Port Authority may issue bonds for DBC Rennovation

[Wordsmith]

A former state senator is proposing a $20 million renovation of the Detroit Boat Club on Belle Isle, using revenue bonds to be issued by the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority.

The plan includes building a 40,000-square-foot charter maritime academy alongside the existing building on the all-but-abandoned 16-acre site near the Douglas MacArthur Bridge, said John Kelly, now a consultant/developer and a visiting political science professor at the University of Windsor.

(Read whole article here) http://www.crainsdetroit.com/cgi-bin/artic...articleId=27283

This sounds absolutely wonderful if they can manage to pull it off. I'm rather partial to the Merchant Marines (in my personal military contest they rank after the Navy and Army Medics at a respectable third) and I'd love to be able to see high school students able to take up an opportunity like that. I would however like to see it open to more than just DPS students if this goes through. Students from the inner ring suburbs as well as parochial schools like UofD Jesuit should be able to take advantage as well.

WS

[Michi]

That's great and all by why doesn't the Port Authority just worry about their own darn project downtown!!? That ugly plot of land has just been sitting there FOREVER with the ground already "broken"....riiiiiiiiight.

[Zissou]

This is good news but there are some projects i think they should finish first before jumping into others.

[Allan]

The DBC is quickly deteriorating. While it might seem foolish to start a new project, I'd rather have this renovated now before it falls into total ruin and becomes unsalvagable.

[Ramcharger]

Why do two proposals appear at the same time for a property that has been all but abandon for so many years? And the damn thing about it is you know that neither one of them is going to happen.

Retail, entertainment complex may dock at boat club

[Detroit_Luveur]

Why do two proposals appear at the same time for a property that has been all but abandon for so many years?  And the damn thing about it is you know that neither one of them is going to happen.

Retail, entertainment complex may dock at boat club

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't know, Ramcharger. With all that's going on around there. I don't see why City Counsil would not go ahead with it. It's already been planned for 2-years and the guy has a good resume (somerset collection, harbortown.) I just don't hope they actually call it Entertainment Bay...that just screams cheesy.

[Wordsmith]

I don't know, Ramcharger. With all that's going on around there. I don't see why City Counsil would not go ahead with it. It's already been planned for 2-years and the guy has a good resume (somerset collection, harbortown.) I just don't hope they actually call it Entertainment Bay...that just screams cheesy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree wholeheartedly. I also thought it a bit suspicious, but it would certainly give Kwame some points with the public if he could get this through. I was also pleased to read that they had been planning for this for two years. And I was also turned off by the name, I hope that's just the initial name for it and they come up with something far more attractive later on. While the news piece was a bit shorter than I would have liked, it does sound a deal more promising than the first one. I could also see this definitely moving forward if Freman Hendrix were to come into office.

WS