Med Mart Decision Receives Praise, Calls for Transparency

Friday, January 23, 2009
Topics: Economy, Politics, Health
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The selection of downtown Cleveland's public mall and public auditorium as the site for the Cuyahoga County Convention Center and adjacent medical mart met with approval Friday from most corners of the community. However, even among those pleased with the selection, concerns remain about how decisions are being made. ideastream®'s Dan Moulthrop filed this report.

As Director of Kent State’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, Christopher Diehl has been tracking the progress of the Med Mart Convention Center project since its current incarnation was put forward some four years ago. His reaction is typical of many in the community members

DIEHL:"You know, it’s about time, essentially. The project’s been a long time in coming. It’s time to get it in the ground and get moving.”

Even critics of the project--and of how major project decisions have been made--seem to be lining up in favor of the decision.

When Cuyahoga County commissioners raised the sales tax to provide funding for the project, Cleveland City Councilman Brian Cummins was among those who tried to put a referendum on the tax hike on the ballot. Now, he says, he’s thrilled.

CUMMINS: None of that matters anymore from the standpoint that the site’s been selectedI’m elated that it’s going to be on the mall. It’s going to assist us in refurbishing the public auditorium, which is such a jewel of a facility.

Cummins says he’s also excited about the possibility of linking this project to infrastructure improvements in the adjacent railway lines and waterfront.

Of course, not everyone is elated. Particularly not two landowner developers who were hoping to tie their futures to this 400 million dollar injection of public capital.

Developer Scott Wolstein offered an eleventh hour pitch for a site on the east bank of the Flats, a proposal that seems to have been all but ignored. 

WOLSTEIN: Frankly I’m shocked the county rushed to make a decision before they had all the facts. It’s hard to believe anyone would want to make a decision of this magnitude without knowing what the alternative is.

Wolstein says the plan he offered would have been significantly less expensive, about 364 million dollars.
Forest City was the other local landowner with a site under consideration. That was the site behind Tower City, overlooking the Cuyahoga River. Forest City Spokesman Jeff Linton says they’re hoping to see more information.

LINTON: We are simply anxious to see the supporting detail that backs up this decision by the county commissioners, as I’m sure many many people in the community are.

And that points to one additional criticism--that the decision-making process was shrouded in secrecy. Again, Councilman Cummins:

CUMMINS: The public process has been, a complete failure frankly. Because it has not been daylit, people are confused about what the tax was passed for in the first place.

Speaking on WVIZ’s Feagler and Friends which airs tonight at 8:30 (SUNDAY at 11:30 ), County Commissioner Tim Hagan said his colleagues followed the law in their use of closed door, executive sessions.

HAGAN: That’s why you elect elected officials and that’s why you have laws. Now, I think it’s totally legitimate for the press to ask for an accounting for what was presented and why we made a decision about that site and we expect to do that in the next couple weeks.

But in those coming weeks and months and maybe years, many in the community hope the process--the design of the convention center, and accounting of public dollars--will be more transparent. Urban Design Collaborative’s Christopher Diehl…

DIEHL: Whether it’s a private entity or a public entity, it’s much easier to have a public process from the get-go. It builds goodwill and buy-in from the community and it just makes everything so much easier.

Dan Moulthrop, 90.3.