The Way I See It!

Comments you might have missed From Cudahy Business Question for Today?

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on Sept. 27, 2009

Blogging, Missed Comments

For those of you that don’t go back and look at the older posts and comments that come after a new post has been posted.  I will try to do a weekly repost of comments.

Comments you might have missed The Week of 9/20-9/26

Comments for:  Cudahy Business Question for Today?

cudahy110

Friday Sep 25, 2009 12:06 PM

Are you serious?  Do you enjoy hearing yourself complain?  You are complaining about flowers, think about it.  I actually enjoy driving down Packard Ave now.  I think most would agree it’s a step in the right direction.

DaveF316

Friday Sep 25, 2009 2:29 PM

Flower pots on Packard Ave, is just so you do not look at all the empty businesses along the roadside.  It is a waste of tax payer money.  If it does not attract business here what would the purpose be?  Just for looks?  Little expensive when the mayor is talking we need to make cuts to save money.  He gives away jobs by hiring KEI to do grass around town. Then gives them another piece of Cudahy's tax money by hiring them to put up and maintain these flowers.

I got an idea, why not hire KEI to plant flowers and shrubs along Layton ave. in all the empty lots where houses once stood.  These lots are all empty and could look so much nicer.  Since there will be no new businesses or houses going up there, why not.  Why?  Because it is a waste of money.  A selfish need to make the bad empty store fronts look better.  Still money spent better elsewhere.

Randy Hollenbeck

Friday Sep 25, 2009 2:33 PM

cudahy110 I would agree on “I actually enjoy driving down Packard Ave now.  I think most would agree its a step in the right direction” if the economy is good.  Just don’t think that this year or next year was and is the right year to spend tax money (that is what the city does) on flowers when the city is cutting back.

No, I don’t like to hear myself complain, I am stating facts!

Taxed Enough In WI

Friday Sep 25, 2009 10:59 PM

While I think there is an argument that these flowers were not timely done, the real travesty is the amount of money the city spent on the new director of economic development and her budget.  I understand that Ms. Fritts is receiving $85,000 in salary plus another 40 or so percent in benefits.  Her total budget is approximately $350,000!  Taxpayers should be disgusted with these figures, Tiff dollars or not!

Given the state of the economy, the City should have waited until the economy improved before hiring someone from the East Coast to develop OUR community.  I don't care who you hire in this position, banks are not lending money and without that, there will be little to NO development or redevelopment.  Developers will NEVER use their own money for a project.  It is all about leverage.

The City should cut its losses now and terminate its relationship with Ms. Fritts and have the CDA handle things until the economy improves.  No new projects have come to light since at least 2006 so it shouldn't be a problem for them.

Ms. Fritts has not brought one project to the table that has come to fruition.  Even the movie theatre is now out of the picture because the developer is having difficulties with its bank.  This is occurring even when the city agreed to contribute much more than the standard 20% to the development.

Bottom line, the City has a terrible reputation with developers since turning down the Wal-Mart by Continental Properties and Ms. Fritts has not changed that for the better at all.  What has she done for the $85,000 salary plus benefits plus huge budget?  Oh I forget, she got the city 2 interns who post announcements for the Mayor.  What a bargain!

Randy Hollenbeck

Saturday Sep 26, 2009 8:30 AM

Taxed Enough In WI you bring up many good points.  See the city of Cudahy is being told that Ms. Fritts has 35 Million in the project pipeline just waiting to build in Cudahy.

Some of that totals can be seen here: http://www.cudahy4business.com/cudahyecondev/about+cudahy/news/default.asp

A few examples Squire Place – The Common Council supported the development agreement for this project pending Planning Commission approval.  The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing in October for the conditional use permit.  The value of this project is expected to be $3.6 million.

Cobalt Site- On September 8, 2009, the CDA voted to recommend to the Common Council a revised Development Agreement with Cobalt for the remediation of site contamination and construction of a retail center at the corner of Layton Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue.  Because of changes to the bonding structure – this project had to go back to the CDA for vetting. The Development Agreement will be on the council agenda soon.  The value of this project is expected to be $18.0 million.

Just how many become real and how many were already in the pipeline before Ms. Fritts and just how many become “vapor projects” remains to be seen!

Cudahy One

Saturday Sep 26, 2009 4:27 PM

At one point, the Cobalt project was valued at about $30 million.  Now it has shrunk to 18, I wonder how much the City is going to put into this one!

While I support retail on the Penn and Layton site, I can see McCue and his cronies giving them about 40 to 50% funding on the site.  Hey, they were giving 40% to an entertainment movie house (that would not have made it long term), and they couldn't even get the money.

Other than spending money hand over fist, our Mayor and his new queen of economic development have done nothing to bring in any new business here.  Why is she not concentrating also on the businesses which are closing or leaving Cudahy (record shop, shoe store in P Plaza), and the host of others that have closed.

How much is the city contributing to the squire place project?  What is the value of the land?  (City contribution) How much financial incentive is the developer getting (TIF dollars)?  Unfortunately, none of these questions are being asked, or answered!

Sorry, gotta go now so I have no more time to write.  I am eating tonight at the new Sonic in Oak Creek. Geez... Cudahy has no land available for a Sonic?  IKEA?  Walmart?

Humfp