorney and also a member of the conservancy group, says the organization has identified other sources of financing for the project, from tax credits and foundations and some private donors. The conservancy hasn't asked for public donations yet, Spicer said, because the group didn't want to take money without knowing it had a "solid long-term plan."
City official George Jackson, who also is president of quasi-public Detroit Economic Growth Corp, said time is up. "We've been through now almost eights years of individuals and organizations that said they would renovate the stadium," Jackson said. "This is something that's never been done in history and you guys have given a lot of press to plans that never had a chance. But the bottom line it is a financial impracticality."
The cost of maintaining what the nonprofit wants "is astronomical," Jackson added.
"You need to know how difficult it is for us to maintain institutions that require contributions in general," Jackson said, citing the Detroit Zoo, Detroit Institute of Arts, Music Hall and Orchestra Hall. "They're basically venues that are doing what they are designed to do. And they do well, but it is still challenging in regards to fundraising and capital projects, operating and maintenance."
The flaw, he said, is that no city ever has found a new use for an abandoned Major League Baseball stadium.
"Its use was for a Major League Baseball game. It wasn't meant to be a condominium or a museum. The concept has to be practical and pragmatic and also cost effective. Not one legitimate developer -- throughout this whole process for all these years -- has stepped forward to do this," Jackson said.
"I understand people's sentiment and attachment to history, but let's look at the history of why this is never done," Jackson said.
Despite being caught in a squeeze play between time and money, the conservancy said it will continue its efforts until at least June 1.
You can reach Louis Aguilar at (313) 222-2760 or laguilar@detnews.com.
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