I have a couple of issues with it. (Gee, that's odd.)
First, the design. I'll be blunt - it's ugly. Fugly even.
It makes me want to lift the handle that says "Rochester Performing Arts Center", insert a couple of french bread pizzas, hit the timer for 3 minutes and wait for them to cook to a toasty deliciousness.....and, what's up with the ladder thing around the glass? I'm expecting Donkey Kong to be up there dropping barrels on the people below.
Ugly. We deserve a building with more "character" than that. Especially since "we" will be funding over half of it.
Which leads me to believe that any money raised so far (if there is any) - might be going to fund whatever it is that Rothschild is smoking. It's gotta be some good shit.
From WHEC's article.
Here's how RBTL breaks down the money to pay for it:
- $19.5 million from the sale of tax credits.
- $15.5 million raised by RBTL.
- $35 million from the state and or federal governments.
"If you're asking do I think there will be capital expenditure projects in New York State over the next two or three budget cycles? I absolutely do," Rothschild said.
RBTL also wants subsidies from the county, city and building trades unions.
Here's how the annual subsidies look:
- $120,000 RBTL
- $150,000 City of Rochester
- $150,000 Monroe County
- $100,000 - $160,000 building trades unions.
So, RBTL will fund less than a 1/4 of it - hasn't raised a penny yet - and wants taxpayers to fund more than half of it - and then wants local taxpayers to fund about $600,000 a year in annual subsidies?
Rothschild's ransom note states that these demands must be met before September 1st, or he will go elsewhere?
Ummmm.......bye!
Good luck with that. Maybe Rothschild is so high that he doesn't realize that NYS is still......STILL struggling to close their budget with a deficit in the billions, that people are still without jobs in our area (8% unemployment now?), that people are losing their houses because they can't afford them, that people are leaving our area because they can't afford the taxes.
I know that having a theater downtown is important. I know that keeping people in NYS is important too. Somebody's gotta attend these Broadway shows, right?
You keep giving away our money like this - people (taxpayers) are going to keep leaving because of the high taxes in NYS.
I love the way RBTL went about their announcement, and their proposal.
Was it carrot on a stick? Gun to the head?
Arnie, put the gun down. And the pipe.
3 comments:
The $600,000 operating losses will soon become $1 million. City Counsil will merely raise taxes again citing unforeseen market conditions that led to higher than expected losses. Not surprising this same City Counsil of Spenders has rejected the City Master Plan calling for HOUSING in the area of the HH Werner Building. Nearly every city in the world is moving towards mass transit inter-modal centers except Rochester which has decided to divorce the bus garage from the new high and low speed rail station(s). The modern trend in rural transportation is not the hub & spoke as Duffy, RGRTA and City Counsil have planned but the cross town routes that often cut times in half. Wonder who is benefiting from the governments choice on this one.
CONKLIN was the only one to vote sensibly on the funny bus barn business. Perhaps she liked the idea of
Residential Revitalization
rather than the destruction of bus diesel fumes on the iron structure.
This will be on dead building with the buses traveling under the windows every 30 seconds.
Jax said-
"Rothschild's ransom note states that these demands must be met before September 1st, or he will go elsewhere?
Ummmm.......bye!"
Ummmm........that's funny!
I'm with you on the ugly design. What are they thinking? It does look like a huge toaster oven. Ha.
My opinion on the RBTL is the whole deal is a pipe dream! We have no money! Grand costly ideas and no money in the piggy bank.
Gotta love Donkey King. :)
"My opinion on the RBTL is the whole deal is a pipe dream!"
It's got something to do with a pipe.....or maybe a bong or a hookah?
I knew some taxpayer help and tax incentives would be involved, and I thought about the "tourists" it might bring in from other areas and the dollars they might spend here, the jobs it would create.....and I was ok with that. I understand that there will always be taxpayer subsidies or tax incentives for businesses in NYS. "We" are so back-asswards that instead of reforming the restrictive tax laws to enable businesses to thrive and be successful - we just keep the same laws and give them tax breaks and zone credits and ida help....and a lot of them don't follow through on their "promises" (ahem....Congel) or don't create as many jobs as they said they were going to....all the while gladly receiving tax breaks while the rest of us shmucks make up for it.
I didn't realize I (jane taxpayer) would have to fund over half of the project......and then spend over half a million a year just to keep it operational? So who gets the profits from this deal (if there are any), and if there aren't any profits.....then how the hell can you justify a $70-$100 million dollar theater if you need THAT much help to operate annually?
And then.....the absolute gall it takes to publicly state that these demands be met before September 1st or they will go elsewhere?
I really think Rothschild should submit to a drug test.
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