Hi Patriots, I’m president of Deltona Arts & Historical Center. A couple of years, retired developer, Gary Paduch donated plans\/architectural renderings for a new arts and performance center. Gary is extremely frustrated by government waste of taxpayers money. He has written the following essay and asked my assistance in getting it published.<\/p>\n
Thanks. All the best, Lloyd Marcus<\/p>\n
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <\/strong><\/p>\n ESSAY BY GARY PADUCH: 407-415-2718<\/p>\n Big, Ugly and Stupid – the Buildings Cities Build<\/strong><\/p>\n I’ve seen it for 40 years: Big, ugly, stupid buildings. A prime example is the Ocean Center at Daytona Beach, Florida. I see it over and over. Huge, ugly conference centers, convention centers, performing arenas, art centers, every kind of center imaginable and they are all built \u201cto save\u201d a downtown or commercial area.<\/p>\n They cost the taxpayers millions and they “never” work. If we knew the truth regarding their costs and operations, we would all be sick to our stomachs. And we taxpayers sit there like idiots and let them do it. Once built they require a constant supply of cash, just to keep these projects maintained. They produce not one penny in net revenue, not one penny after expenses. They then make up figures about how the economic impact to the area economy is what they really are there to do.<\/p>\n It is a “bald faced lie”, a total rationalization<\/span> at the very best. I have never seen an operating statement on one of these facilities. Not one! A true statement of gross sales, other revenue from sales and an honest statement of expenses: Light bills, marketing expenses (all marketing expenses) including salaries and advertising, an honest to God reporting of the cold hard facts. All we ever hear about is the “roll over” effects of the visitors or user spending in restaurants, hotels, gift shops, etc.<\/p>\n The truth is the visitors would have come anyway. The hotel and \tothers would have built to fulfill a need “if” there was \tone. The idea that if you build it, they will come, only works in \tthe movies. Any developer can tell you that the rules of \tsuccessfully developing any property is to (1) identify a need (2) \tdetermine whether you have the demographic numbers (3) design your \tproject accordingly (4) location, location, location.<\/p>\n Politicians with absolutely no understanding of this simple process, \tproject numbers from their imaginations, then they ask an architect \twhat he thinks. Of course, the architect agrees that it should be \tbuilt and he will pull up examples of other similar projects that \thave been a great success, yet none of these projects has ever put \tout a set of hard numbers, operating statements, revenues, \tmanagement, marketing, maintenance, replacement reserves, utilities, \tetc.<\/p>\n Every failed project is supported by feasibility studies that are \tbased on “dream world economics.” These white elephant \tprojects are spread all over the nation and cost taxpayers billions \teach year. Of course, they pay no property taxes, which places an \tadditional burden on the poor “sucker” taxpayers. It’s no \twonder so many cities, counties and states are broke.<\/p>\n Little towns such as Johnson City, Tennessee, do it. They have a \tconference center. It doesn’t bring in enough money to pay the \tlight bill and maintenance, but if you read the newspaper account of \tits operations, there will be glowing accounts of its future and \twhat great progress has been made, the reality is that it never<\/span> had the “numbers”, it is functionally obsolete, just like \tthe ridiculous Johnson City downtown parking garage. If we knew the \t“cold, hard” numbers, we would be absolutely enraged; yet \ton they go.<\/p>\n Daytona Beach’s Ocean Center has cost the taxpayers 223,000,000.00 \tdollars, in addition, they built a performing arts center on the \tmainland side of the Halifax River, with no parking. It was \tbankrupt before they opened the doors (cost 33 million dollars). If \ta forensic CPA ever took these places apart and the newspapers would \tactually print what they found, a vigilante posse would be formed to \tpunish the “well intended” commission who perpetrated \tthese frauds on the taxpayers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The location of these buildings rarely, if ever, is selected to take \tinto account traffic patterns. The Ocean Center is built right \tbeside the ocean; no one lives in the ocean. It’s green, \tdemographically speaking, it’s located ten miles east of I-95 \tthrough a maze of traffic. I-95 is the primary arterial mover of \ttraffic in a “bacon-strip” demo. 100,000 cars a day \tcannot see the Ocean Center. It’s absolutely ridiculous and the \tfacility has totally inadequate parking in an automobile culture \tthat will not change in the next 50 years. The supporters of this \tproject have said they are trying to attract conventions and \tconferences. Good luck, Disney World, Universal, Sea World and \t50,000 hotel rooms with everything imaginable are located 50 miles \taway. It’s just not a smart move to fight an 800-pound gorilla. \tThere is no way you can compete — you lose.