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Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024
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Publisher’s Notebook Time to ‘play ball’ with ballpark issues

Now that the long-awaited district attorney’s report is out on the Valerie Stallings issue, it is time to put the ballpark project into overdrive and get on with the construction.

It is unfortunate it took so long to finish the investigation because it delayed the project and allowed Bruce Henderson to file another frivolous lawsuit, and probably drove up the cost of the project by several thousands, if not millions, of dollars.

“Play ball” are the words we are waiting to hear sometime soon. The sooner the better, as a matter of fact.

It appears we are looking at 2003 before we see the first pitch in the park. That, coincidentally, is the year we also host the Super Bowl. What a year that will be.

In addition to the ballpark, the conclusion of the investigation allows many other projects in the 26-block region to resume with confidence as well.

The renewal of Downtown is nearly complete. Horton Plaza was first, then the Convention Center and now the East Village project is back on course. More than 100 projects are going full-blast Downtown. Condominiums, apartments, hotels, retail outlets, parking structures, high-rise office towers , the list goes on.

If it has been a while since you traveled down to the waterfront area please do so and soon. You will see construction everywhere from Little Italy to 32nd Street. What a sight.

I think Mayor Dick Murphy is on the right track by asking the new City Council to revote on the East Village package to remove Valerie Stallings votes’ altogether. There is no way to prevent Henderson from filing more suits, but why give him ammunition by not revoting the council votes?

Hopefully, the requirement by the judge last week to make Henderson pay court fees and lawyer fees will make him think twice about the next suit he contemplates filing.

I know the naysayers of the project moving ahead are harping about the cost and the repayment of the debt. Granted, the two hotels slated to provide transient occupancy tax funds to pay the city’s debt are yet to be completed. That is a setback, but only a temporary one.

With the city applying for bonding later this year, getting it will encourage the financing of many projects in addition to the hotels. Downtown officials are reporting higher than expected redevelopment taxes, which will help offset some of the shortage in TOT funds as construction wears on.

While the East Village project seems to be coming around again, we also have to keep our focus on the final approvals for the USS Midway museum project as it approaches the California Coastal Commission hearings for its final approval. The task force that has been working on the carrier project for nearly a decade needs the commission’s approval, and the process of bringing the ship to San Diego as a living museum will proceed.

The ship will be an instant success. A city like ours, whose third largest industry is convention and tourism, will be elevated to another level. The use of the ship for events, special venues and education will be one more addition to our arsenal of reasons why conventioneers and tourists pick San Diego.

When the 100-plus projects are completed over the next five years, locals and visitors alike will marvel at the wonders of our region.

The economy, with its energy, gasoline and soft market problems, is a concern to us all. But think about someone living in Buffalo, where the average temperature is negative-something and has experienced more than 100 inches of snowfall this year, and our challenges somehow pale in comparison.

We have dedicated new leaders in the region who will strive to pull all the elements together to make the puzzle fit.

To the balance sheet:

Credit: To Max Schetter, the affable career chamber executive who was honored Feb. 5 for 25 years of service to the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Before a packed house of more than 1,200 business leaders, Max was feted by chamber President Jessie Knight for his 25 years of service to the community.

Max was one of my first mentors upon leaving the Marine Corps and starting a life in San Diego. He is always smiling, has positive thoughts to bring to any discussion and has the biggest handshake in America. When you first meet Max and shake his hand, yours just disappears. He has had a hand in many of the important positions the chamber has made over nearly three decades. Congratulations, Max, for a continuing job well done.

Credit: To Joe Craver, CEO of Galaxy Management and the 2000 chairman of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Jessie Knight, president of the chamber, for the tremendous turnaround in the role and position of the chamber in the business community. Joe and Jessie have repaired the financial and advocacy position of the group with 12 months of effort above and beyond the call of duty. We need a viable advocacy arm in the region to be the voice of business.

Coupled with the Economic Development Corp., they have a handle on growth, employment, finance support and advocacy for the business community. Congrats to both Joe and Jessie for a magnificent repositioning story.

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