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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-11-1993COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JEFFERSONVILLE~ INDIANA OCTOBER 11, 1993 The Common Council of the City General Jackson Room, Ramada Inn, 700 Jeffersonville, !ndiana~ at ]7:30 P.M. on the 1993. of Jeffersonville met in bhe W. Riverside Drives llth day of October~ The meeting was called to order by Mayor Raymond J. Parker Jr., with Deputy Clerk Barbara C~ Hollis at the desk. welcomed all in attendance~ asking all those present Councilperson Steven Stemler gave the invocation. He Mayor Parker to stand as then asked all those present to join him in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. The roll was called and those present were Councilpersons Andrew Williams III, Donna M. Frantz, Peggy Knight Wilder, Barbara Wilson~ Robert L. Potter~ and Steven R. Stemler. Absent: Councilperson Bill Wolpert. Mayor Parker explained the order of the meeting. Each proposer will have forty minutes to present the proposal. Each presentation will be followed by twenty minutes of questions and answers from city officials and the public. Any number of representatives from each gaming operation will be allowed to speak during the presentation period. City Attorney Mike Gillenwater will be the official timekeeper. The presentation order has again been drawn at random. Mr. Brian Zander, President of Ogden Riverboat Associates, gave a presentation which included a video and introduction of a panel consisting of Mr. Ray Parrella, Mr. Art Hahn~ Mr. Bill Preston, Mr. Wayne Estopinal, Mr. Charles Irwin, Mr. David P. Hanlon, Mr. David Lucas~ Mr. Michael Browning, and Ms. Ngaire Cuneo. The following are the questions from the Council and the public. All will be handicap accessible. When questioned as to the town"~ Mr. ~ander explained the State Legislature does answers to facilities "tearing up not look at it as "tearing up a town". up the rules for Riverboat Gambling and admission. There will be very minimal is a firm committment to downtown The State Legislature has set these include time limits and displacement involved. There merchants. There is an ongoing PAGE 2 OCTOBER i1~ 1993 followed. Mr. Zander dialogue with the merchants. The Marble Head apartment building will stay. There are plans to tear down the duplex on the side of the "Trolly" lot. Marine safety is set up by the Coast Guard and will be Mr. Browning explained the steps in economic development. is willing to submit a proposed contract to the City for review prior to a grant of a iease. Mr. Zander feels the proposal from Ogden Riverboat Associates is the best due to the proposed lease payments and the revitalization of downtown. Following a ten minutes break, Mayor Parker called the meeting back to order. Mr. Tom Meeker, President and C.E.O. of Churchill Downs explained the relationship of Churchill Downs and Harrah's. A video was shown and presentations made by Mr. Phil Satre~ Mr. Larry Bunch, and Mr. Phil McCauley. The first question was for a breakdown of the proposed 68.3 million. Mr. Satre explained 85 million will be for the boat and equipment with the balance in land based facilities. The specifics are in the proposal. To the question of the partnership with Churchill Downs being a conflict it was explained this has been found to be a strength. There is confidence a solution will be found to the border problem. The group is a big supporter of the bridge. Mr. Satre feels the Gaming Commission will find the Spring Street location the most logical. Churchill Downs will not control the Board. There will be nonrecourse financing that will be paid back. All but one lease for property has been secured. There has been notification the last one is in agreement. The facilities will be handicapped accessible. The 2~ of net income desigated for educational, charitable, and social activities is in addition to the 2.5 million indicated in the proposal. The contributions have not been discussed beyond the 10 year lease. The 2~ however is committed. The Marble Head building will stay where it is. The group has had experience working with the Corps of Engineers and historic The Corps of agressively in demand. The Promus Group Engineers has been contacted. The the market. The cruise schedules will groups. group will work be worked with was thanked for their presentation and a 10 minute break called for. PAGE 3 OCTOBER ii~ 1993 Ms. Ann Schmitt Walkers Vice President of Ohio Riverside Development Corporation gave the proposal along with the following answers to questions. Ohio Riverside Development Corporation is a joint venture of Haka of Findland and DeMars. It has taken a number of years for DeMaks Haka and they have completed the apartment complex and infrastructure. It is confident docking in the area will not be a problem. Ohio Riverside has talked with~ and does intend to have Jeffboat build a vessel. Ms. Walker explained the site will be developed completely. The specifics of the trolley have not been addressed however there is a vision to link the greenway. The plans for the Spring Street site are what the 1992 plan shows. It is hoped enough boat slips will be provided. Ms. Walker feels the Ohio Riverside planned location would be better than the Spring Street location as it would be better to move the people to Spring Street rather than the cars. It is felt that Spring Street cannot handle the traffic and parking. A Disneyland friendly kind of off-on experience is envisioned for the trolley. It is hoped the trolley will be leased and proposed the City administer the system. Downtown promotion should be done as a mutual effort between the gamer and the downtown merchants. Ohio Riverside Development has not prepared an independent traffic study. They have reviewed other studies that have been done. The pending litigation on the site has been settleted. Ms. Walker explained there is a need for a quality gamer and adequate parking. Both are important for the best total experience. There is a strong committment to women and minority participation. The goals and system for this are set up. Mayor Parker extended his gratitude and thanks to the audience for their patience. He also thanks all the proposers for their excellent presentations. All have clearly made strong committments to the economic growth of the community. The proposals have been responsive and very professional. The council will now continue their review of the proposals. Mayor Parker challenges all citizens to become involved in the process as the decision that will be made November 2, 1993 will make a significant impact on the community. The Council will meet again on Monday~ October 19, 1993 at 9:30 P.M. in this same room. PAGE 4 OCTOBER 11, 1993 Attorney Gillenwater has passed a resolution requesting municipalities endorsing gaming operators and gaming sites~ It Gillenwater's advise to the Council not to endorse receiving further guidelines from the Commission. Council seconded There being no further business to come before the Council, President Potter moved to adjourn at 11:00 o~clock P.M. by Councilperson Stemler and unanimously carried. MAYOR RAYMOND J. PARKER JR. explained the State Gaming Commission refrain from is Attorney a gamer until ATTEST: CLERK AND TREASU~R C. R~A~ SPENCER JR.