<\/p>\n Other criteria such as visibility, ease of access\/egress, free \tparking at grade, demographic make up (both income and location of \tpotential users and patrons), user friendly interior spaces and \tseating. Costs analysis prior to design aesthetics and so on are \tnot even considered. Many of these recently built (last 15 years) \tlook like munition factories or automobile factories; totally \tlacking in any classical architectural order or fundamentals. Many \tlook like giant manufactured components which they then try to \tspruce up with banners, fancy street lighting and exotic plants. \tIt’s difficult to tell where the front of the building is. I get a \tmigraine headache when I look at them, they are absolutely dreadful.<\/p>\n It’s design by committee, many of whom, are totally artless and \tlacking in any practical thinking. It’s pure politics. Often the \t\u201cpolitical\u201d architects that are hired share the same qualities. \tThe results are municipal projects that are consistently miserable. \tCities become developers of these type buildings because of the ease \tof financing, politics and their taxing authority. It has been a \trecipe that promotes poorly conceived projects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I once had a practical construction man tell me that these people \tonly listen to each other; the reality is “they wouldn’t listen \tto Jesus.” As soon as they build these big, ugly, stupid \tprojects they start complaining that someone “goofed”. \tThere are hundreds of these senseless projects. One example, maybe \tthe most graphic, is the Miami, Florida Performing Arts Center; \ttheir first month’s electric bill was $640,000.00, the thing costs \tover $500,000,000.00, My guess it was even more; \u201coutrageous\u201d!<\/p>\n Orange County (Orlando) Florida built a convention center (2 million \tsquare feet), at an estimated cost of two billion dollars. It \tdoesn’t take in enough money to pay their basic expenses (lights, \tmanagement and marketing). It is a colossal joke. The list is \tendless.<\/p>\n Savannah, Georgia, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, St. Louis, Daytona \tBeach and on and on. The only one, I know of, that’s a success is \tthe Newberry, South Carolina, project and its leadership was in \tprivate hands for the most part. It’s “development 101”. \tIt’s so simple. These cities are like “lotto winners”. \tThey go crazy, but the taxpayer is left with the “tab” \twhen these “geniuses” leave office with their plaques and \tawards for a job well done.<\/p>\n Now, they are building a performing arts center in Orlando. Costs \taround $365,000,000.00. It’s in the worst possible location. It \tcan’t be seen until you are on top of it. I predict the costs will \tbe over $420,000,000.00 but we’ll never really know. The location \tis in a traffic blind, I can’t imagine how local art groups can \tafford to use it. They just built a new basketball arena; there are \talready rumblings that it is a financial disaster. We’ll hear more, \tbut we’ll never really know the truth, but we will pay for it \tdirectly or indirectly. Smaller centers for local use with a high \tvisibility profile and multiple uses would make more sense.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We’ve all heard the expression “if you dig yourself into a hole, stop digging.” We’ll be forced to stop, soon enough. We’ll be broke. Check out Detroit and Flint, Michigan. They managed to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. If someone ever did it right, it would be an international sensation. But it’s human nature: What are you going to do?<\/p>\n If you want to argue my perspective, show me the numbers, the honest hard numbers. That is your only real argument. Recently I heard the Mayor of Orlando defend the Amway Arena with a compliment from the Commission of the NBA “that we have the finest facility in the NBA”. What else would he say? He’s not a jerk, but the thing is losing money and will continue to do so. No parking. Look at the United Center in Chicago completely surrounded by parking (360\uf0b0)<\/span> all around the arena (Building, Development 101). The Amway is a big, ugly, stupid building. It will cost the taxpayers of Orange County millions and we’ll never really know the truth – \u201cnever<\/span>\u201d. I just hope and pray these people don’t start building pyramids.<\/p>\n Gary Paduch,<\/p>\n Arts Supporter, E-mail info@gfpaduch.com<\/a><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hi Patriots, I’m president of Deltona Arts & Historical Center. A couple of years, retired developer, Gary Paduch donated plans\/architectural renderings for a new arts and performance center. Gary is extremely frustrated by government waste of taxpayers money. He has…<\/p>\n
\nRetired Developer, Writer<\/p>\n
\nWebsite: www.gfpaduch.com<\/a><\/p>\n