Comments on Advance Indiana™: Is The Airport Authority Indy's Next Problem Child?

Anyone who's driven around the city lately mus...

2009-06-04T06:49:52.368-05:00

Anyone who's driven around the city lately must notice that the city has stopped mowing much of its right-of-way. Post Road just north of Washington. The south side of Raymond immediately west of Randolph St.

Why ? Cause the city is broke.

John Ketzenberger famously claimed that building the new Colts stadium would not divert funds from other needs...but I've never seen grass 18" high along Raymond in the 30 years I've worked in that area of town.

Agree w/ Citizen Kane about the airport - but with a mayor whose family owns a construciotn business, and a city-county council president who owns a piece of a concrete company, what are you gonna do ? You build an airport, that's what. Heard a couple talking the other day about how "nice" it is. Nice costs money, money we ain't got.

"The bottom line folks is that the City of In...

2009-06-03T17:58:26.452-05:00

"The bottom line folks is that the City of Indianapolis has been living way beyond its means for too many years. The City's approach has been to build the biggest and greatest stadiums, convention centers and airports whether the money is there to pay for it or not. It keeps plowing tens of millions of dollars into private, downtown development projects, coupled with tax abatements, that force the City to take away from other valuable services simply to look impressive to the outside world. At some point, it has to end. We simply can't afford to continue spending like drunken sailors."

Exactly right! I've argued privately with others about the airport terminal. They are the ones who believe that we are the 13th largest city in the U.S. and should be developed as such, no matter the cost. But the reality is that we are not the 13th largest (not even close) when it comes to Metropolitan population and that is what really counts, with respect to airports and other large public works. There has never been any reason to believe that the our airport needed any major changes; there was nothing in the airport traffic patterns to indicate that we needed a larger, newer or better facility. Now, they have a bigger facility with more wasted space and more long-term maintenance headaches. We don't generate the air traffic and never will unless there is a fundamental change in the economic development of this city.

The day any contemporary, city-owned sports facili...

2009-06-03T15:23:08.903-05:00

The day any contemporary, city-owned sports facility lasts more than 30 years will be a rare day indeed.

Funny how these places are great and wonderful when they are soon to be built and get labelled horrible, nasty dungeons a mere 20 years later.

The day will come when Conseco and LOS are both labelled horrible, nasty dungeons that simply cannot support their tenants adequately.

Wait a minute, there, Melyssa. You forgot The Sim...

2009-06-03T14:28:22.820-05:00

Wait a minute, there, Melyssa.

You forgot The Simon Palaces (both on Capital Ave and Washington Street); the Large Oil Can; the death of the Indianapolis Police Department; etc. etc. etc.

And I believe the person you should be looking for is the one and only Bart (I Lie) Peterson.

"MSA was so dark that it was difficult to tel...

2009-06-03T14:22:16.552-05:00

"MSA was so dark that it was difficult to televise games there."

Are you saying that we couldn't have added LIGHT FIXTURES!? Great good gods.

"he steep steps did not even meet codes"

Apparently the steps met code well enough to get the place built...

"Despite current financial difficulties, Conseco and LOS will last forever."

Oh please. Can I hear a bid for the Thousand Year Reich? Forever is a gods-dam-med long time. I'll make you a bet that the Lucas Oil Stadium movable roof starts to have alignment problems in just a few years. I would have added more vertical guide rails.

Are peoples' heads spinning yet? First the li...

2009-06-03T09:29:49.170-05:00

Are peoples' heads spinning yet? First the library debacle, then the CIB, now the Airport Authority!

HELLO? Is there a single competent person who is in a leadership capacity running our city?

It is rather confusing. Clark raised the alarm bel...

2009-06-03T09:23:51.275-05:00

It is rather confusing. Clark raised the alarm bells to the Star's editorial staff, only to be contradicted by other numbers furnished by the airport authority's spokesperson.

Is it time to be concerned? As long as revenue is ...

2009-06-03T09:16:34.841-05:00

Is it time to be concerned? As long as revenue is still greater than expenses should we really be concerned?

IndypendentReview.com

Part of the problem is that years ago both Market ...

2009-06-03T08:41:27.882-05:00

Part of the problem is that years ago both Market Square Arena and the Hoosier Dome were built as bare minimal structures that quickly became outdated and not very functional. MSA was so dark that it was difficult to televise games there. The steep steps did not even meet codes .....both facilities were done on the cheap and quickly became obsolete. If they had been constructed and planned with a litle vision, it would nothave been necessary to replace both in such a short period of time. Despite current financial difficulties, Conseco and LOS will last forever.