CSNbbs

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...1077/COL02

He cited the millions in public dollars that the Freedom Center has received and noted they haven't done anything to develop the land to date. He also said the city and county gave the Freedom Center the land and the development rights for free, so it's not right for them to make the governments buy it back.

Calling them whores implies they actually have an idea of what they are doing and that they have no scruples or morals. I find that a bit generous.

These people are , quite simply, idiots. Let's give them what they want. Give them a one time, one mil payment and withdraw all future funding and revoke their status as a non-profit organization. Give them the opportunity to stand on their own two feet to either prosper or fail.

In about a year the city can buy back the land and melt down that hideous building and start planning a new project. Then, in about 20 years, we could have a ground breaking ceremony.

Simple.

Our tax dollars built it, our tax dollars pay for the schools to go there or it would be empty all the time. Our tax dollars could also pay to gut it or tear it down. Let's get started.

This museum would have been better served in another town.

beck Wrote:Calling them whores implies they actually have an idea of what they are doing and that they have no scruples or morals. I find that a bit generous.

These people are , quite simply, idiots. Let's give them what they want. Give them a one time, one mil payment and withdraw all future funding and revoke their status as a non-profit organization. Give them the opportunity to stand on their own two feet to either prosper or fail.

In about a year the city can buy back the land and melt down that hideous building and start planning a new project. Then, in about 20 years, we could have a ground breaking ceremony.

Simple.

Our tax dollars built it, our tax dollars pay for the schools to go there or it would be empty all the time. Our tax dollars could also pay to gut it or tear it down. Let's get started.

This museum would have been better served in another town.

Damn Beck, that is not what I would have imagined your position to be.

I concur 100%.

Is Mike Brown on the Board of Directors at the Freedom Center? Maybe he is advising them on how to rip off the city?

bearcatfan Wrote:Is Mike Brown on the Board of Directors at the Freedom Center? Maybe he is advising them on how to rip off the city?

Could be some help from Mike Brown.

I know the Freedom Center's former CEO and current Co-Chair is John Pepper. He has done a great job (assuming you believe effectively fleecing the community for a pet project can qualify as great).

Eastside_J Wrote:

bearcatfan Wrote:Is Mike Brown on the Board of Directors at the Freedom Center? Maybe he is advising them on how to rip off the city?

Could be some help from Mike Brown.

I know the Freedom Center's former CEO and current Co-Chair is John Pepper. He has done a great job (assuming you believe effectively fleecing the community for a pet project can qualify as great).

Mikey Boy caught a nice break when he looked across the table and saw Bedinghaus and Neyer there. Those guys gift wrapped that Stadium and the lease language for Mikey. The Freedom Center executives are exactly what is wrong with institutions like this in America.
They get free land, a free building, tax dollars to operate their facility
and then they act in a turbo unappreciative manner. Instead of saying what can we do to help further devlopment around here?, they do just the opposite, "give us more money". The $1,000,000 doesn't do much for operating costs or profitability for the stupid freedom center. The tax payers have given them too much already.

I was irate this morning when I read that. Maybe if people come down to the Banks they might swing by the Freedom center (Probably not, but it can't hurt). We gave all that money and it was supposed to be self sufficient, yet after we give all that money they need money every year and then want the city/county to give them that ridiculous sum of money to develop on the city land. We shouldn't have given them development rights in the first place. $1 million for those rights back, that were given for free, is ridiculous. If they don't cooperate the city should end funding for them. I wouldn't complain if some money was given for the rights back, but $1 million, give me a break. Maybe a $25,000 one time payment or something.

Nothing like holding the County hostage twice for the same land.

Since they are doing this with taxpayer money, I wonder if taxpayers could file a lawsuit to demand that the Freedom Center gives the rights back to the city/county?

i went there the weekend of the cronin classic with my mom when we were in town. it was a very interesting place, but got boring after the first couple hours (no disrespect to the slaves or anything, just the same thing throughout the building it seemed). we had alot of time to kill between checkout time at noon, and the bball game that started at 8 pm that night (we ended up watching the bearcat football game on campus when they beat UConn). i can't imagine anyone wanting to go there more than once in their life unless they're in school on a field trip.

You could have made it part of the museum center at Union Terminal...problem solved, no valuable riverfront property wasted.

Yes, yes and YES!

This is not an issue of "slavery is not worthy of a museum" or "it's a black-white thing", this is simply an economic issue. Time and again this hole in the ground will suck up public and private money that could be put to better use. The Center is depressing and I can't immagine more than a few people wanting to make a repeat visit, whereas an aquarium or brewing museum might bring back repeat visitors from out of town and our locale.

What this city needs (where is Gruehls!) is some forward thinking men and women to create businesses that will create jobs that, in theory, will supply jobs to the people of Over The Rhine, the West End, Price Hill etc. We need establishments that will generate other establishments that will pump money in to this city. Then we put that money to work creating more money.

People working are people happy. If this city is re-energized everyone wins; black, white, brown etc. Services improve, infrastructure improves, crime (in theory) goes down. If the Freedom Center sits there on prime real estate producing nothing but economic shortfall, nobody wins. This is absurd!

Freedom Center donates land
BY JESSICA BROWN | JLBROWN@ENQUIRER.COM


Freedom Center CEO Don Murphy discusses the land issue this morning.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will give up development rights to a disputed piece of land for free.

The decision was unanimous by the Freedom Center board, said Don Murphy, Freedom Center CEO. He said the board decided to forgo compensation because it supports the best interest of the community and wants to get the Banks project done.

The nonprofit center had wanted $1 million from the city and county for development rights to build part of The Banks. Local officials declined.

The Enquirer will update this story as information develops.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../301180020

I suspect they were getting a lot of pressure over this. To force the issue would have been a major public relations gaffe on their part.

Either way - kudos to the museum for doing the right thing.

Agree. Glad to see they did the right thing. The public outcry probably helped them make the right decision.

ctipton Wrote:Freedom Center donates land
BY JESSICA BROWN | JLBROWN@ENQUIRER.COM


Freedom Center CEO Don Murphy discusses the land issue this morning.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will give up development rights to a disputed piece of land for free.

The decision was unanimous by the Freedom Center board, said Don Murphy, Freedom Center CEO. He said the board decided to forgo compensation because it supports the best interest of the community and wants to get the Banks project done.

The nonprofit center had wanted $1 million from the city and county for development rights to build part of The Banks. Local officials declined.

The Enquirer will update this story as information develops.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../301180020

It took them a few days but they figured it out.

No justice, no peace. They heard the public outcry at their original demand and are hurting so bad for $$ that they just couldn't take the PR hit.