7.06.07
Countywide committee could lead community's casino bid
Op-ed
by Cliff Schrader
Acheson Ventures recently pulled together a group it believed to be representative of the players who promote the Blue Water Area, especially Port Huron.
This formation of about 20 people included representatives of MainStreet Port Huron, the Greater Port Huron Area Chamber of Commerce, the Blue Water Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Port Huron, other communities and several individuals who seem to have their fingerprints on anything allowed to happen here.
Apparently, John Hill has produced a promotional video for Acheson titled, Port Huron Adventure. While some participants say it is hard to figure out why AV decided to have this meeting, it appears that AV, which spent $400,000 promoting Port Huron last year, is looking to defray some of the costs of putting this promotion on the streets of Michigan.
The pitch seemed to be to find community ownership and financial support for this film to be marketed throughout the state by a variety of media outlets in Detroit and elsewhere. Will others pony up with their checkbooks?
Reports say this was not necessarily a "Kumbaya" event. While there was cautious support for AV's media blitz, there also was careful questioning and some hostility.
Participants from other communities said their areas are growing and developing just fine, thank you. They believe only Port Huron's glass is half- empty with a growing hole in the bottom. Why should they bail out Port Huron's failed leadership?
Others suggested money spent on this project would be better used to build attractions that would become a draw to the Port Huron area. What happens, though, when this promotion brings thousands here, but our downtown is closed or vacant and there is nothing to do but stare at the water for a couple of hours?
A casino entertainment complex would inject a considerable "WOW" factor into the Blue Water Area, and it would bring a host of new leaders - new blood, new successful developers with talent and track records. Just think of how downtown Port Huron, positioned in the middle, would be transformed by a casino entertainment complex on the Thomas Edison Inn site and continued development of Acheson Ventures' Desmond Landing.
Unfortunately, that's currently out of our hands!
Everyone knows what really needs to be done. It's all about money.
Years ahead of local leadership was Don Reynolds. He foresaw the future financial problems Port Huron would face, and led his band of volunteers, the Casino Committee, with a plan to put some "WOW" into Port Huron. The goal was to provide a destination attraction that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for Port Huron.
Isn't a countywide "WOW" committee what we really need? Such an organization could bring all the players together, especially Acheson Ventures. It could inject some new blood, new ideas and, most important, new money and talent to build complexes that are real attractions.
Instead of media happy faces trying to cover up serious issues, shouldn't we put our time and resources into creating some "WOW" for the Blue Water Area? That could relieve us from trying to fake it.
Cliff Schrader is a radio columnist on WGRT-FM 102.3. His Friday columns are part of a cooperative agreement between the radio station and the Times Herald. His opinions are his own and not those of the Times Herald or WGRT.
This formation of about 20 people included representatives of MainStreet Port Huron, the Greater Port Huron Area Chamber of Commerce, the Blue Water Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Port Huron, other communities and several individuals who seem to have their fingerprints on anything allowed to happen here.
Apparently, John Hill has produced a promotional video for Acheson titled, Port Huron Adventure. While some participants say it is hard to figure out why AV decided to have this meeting, it appears that AV, which spent $400,000 promoting Port Huron last year, is looking to defray some of the costs of putting this promotion on the streets of Michigan.
The pitch seemed to be to find community ownership and financial support for this film to be marketed throughout the state by a variety of media outlets in Detroit and elsewhere. Will others pony up with their checkbooks?
Reports say this was not necessarily a "Kumbaya" event. While there was cautious support for AV's media blitz, there also was careful questioning and some hostility.
Participants from other communities said their areas are growing and developing just fine, thank you. They believe only Port Huron's glass is half- empty with a growing hole in the bottom. Why should they bail out Port Huron's failed leadership?
Others suggested money spent on this project would be better used to build attractions that would become a draw to the Port Huron area. What happens, though, when this promotion brings thousands here, but our downtown is closed or vacant and there is nothing to do but stare at the water for a couple of hours?
A casino entertainment complex would inject a considerable "WOW" factor into the Blue Water Area, and it would bring a host of new leaders - new blood, new successful developers with talent and track records. Just think of how downtown Port Huron, positioned in the middle, would be transformed by a casino entertainment complex on the Thomas Edison Inn site and continued development of Acheson Ventures' Desmond Landing.
Unfortunately, that's currently out of our hands!
Everyone knows what really needs to be done. It's all about money.
Years ahead of local leadership was Don Reynolds. He foresaw the future financial problems Port Huron would face, and led his band of volunteers, the Casino Committee, with a plan to put some "WOW" into Port Huron. The goal was to provide a destination attraction that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for Port Huron.
Isn't a countywide "WOW" committee what we really need? Such an organization could bring all the players together, especially Acheson Ventures. It could inject some new blood, new ideas and, most important, new money and talent to build complexes that are real attractions.
Instead of media happy faces trying to cover up serious issues, shouldn't we put our time and resources into creating some "WOW" for the Blue Water Area? That could relieve us from trying to fake it.
Cliff Schrader is a radio columnist on WGRT-FM 102.3. His Friday columns are part of a cooperative agreement between the radio station and the Times Herald. His opinions are his own and not those of the Times Herald or WGRT.
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