Monday, October 21, 2013

CIB Funds May Be Used To Make Improvements To IUPUI's Natatorium

Anyone who has watched the building spree that has gone on at the IUPUI campus over the last couple of decades knows the sky is the limit when it comes to spending on new buildings. Yet IUPUI officials claim they can't afford to maintain and make improvements needed to the campus' Natatorium, which IU officials say needs about $17 to $20 million in improvements. To whom are they looking to pick up those expenses? That would be the cash-rich CIB, which absolutely would hear nothing about using its more than $70 million in surplus funds to help ease the city's budget woes this year. The CIB's president Ann Lathrop acknowledges that the CIB normally doesn't spend its money on facilities it doesn't own, but she says that contributing to the Natatorium's needs isn't out of the question because of its importance to city tourism. Naturally, the topic comes up for discussion after the city completed a budget deal for next year. From the IBJ:
There has even been some discussion that CIB might operate the Natatorium the way it does Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center, both of which are municipally owned. CIB leaders have resisted that idea.
“We understand that’s an important facility for this community which draws events that keep hotels and restaurants in the area extremely busy, and that drives tax revenue to the CIB,” Lathrop said. “As a board, we need to look at whether or not we participate in this. And if we decide to participate, we have to decide in which capacity. Everybody wants to see that we find a solution. We just don’t have one yet.”
Mayor Ballard is aware of the discussions, and now that the city’s budget is resolved, his chief of staff, Ryan Vaughn, said the issue will move to the front burner.
“The mayor recognizes this is an important facility for our tourism economy and sports strategy,” Vaughn said. “We’d never just walk away from this issue. We haven’t been forwarded a proposal [by IU]. When we do, we want to see if it makes sense … and see if we can get something done.”
It's laughable hearing Lathrop claim the Natatorium draws tourism to the city that helps keep the downtown hotels busy. Even their big events are sparsely attended. More people attend a high school basketball or football game anywhere in the city than attends events at the Natatorium. Beyond the participants, there are very few people who show up to watch the events. If it's so important to the downtown hotels, let's see how much money they contribute to the improvements at the facility. If this facility isn't important enough to IU to maintain, then it should be of no priority to the taxpayers of this city.

3 comments:

Unigov said...

Everything said by Ann Lathrop and the other psychopaths that run this town, sounds like press releases from 1950's USSR. The state is always right, the system is working, glory be to the public works projects...

And how did the Natatorium come into disrepair ? Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

How do these apparent Fraudsters at City Hall pull the Sargeant Shultz routine and Know nothing? This is a IUPUI/State issue not a Marion County Taxpayer issue!

Indianapolis is a Banana Republic with this Mayor and his minions. They siphon off funds which should be going into the City General Fund and used for fire, police, sidewalk, streets, dog catchers, city planning personnel AND an Executive TEAM that Truely understands its UNBIASED FIDUCIARY DUTY TO THE TAXPAYERS to not commit such financial mismanagement if not outright defalcations.
Others have been well documented such as the PARKING METER SCAM, BROAD RIPPLE PARKING GARAGE GIFT TO HIS CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTOR, THE SCUMMY WATER COMPANY DEAL AND OF COURSE THE ANYONE SAY CRICKET STADIUM!

Flogger said...

Somehow the Mega-Media will twist, turn and produce their usual Pretzel Logic, that in order to maintain our status as a World Class City we Marion County taxpayers must repair, and maintain in the future the Natatorium.

Some pay to produce "Expert" will author a bogus paper showing the City benefits millions of dollars every year from the Natatorium.

There should be nice contracts to let out for this work.